Eva Cheng
Twenty days after Beijing's April 6 move to "interpret" Hong Kong's Basic Law in areas beyond its legal jurisdiction, it did it again.
On April 26, Beijing declared that it will not allow a popular vote on the territory's chief executive in 2007, nor will it allow the legislative chamber to be completely elected by popular vote in 2008 — despite popular votes being possible under Hong Kong law. In doing so, Beijing is rejecting the key demands of Hong Kong's democracy movement.
Like on April 6, the orders were issued on Beijing's behalf by the standing committee of the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament.
The move is a clear backtrack from the "high degree of autonomy" that Beijing promised Hong Kong before it assumed sovereignty over the former British colony in 1997. Those promises are spelled out in the Basic Law, Hong Kong's post-handover "mini-constitution".
Beijing's intention to snub the pro-democracy advocates couldn't be clearer. On April 6, Beijing transferred the right to initiate electoral changes from Hong Kong's legislative council to the chief executive, who was in effect handpicked by the Chinese government. In reaction, 20,000 people protested on April 11. Protesters also clearly reaffirmed their demands for popular elections by 2007 and 2008.
In response to the April 26 announcement, British foreign office minister Bill Rammell and a US State Department spokesperson promptly expressed their "disappointment".
Small-scale protests also quickly erupted in Hong Kong, in addition to protest statements and actions by various local pro-democracy groups and legislators.
Despite Beijing's recent moves, the Hong Kong government still wants to put up a democratic facade by "consulting" the local population in May on the nitty-gritty aspects of the territory's "electoral reforms". Civil Human Rights Front, a coalition of 48 civil organisations that organised a 500,000-strong demonstration on July 1, 2003, against Beijing's attempt to impose a repressive "anti-subversion" law, has decided to boycott the fake consultation.
July 1 has become an important date for pro-democracy protests since Hong Kong was returned to China on that date in 1997.
Pro-democracy campaigners plan to oppose Beijing's undemocratic policies in the annual protests on May Day and on the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square.
Campaigners also plan to make a protest on July 1 as big as possible to express their outrage at Beijing's high-handed moves.
Another focal point is Hong Kong's legislative election on September 12. On that day, 30 of Hong Kong's 60-seat legislative chamber will be elected by a popular vote, up from 24 currently.
From Green Left Weekly, May 5, 2004.
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