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Written by: Yu Pinhai
2020-04-20 07:00
Last update date: 2020-04-20 07:00No one expected that the anti-amendment riots in Hong Kong would stop because of the epidemic, and no one would expect that the epidemic in Europe and the United States would be much more serious than in China, and it is impossible to imagine that the world economy would stop. The politicians who initiated the Occupy Central and Anti-Amendment Movement never thought that they would not be able to control the development of the situation and expect no results, just as the trend of the epidemic also made everyone confused.
The act of seeking confrontation will not bring about the development of the political system. The lesson is that the universal suffrage plan based on the "831 Decision" has been rejected. What is in sight is that although the revision of the "Fugitive Offender Amendment" has been withdrawn, society has suffered because of riot Injured, universal suffrage is still impossible. The result of the most recent campaign was that petrol bombs flew around, injuring countless people and destroying many shops. Even more ridiculous is that the riots lasted for more than eight months, and more than 7,000 people were arrested. It was actually students or even middle school students who were at the forefront.
The result of the most recent campaign was that petrol bombs flew around, injuring countless people and destroying many shops. (Profile picture)
Gasoline bombs are manufactured on production lines. Guns and ammunition are found in many places, and even bombs appear. The initiators of political movements are hiding behind bravery and have a conscience and are unwilling to criticize illegal violence. The Democratic Party and the Citizen Party serving the mainstream of the society are the most embarrassing. The two senior party members of the Democratic Party are even forced to withdraw from the party or withdraw from the core of party affairs because of their opposition to violence and discrimination. Political parties that once insisted on non-violence and rationality have now sacrificed the principles they once adhered to.
Little virus pierces the illusion of Western "development"
The epidemic was originally a disaster in mainland China, which was at least the imagination of those who watched the fire from the other side. Some radical medical workers went on strike at the time, demanding that the Hong Kong government close all relevant ports in the mainland, but because of unrealistic propositions, they were unable to convince the public and were soon forced to give up. This kind of populist operation may also temporarily blind the society, but as the situation evolves, it is clear that the perpetrators only want to protect themselves, hoping to create a pattern that cuts off the connection between dry ports and even gives the impression of isolating China.
In fact, the virus has its own law of spread, and no one can be completely immune. Many people thought that the medical systems of developed countries in the West were advanced and scientifically advanced. This kind of "little thing" could not fail them, but the results were shocking. It turned out that what little viruses challenge is not scientific and economic strength, nor democracy or autocracy, but social organization and public service capabilities. Western powers are caught off guard, accounting for an absolute majority of the over 2 million people who have contracted the disease so far, and the number of deaths is astronomical-Italy is more than 5 times China, Spain is more than 4 times, France is 4 times, Britain is 3 times, and the United States Even nearly 9 times. Per capita calculation is even more difficult to imagine. The United States is 35 times that of China, the United Kingdom is nearly 70 times, and Italy is more than 100 times. These countries have more than 10,000 deaths from epidemic infections, of which the United States has the most, with more than 39,000 deaths. The epidemic has struck. This political and economic power that is the leader in the "Global Health Security Index" is extremely absurd. The president and the governors of multiple states Mutual blame, and "war" on Twitter, medical care and patients can only bear the consequences of the government's incompetence and shamelessness.
Although the epidemic situation remains severe, the Trump administration has begun plans to restore the US economy. (Associated Press)
More than a month ago, it seemed that China was going to suffer, but now it has become a major epidemic of the century faced by the world, and it has developed into an economic disaster. More than 22 million people are unemployed in the United States within four weeks. Goldman Sachs Investment Bank estimates that the unemployment rate will exceed 20%. All this reminds us that in the name of democracy, lack of superior governance, the government is scattered, politicians are intriguing, and no amount of ideals and wealth are vulnerable.
In Hong Kong, the severity of the epidemic made the brave martial artists "heroes" useless. The government also changed its previous indifferent attitude. It began to understand the role of the government in society and did some rescue work. The chief executive Lin Zhengyue's public opinion turned out There are also quite a few harmonies that have been reminded by the epidemic that reform is the key point. The riots have no effect and will only cause a serious blow to society.
The epidemic has recently seemed to have slightly converged, and there are more people coming to the suburbs to breathe in fresh air this weekend. Nonetheless, everyone is not in a hurry to respond to the call of politicians to maintain anti-revision regulations. Of course, politicians think about the September Legislative Council election, and the epidemic and the economy are not important to them.
