'Just Put Your Faith in Hong Kong's Voters'

A commentary by Bao Tong
2014.07.28
Demonstrators sit in a street of the Central business district after a pro-democracy rally seeking greater democracy in Hong Kong, July 1, 2014.
AFP

The white paper has tried to set the record straight by saying that Hong Kong only has however much autonomy that the central government grants it. Apparently, this is the essence of "one country, two systems." But the consequences have been severe, with Hong Kong people coming out onto the streets because of it. It has proved to be a divisive, rather than a unifying force.

The writers of the white paper made a mistake, believing that their repressive policies were bound to win out every time, based on their experience of governance in mainland China. The only thing is, Hong Kong people are different in many ways from the citizens of mainland China.

As well as those who are covertly loyal to the underground [ruling Chinese Communist] Party, there are the original inhabitants who have become used to exercising their innate human rights, not to mention living through wave after wave of refugees from the mainland. Back then, [Communist Party elder] Xi Zhongxun shed tears of compassion after seeing them sneak across the border to escape to Hong Kong.

Had it not been for these differences, [late supreme leader] Deng Xiaoping wouldn't have needed to bother inventing the concept of "one country, two systems" in the first place. They could have just had "one country, one system," and been done with it.

But the writers of the white paper weren't Deng Xiaoping, and they made the mistake of treating Hong Kong people like mainlanders who have been accustomed to [party rule for] 60 or more years. In doing so, they committed the cardinal error of the politician: blindness.

Fixing the mistake

Now that the mistake has been made, how can it be repaired? It may be possible if there is a sincere will to do so. There are still some options open. Ensuring that Hong Kong retains a "high degree of autonomy" would be one of them, and would totally satisfy Hong Kong public opinion.

Hong Kong people should be allowed, in a spirit of optimism, to decide on their own arrangements for universal suffrage, and this shouldn't be pre-empted by any mainland Chinese officials, however high-ranking or powerful.

Neither should the mainland, which in more than 60 years hasn't held a single election worthy of the name, and which has no experience or expertise in these matters, try offering directives or "assistance" to Hong Kong voters.

But what will happen if "non-patriots" manage to run as candidates? That's easy. Just put your faith entirely in the Hong Kong electorate. It is a form of mental illness not to trust in Hong Kong's voters or their high degree of autonomy.

The central government took great care and caution, using indirect ballots with weighted lists of candidates, yet it still managed to elect the likes of [disgraced former Chongqing party chief] Bo Xilai, [expelled top military official] Xu Caihou and [former security czar] Zhou Yongkang. It won't take much for discerning eyes in Beijing to decide whether they helped or harmed their country.

US model

And we can't ignore the American experience. Citizens of the United States of America come from all over the world, from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, speaking a multiplicity of languages, and practicing a variety of religions. It is far more complex and harder to govern than the People's Republic of China, with its centralized dictatorship going back to antiquity.

Citizens of individual states elect their own legislatures, enact their own laws and run their own administrations and trials. The leadership is changed every four years, at every level, or every eight years at most.

Whoever heard of a U.S. president vetting a list of candidates in state gubernatorial elections?

Who ever heard of the transfer, promotion, disciplining or removal of a mayor by the federal government? Since when has their stability maintenance budget exceeded their defense budget? Do they have the same sorrow and distress occasioned by calls for this or that kind of "independence"?

The Tang emperors kept quiet, and those below them found their own path. This wins popular support and people vote with their feet. This is priceless social cohesion!

To sum up, the will of the people should be paramount. This is a far cry from the guiding principle and indications made in the State Information Office's white paper. The "one country" referred to by the white paper is still a republic, is it not? Its citizens should have the right to hold their own elections.

To turn it around, if the white paper has the right to tell the voters how to vote, then where is our republic? And what right do you have to talk to us about "one country"?

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.

Bao Tong, political aide to the late ousted premier Zhao Ziyang, is currently under house arrest at his home in Beijing.

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