HONG KONG—The annual July 1 protest march in Hong Kong, marking the 13th anniversary of the return to Chinese rule, attracted 52,000 people who capitalised on this public event to voice their discontent about the increasing Beijing Government dominance.
The march comes just one week after Chief Executive Donald Tsang gained a majority vote in the local government for the unpopular electoral reform package. Tsang relied on the compromised position of the Democratic Party, which originally represented the most influential and critical group against the communist regime.
An atmosphere of solidarity filled the central Victoria Park, groups made the most of the occasion to openly share their hopes and fears regarding Hong Kong’s future. The crowd also jointly sang a Cantonese rendition of Le Miserable’s “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
Different messages were also portrayed. Banners included “The will of heaven is disintegrating the Chinese Communist Party,” the “33” signage also represented demands for a minimum wage to be HK33.00 (US$4.25) an hour.
Although the Hong Kong Observatory reported the temperature hit 33 degrees, the hottest so far this year there was also mixed feelings in the crowd.
“We shouldn’t allow the recent setback to split us up,” exclaimed Mr. Xu, a local citizen and democratic supporter who came to attend the march with his son. He said that his greatest concern is that this latest move by the Democratic Party may indicate infiltration and control by the Communist Party.
The party that used to represent a shining light of hope for universal suffrage in Hong Kong now seems to have betrayed the people.
Ms. Wang, an attendee who was previously a Democratic Party candidate, commented that in the future she is contemplating never to vote for the Democratic Party again.
“You can’t trust what the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) says, so how could the Democratic Party strike a deal with them!?” she said.
A group of students displayed an imitation dried squid called ’Chao You Yu‘—its pronunciation sounds the same as the expression “to be sacked” in Chinese—they demanded that Donald Tsang’s government be ousted.
Although the new reform package claims to be a step towards democracy, with five more seats chosen by popular vote, in reality it is a step backwards. Ultimately there is no transparency on how the election candidates will be chosen, and they may in fact be handpicked by Beijing.
In 2003 the July 1 march attracted a record 500,000 people, who protested the Government’s decision to implement a controversial Article 23 to the Basic Law—a bill that would have severely clamped down on democratic freedom. The public outcry forced the Government to back down and drop the bill.
However, with the latest predicament it would suggest the fundamental rights of the Hong Kong populace has deteriorated when it appears that the balance of power has shifted to the Mainland.
The march comes just one week after Chief Executive Donald Tsang gained a majority vote in the local government for the unpopular electoral reform package. Tsang relied on the compromised position of the Democratic Party, which originally represented the most influential and critical group against the communist regime.
An atmosphere of solidarity filled the central Victoria Park, groups made the most of the occasion to openly share their hopes and fears regarding Hong Kong’s future. The crowd also jointly sang a Cantonese rendition of Le Miserable’s “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
Different messages were also portrayed. Banners included “The will of heaven is disintegrating the Chinese Communist Party,” the “33” signage also represented demands for a minimum wage to be HK33.00 (US$4.25) an hour.
Although the Hong Kong Observatory reported the temperature hit 33 degrees, the hottest so far this year there was also mixed feelings in the crowd.
“We shouldn’t allow the recent setback to split us up,” exclaimed Mr. Xu, a local citizen and democratic supporter who came to attend the march with his son. He said that his greatest concern is that this latest move by the Democratic Party may indicate infiltration and control by the Communist Party.
The party that used to represent a shining light of hope for universal suffrage in Hong Kong now seems to have betrayed the people.
Ms. Wang, an attendee who was previously a Democratic Party candidate, commented that in the future she is contemplating never to vote for the Democratic Party again.
“You can’t trust what the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) says, so how could the Democratic Party strike a deal with them!?” she said.
A group of students displayed an imitation dried squid called ’Chao You Yu‘—its pronunciation sounds the same as the expression “to be sacked” in Chinese—they demanded that Donald Tsang’s government be ousted.
Although the new reform package claims to be a step towards democracy, with five more seats chosen by popular vote, in reality it is a step backwards. Ultimately there is no transparency on how the election candidates will be chosen, and they may in fact be handpicked by Beijing.
In 2003 the July 1 march attracted a record 500,000 people, who protested the Government’s decision to implement a controversial Article 23 to the Basic Law—a bill that would have severely clamped down on democratic freedom. The public outcry forced the Government to back down and drop the bill.
However, with the latest predicament it would suggest the fundamental rights of the Hong Kong populace has deteriorated when it appears that the balance of power has shifted to the Mainland.
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