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.
POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 174:
Full coverage of the day’s events on 08-06
No 'plan B' for reforms: CE
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said there's no "plan B" for political reform here.
Speaking in Toronto, he said the government had put a lot of energy into the issue over the past two years and if its reforms were voted down in the Legislative Council, it would turn its focus to economic and livelihood issues instead.
He again called on lawmakers who plan to veto the package to rethink in a calm and objective manner on why they were unwilling to accept the government's proposal.
Lam hints at livelihood issues after big vote
The government will focus on economic and livelihood issues in its remaining two years if the political reform package is voted down in the Legislative Council, pan-democratic lawmakers quoted Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as saying yesterday.
Lam met separately with Labour Party lawmakers and Leung Yiu-chung of the Neighbourhood and Worker's Service Centre, IT-sector lawmaker Charles Mok Nai-kwong and Kenneth Leung Kai- cheong of the accountancy sector as well as Albert Chan Wai-yip and Raymond Chan Chi-chuen of People Power.
After the meeting, lawmakers quoted Lam as saying the government will not restart the "five- step process" on reforms and will focus on economic and livelihood-related issues for the remaining two years of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's tenure instead.
Mok also said the government will not postpone the Legco vote on the reform proposal and no changes will be made to the proposal.
Lee Cheuk-yan said the Labour Party suggested Lam set up a platform for holding a dialogue with sectors including political parties and young people.
Lee also quoted Lam as saying that Hong Kong would have a chance for relief after the Legco vote on the reform proposal.
"We have told Lam that we will veto the government's reform proposal, which indeed is a fake universal suffrage model," Lee said.
"The establishment of the dialogue platform can help relieve the existing situation in which society has been greatly torn apart."
The pan-democrat lawmakers insisted they will vote against the reform after meeting Lam.
Former chief executive and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference vice chairman Tung Chee-hwa said he hopes lawmakers will still vote for the reform proposal as a chief executive returned by five million voters has a high degree of recognition in society and that will help foster executive-led governance.
Tung, who earlier set up the think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, said lawmakers should support the political reforms so the city may take a step forward in political development.
Peter Koon Ho-ming, provincial secretary general of the Sheng Kung Hui, the Anglican Church, said he hopes lawmakers will pass the proposal.
Anglican Church's Peter Koon (left) has voiced support for the government's political reform bill. HK people will gain more freedom if they change their attitude toward Beijing, he said, making a reference to his own pet cat. Photos: HKEJ, sina.
Is Anglican Church carrying the obedience principle too far?
Reverend Peter Koon, secretary general of the Hong Kong Anglican Church, has once again caused heartburn among his church followers by making overtly political comments and striking a pro-Beijing stance.
During a radio program Monday, Koon openly called for support for the government’s electoral reform bill which will be put to a Legislative Council vote next week.
Lawmakers must pass the bill as it will be in Hong Kong’s interests, the church leader said, arguing that the electoral system will ensure that all Hong Kong people can have a say in choosing the city’s leader, rather than just a 1,200-member nomination committee.
Koon, who is an official spokesperson for the local Anglican Church — also known as Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui — lamented the hostilities being displayed by some people towards the central government.
In pitching for a conciliatory stance, Koon suggested that good behavior and obedience will prove rewarding in the end.
And he laid out an example in a rather personal way.
“Recently I raised a kitten. While my friends warned me that the creature could destroy my home furniture, it has however behaved very well.”
“Because of its good behavior, I never put my kitten in a cage. I give it much freedom and space,” he said.
Koon, who was a vocal opponent of the Occupy pro-democracy protests last year, was suggesting that Hong Kong will prosper only if locals shed their antagonism towards Beijing.
“If Hong Kong wants more freedom (from China), it very much depends on our behavior and performance,” he said.
It’s quite clear from Koon’s comments that he sees the relationship between China and Hong Kong as akin to a master and his kitten.
The church leader believes that Hong Kong people angered Beijing’s top leaders by launching the Occupy campaign last year.
Beijing’s concerns over anti-mainland sentiments may have in fact convinced the National People’s Congress Standing Committee to come up with a tight framework for the Hong Kong chief executive election, he feels.
Koon’s comments on the electoral reform package drew criticism from both Anglican Church followers as well as other religious leaders.
“I won’t be angry any more. I just want him [Koon] to talk more to the mass media, so that the public can make their own judgment,” a young Anglican Church follower said in an online forum.
Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, one of the leaders of the Occupy Central campaign last year, described Koon’s reference to Hong Kong people as cats as being completely inappropriate.
“Why have Hong Kong people suddenly become animals?” Chu said.
This is not the first time that a top official of the Anglican Church has come out in support of the political establishment.
In July last year, Dr. Paul Kwong, the archbishop of the Anglican Church, poured cold water on the Occupy Central movement and the massive July 1 pro-democracy rally, deeming them as unnecessary.
The church leader said there is no use calling for full autonomy, pointing out that Hong Kong has never had full autonomy, only high degree of autonomy.
In contrast to the Anglican Church, the Catholic Church has adopted a much more progressive view in pushing forward a democratic electoral system in Hong Kong.
Cardinal Joseph Zen even undertook a week-long walking tour in June 2014 to urge Hong Kong people to participate in an unofficial referendum on electoral reforms.
For Anglican Church followers, concerns are growing that their church leaders have failed to adopt at least a neutral stance on political issues.
As the church has an important role in upholding core values and taking the community forward, Koon needs to ponder whether his comments will hinder or help the cause of political reforms.
Supporting a flawed electoral reform package may please Hong Kong’s perceived masters in Beijing, but will it be in the interests of the public?
Coconuts
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