Denial of democracy in Hong Kong

Martin Lee, Project Syndicate

This week marks the 15th Anniversary of the promulgation of Hong Kong's constitution, the Basic Law, by China's National People's Congress. The Basic Law supposedly established a political framework to accord with the late Deng Xiaoping's policy of "one country, two systems," with Hong Kong's people ruling Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.

Under this policy, Hong Kong's capitalist system, the rule of law, and its people's freedoms and way of life were to be preserved. It provided for a popularly elected Chief Executive and Legislative Council. Indeed, apart from defense and foreign affairs, Hong Kong was to be master of its own house.

But, despite its promise of universal suffrage, the Basic Law restricts democratic development during the first ten years after the handover of Hong Kong to China. As a result, full democracy is to be permitted only in 2007.

I said in my maiden speech in the Legislative Council in 1985 that the policy of "one country, two systems" cannot work without democracy. As Deng once said of China: "With a good system, even evil men cannot do evil. But without a good system, even good men cannot do good, but may be forced to do evil."

For Hong Kong, the only good system is democracy. For under a democratic system, those in power realize that it is the people who put them in office, and they will be voted out if they are perceived to be serving Beijing's interests rather than Hong Kong's.

Of course, Deng's policy can work only if Beijing wants it to work. Indeed, not only must China refrain from interfering in Hong Kong's internal affairs, but it must encourage the people of Hong Kong to defend their much smaller system.

Unfortunately, Beijing has other ideas. On July 1, 2003, the sixth anniversary of the handover, nearly a million people took to Hong Kong's streets in a peaceful protest against an anti- subversion bill that would have eroded freedom of the press, of religion, and of association. The demonstration led to a postponement of the bill, and ultimately to its withdrawal, as well as to the resignation of the Secretary for Security, who was responsible for it.

But that demonstration also spurred a major change in China's policy towards Hong Kong. Until then, interference from China was covert and subtle, so that the public perception was that Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, was in charge. After the demonstration, China's government adopted a hands-on approach, letting the people of Hong Kong know who the boss really is.

Thus, on April 26, 2004, China announced its unilateral decision that Hong Kong is not to have democracy in 2007 without saying when Hong Kong will have it.

Then came Tung's resignation as Chief Executive in March. The popular belief is that Tung was sacked or pressured to step down. Tung was handpicked by former Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1996 and was openly endorsed by Jiang for a second term in 2002. But he was not popular because the public viewed him as a puppet of China and a crony of big developers, particularly Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's richest person.

Although the election of the next Chief Executive will not take place until July, China has let it be known that our present Chief Secretary, Donald Tsang, is the chosen one. Moreover, although the Basic Law prescribes a five-year term for the Chief Executive, China is insisting that the winner will only serve for the remainder of Tung's term, until June 30, 2007. The clear message is that after almost eight years of Chinese rule, China's leaders do not trust anyone in Hong Kong to govern for five years.

This, surely, is the greatest indictment of China's Hong Kong policy since 1997. But the solution lies in changing the system, not just the leader. The way forward is not more control or suppression, but more trust and democracy. The latter leads to the full implementation of Deng's policy, enshrined in the Basic Law, of "one country, two systems," while the former turns the Basic Law into a worthless piece of paper.

In 1984, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said of the impending handover of Hong Kong, "The eyes of the world are on us." That may or may not be true today, but at least the people of Taiwan are watching.

Martin Lee is the founding Chairman of the Democratic Party of Hong Kong.