One of Hong Kong’s most depressingly morose-looking pan-democrats, Lee Cheuk-yan, loses to pro-Beijing groomed stooge Rebecca Chan in a Legislative Council by-election. He would have lost even with the votes that went to aging moderate spoiler-candidate pan-dem Frederick Fung.
The weather was nasty, turnout was low, and the pro-Beijing candidate had material and organizational support from the Communist Party’s local United Front operations. But essentially what happened is that voters chose the wrong candidate last time (in 2016) when they elected radical pro-dem Lau Siu-lai, who the government subsequently expelled from the legislature using special new CCP-imposed laws on oath-taking. Now citizens have chosen the ‘correct’ candidate; Beijing can support the democratic outcome.
Distraught pan-dems warn that their bloc will not regain its veto power in the legislature. That’s the whole idea – what part of ‘Communist dictatorship’ don’t you understand? Under Mainlandization, Hong Kong’s already-feeble representative political structures are destined to become purely ceremonial. At best, taking them seriously will be a distraction that absorbs the opposition’s energy and ultimately humiliates them. At worst, it will help legitimize the Beijing-appointed executive’s bad or repressive policies.
At some stage the pan-dems need to get over their obsession with rigged elections and a Mainland-style rubber-stamp legislature, and boycott the whole farce.
One objection to this is that they are too disorganized to act in unison. Another is that they need the generous Legislative Council salaries and allowances. It might come down to voters staying at home.
Poor voter turnout and the repeated re-election of Vagina Ip, Priscilla Leung and the empty suits of the DAB make for quite compelling evidence that Hongkongers do not, in fact, deserve better.
Hurrah!
At last Hong Kong people are not only getting what they deserve, they are CHOOSING to get what they deserve.
This is surely a moral and intellectual victory, even an historical triumph of the will.
Long may it continue.
PS: Liberals are real amateurs at electioneering. The Communists are experts and know, for example, how to put on an adult diaper on their voter and roll his wheelchair to the booth. The “Labour Party” should have imported an election fixer from England. Theatre is bums on seats. Elections are bums on taxi seats. They will never learn. Basically, liberals hate mixing with the working class. The Communists rub their noses with mentholatum, put their rubber gloves on and throw up afterwards.
@Headache,
Also compelling evidence that the pro-dems are not fit for purpose. Two +60 years olds decided to stand – presumably to appeal to the now politicized younger demographic. Of course they split the vote. Then we have the multiple parties. In these parties there is not one charismatic leader who can unite the opposition. How difficult can it be to take this woeful Government to task and make Priscilla, Holden, Starry, Dr. Quat look the complete …
Maybe it’s time to give up and join the winning side like Ronnie, Christine and the others !
May be wildly off-base here, but the opposition has around 25 seats already surely, so already meets the 24 minimum for Legco vetoes? (At least on matters requiring supermajorities.)
The next time the government disqualifies a democratic candidate, all other democrats should immediately withdraw from the election, create as much negative publicity for Beijing as possible over its attacks on Hong Kong democracy, and encourage voters to write in the name of the disqualified candidate on their ballot paper. This will not of course get the disqualified candidate elected, but it will send a message that election results are supposed to reflect the choice of the voters, not the government.
@Stephen – please don’t forget the quote marks when you write “Dr.” Quat’s name.
The important votes are the ones made with people’s feet. This “result” will only increase the number of people who vote that way. Which is exactly what the CCP wants, so everyone’s a winner.
Everyone, that is, apart from Hong Kong.
@ Stephen, fair call. I haven’t really kept up with who’s standing for what since I left HK. My comment was more an expression of frustration than genuine victim-blaming.
It’s almost as if serious pro-democracy types don’t think it’s worth putting life on hold in an attempt to join a ceremonial rubber-stamp committee and risk being disqualified, booted out or prosecuted into bankruptcy, and are instead opting to make their money while they still can, donate a bit to Hong Kong Free Press along the way, and get the heck out on whatever passport before retirement.