Occupy Central
Occupy Central is a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls on thousands of protesters to block roads and paralyse Hong Kong's financial district if the Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to "international standards." The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.
Umbrella Movement
The Umbrella Movement (Chinese: 雨傘運動; pinyin: yǔsǎn yùndòng) is a loose political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Its name derives from the recognition of the umbrella as a symbol of defiance and resistance against the Hong Kong government, and the united grass-roots objection to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 31 August.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.
Occupy Central site in an area surrounding the Legislative Council and Central Government Offices at Tamar were cleared 22-06-2015.
Hong Kong reform vote
The Hong Kong government’s political reform proposal for how the city elects its leader by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 is based on a strict framework set by Beijing. The plan limits the number of candidates to two or three and requires them to win majority support from a 1,200 strong nominating committee. Arguing that this does not constitute genuine universal suffrage, pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to reject the package, while pro-democracy groups have protested. The government’s resolution was to be put to a vote by the 70-member Legislative Council in June 2015, requiring a two-thirds majority to be passed.
POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 250
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 65 (22-08-2015)
POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 65 (22-08-2015)
Full coverage of the day’s events
In a new book, Joseph Lau reflects on Hong Kong's social divisions, saying in order to achieve democracy, all stakeholders must be willing to compromise. Photo: HKEJ
Why a third-way approach is better than confrontation
Why do we often have to take sides?
Columnist Joseph Lau has a simple answer: Hong Kong people are split down the middle and they’re having to defend whichever side they’re on.
“Undoubtedly, it’s important to maintain one’s integrity but there are different ways to achieve the same goal,” Lau says.
“For instance, the Umbrella Movement emerged from attempts to introduce political reform, but I reckon there are many ways to handle reform.”
Lau reflects on Hong Kong’s deepening social divisions in a new book in which he argues that in order to achieve democracy, all stakeholders must be willing to compromise.
“No single group has everything,” he says.
Lau offers a “third way” toward consensus to avoid the pitfalls of confrontational behavior.
It’s a kind of two-way communication that is based on mutual trust.
Having a political stance is not everything but resolve is important in settling social conflict, Lau says.
Lau explains why he joined Path of Democracy, a think tank founded by former Civic Party lawmaker Ronny Tong.
“Tong’s philosophy resonates with me,” Lau says, adding that the third-way approach Tong advocates will help heal social conflict in the aftermath of last year’s democracy protests.
“It was getting worse when people started asking which side one was on. Yellow, Blue? Why?”
Lau became student of politics at an early age.
“Back then, we had to watch educational television programs at designated periods,” he says.
“Instead of watching the program, our teacher showed us live news reports on the signing the Sino-British Joint Declaration. My teacher told us that although we were too young to understand, it was something important that we should know.”
He calls the experience a “moment of enlightenment” which he credits for his early political awakening.
Years later, Lau has a master’s degree in politics and public administration.
He sees a bright future in young Hong Kong people whom he considers lucky for having information and knowledge at their fingertips.
But they are not worry-free.
“They often deal with issues with the same approach but I can’t say if they’re right or wrong,” Lau says.
He is certain they’re not provocative or violent as they’re sometimes made out to be.
Lau’s columns often speak to young people, offering them alternatives but not judging them.
But in the post-Umbrella Movement era, Lau says it’s important that they remain engaged in the social debate about the future.
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