MIDDLEBURGH

CY who ??

It's been 6 months since I last posted. I had just returned from Europe after burying my mother and for whatever reason I simply lacked the motivation to post... but the world has moved on and a Citizen Smith wannbe has become leader of Her Majesty's Opposition. On her better days Mum would have seen the irony in that.....

So perhaps it's time to pontificate once again and let no one say that I take myself seriously, unlike His Transcendence the CEO of Hong Kong, Comrade Leung, the sole conduit of all political power in Hong Kong, elevated to this exulted position by virtue of Beijing's 689 yes men on the Election Committee, laughably claiming to represent the 7 Million people in Hong Kong....

A year ago a call to action (Occupy Central) brought the young and not so young onto HK streets to protest against the Central Government's plan for electing the CEO in 2017.Essentially the intent was for the Election Committee of 1200 to shortlist up to 3 "approved" candidates, and the HK electorate was then expected to rubber stamp which ever of those it pleased. This in the central government' view passed for a fair democratic process. Now there are various ground for disputing this view but the one with most weight is the argument that the 1997 Constitution stipulates that candidates for the post should be selected by a broadly representative election committee.The reality was that membership of this committee was never going to be representative of the people of Hong kong but rather would represent the Central Government as now, and even if it was, the changes proposed to for the qualifying number votes required by a potential candidate would effectively exclude any candidates the central government didn't want to run.

Fortunately the Constitution provided a safeguard where the elected representatives of the people of HK in Legco must either accept the proposals or exercise a veto if they consider them not fit for purpose. This (a rejection) they did in accordance with the law with the result that the central government will be selecting the next CEO of Hong Kong in the same way that it selected the last, without the pretense that their selection is endorsed and legitimized by the people of Hong Kong.

And therein lies the rub.... His Transcendence , Comrade Leung essentially is widely detested in HK, and his administration is with one or 2 exceptions seen as a bunch of second raters. That's not to say the democrats are much better but their action in voting down the government's proposal did point up the limits of executive power . And this of course was brought into even sharper focus when the pro-government parties demonstrated that not only couldn't they organize a vote in support of the CEO and the Government (it's doubtful if they could organize their way out of a paper bag), and instead of apologizing in the first instance to the CEO , through whom all political power allegedly flows, they ran to the central Governments Liaison office demonstrating where they see true power residing in HK thereby further undermining the CEO's credibility.

So on this first anniversary of Occupy Central this is the context in which to interpret Zhang Xiaoming's talking up the current CEO. It doesn't really matter whether he was instructed by Beijing to do so, or whether he has his own agenda ie to get browny points in Beijing for standing up for their man, or whether a beleaguered CY Leung asked him for some kind words. The reality is that CY Leung has less credibility than Jeremy Corbyn and the laughable attempt to bolster his prestige by placing him above all others in HK merely emphasizes what a total and unmitigated disaster from the central government's perspective he is.

From various quarters it has been pointed out that the Chief executive is not above the law , cannot tell legislators what to think or how to vote (well he can tell them but they can and do ignore him) and his powers are no more or less than those stipulated and constrained by the constitution.I have read the constitution and I don't think there is a problem with it or the powers specified for different institutions covered (I actually carry a copy in my bag - which surprised my wife when she discovered it the other day - teach her to rummage through my bag).

Now if I was cynical (heaven forbid) I might suggest that in certain quarters in Beijing there are party cardes who feel that a rejection of CY Leung, rejection of their proposals for the 2017 election etc is nothing less than a rejection of themselves and their world view ..... and so it is ...... and I am sure that various grumblings being made about HK showing symptoms of Localism (HORROR) and not throwing off colonialization (SHOCK) and failing to embrace china and become one with the motherland (OUTRAGE) are reflections of this disquiet.

But frankly I think such groups have totally missed the point....The whole point of being a Semi Autonomous Region is that HK manages its own affairs within the framework of the Republic through a regional government... that means the centre should exercise a light tough over the region. To the extent there are protests against parallel shoppers, booing of the national anthem, waving of colonial flags, street protest against the government etc its not because HK reject china or mainlanders or harks back to colonial days (and it is very disingenuous for the Mainland mouthpieces to say so or to suggest that Hong Kongers are less than patriotic ) it is simply because many people HK object to the Central Government seeking to interfere with Hong Kong's core values - Some elements of central government are control freaks and are incapable of exercising a light touch .Many core values are shared between HK and mainland but not all , and instead of accommodating differences of view some party cadres seek to impose their values over the objections of HK.

As someone put it to me If you are a true patriot. you put your country ahead of yourself, ahead of your friends , ahead of your family and even ahead of the Party and you work to make your country a better and fairer place for all citizens to thrive .... not just to please party members and their hangers on (who we must remember are only 7% of the population in China) . No wonder their man is despised and treated like Vidkun Quisling. The same fate will no doubt befall the next transcendent CEO hand picked by Beijing by their yes men on the Election Committee.

Posted at 9/22/2015 09:13:00 pm by David Middleburgh   Permalink

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