Short-sighted political calculations will only make Hong Kong chaotic, just because the election of the Legislative Council is about to be held. Various political groups have long rubbed their hands and actively participated in this political fight that is far more powerful than the district council, but will it still be just a war of words? The political system in Hong Kong is executive-led, but some people believe that the Legislative Council will have sufficient power to check and control government policies and force the government to meet their political demands. The problem is that neither of the two factions in the Legislative Council has promoted bold reforms because of its power. The formed faction has been escorting the executive branch to be the royalist party; the opposition only knows how to clamor for political slogans in the parliament and on the streets, directing the conflict to the central government, but can this method give way to the central government? Is it to solve the problem, or intensify the problem?
In the anti-amendment campaign in 2019, demonstrators demanded universal suffrage. (Profile picture / photo by Luo Junhao)
Hong Kong politicians need to put forward suggestions for congregation and skills suitable for Hong Kong politics. The pan-democrats continue to chant "true universal suffrage" and "the five major demands are indispensable" as if they were reading the scriptures. They encourage young people to attack, thinking this is like "opening the door of sesame "After the talk, the treasure will be presented automatically. It can only be a fool's dream. Institutional and pan-democratic parties often make citizens feel that politicians ’behavior is not in line with their own needs, and government officials do not feel the pressure of the Legislative Council on governance. Hong Kong ’s vested interest groups need not worry about changes in their cakes. .
When it is customary in the world to ignore that politics is about whether people ’s lives can be guaranteed and whether vulnerable groups will get help, the epidemic allows everyone to see the importance of an effective government, not a form of democracy; plus the previous anti-revision riots, Hong Kong people are more like being poured into a pot of cold water.
Whether it is an authoritarian China or a democratic and free United States, the same policies are implemented in front of the epidemic, prohibiting the free movement of most people and requiring community isolation. There may be differences in efficiency and effectiveness between different societies. California has forced store workers to wear masks, and some Western countries have followed up, and Hong Kong people have long thought that this is a civic responsibility. The situation in New York State is even more terrible. The New York Times began to teach people how to make masks in these two days. The local death toll is more than three times that of China, and more than four times the death toll from the 9/11 attacks, while only four people died in Hong Kong.
The United States has become the hardest hit by the New Crown Virus outbreak. The picture shows New York medical staff wearing personal protective equipment and pushing the body onto a refrigerated trailer to serve as a temporary morgue. (Associated Press)
The United States is praised as the most free and equal society. Racial discrimination should have been eradicated. It is also the richest and strongest country in the world. It deserves sufficient resources to deal with the epidemic. However, this is not the case. Each state and municipal government has its own government. The federal government and local governments are robbing resources and driving up the prices of medical supplies. Tens of millions of vulnerable groups have no medical protection at all. Take Chicago, the birthplace of the first black president Obama, as an example. Among the people who died because of the epidemic, more than 70% were black, and they only accounted for one-third of the population. It once again proved that even if an African-American president is elected, it will not change the United States. A deeply rooted society and interest structure. Obviously, interests and lives are more practical than ideology and political slogans. When some people assume that Hong Kong is a member of the Western Democratic Freedom Camp, it is better to think about from what angle they joined the camp. I hope it is not because everyone is more slobbering than practical. .
Many elites in the world are aware of the importance of international cooperation. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former multinational politicians jointly launched a joint international anti-epidemic coalition, requiring the G20 to take action to strengthen the The unity of the storm to deal with the outbreak, including the economic crisis caused by it. It is a pity that the call did not get echoed and disappeared in public opinion within two days. Of course, many countries are in a hurry, and the epidemic severely challenges their administrative organizations and public services. At this time, asking them to contribute to the international epidemic is obviously reluctant to make it difficult, and it is not in line with the system design in which they are responsible to voters first.
The outgoing Qu Gao is widowed, the incumbent is busy saving public opinion, just want to ensure that he is elected again, how can he pursue his ideals. As a member of the European Union, Italy cannot even obtain the help of the European Union. How can it be imagined that the European Union and its member states will participate in solving the world or developing countries' outbreaks? The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly apologized to Italy in the past two days, explaining the chaos at that time.
European Commission President Von Delaine apologized to Italy. (Reuters)
The reform of the general election bundling structure is the way out of difficulties
The high-quality assets left by the British colonial government to Hong Kong are the judicial system and the medical system, and of course the country parks, but the economic and livelihood dilemma of Hong Kong stems from the active non-intervention policy of the year. It builds today ’s vested interest structure. Even these have remained unchanged for 50 years, most Hong Kong citizens can only continue to be in desperation.
Of course, Hong Kong must develop democratic politics, and universal suffrage is the key mechanism, but I do n’t believe that universal suffrage alone can resolve Hong Kong ’s deep-seated contradictions. Only through the consensus of the majority of Hong Kong people to shake the structure of vested interests together will the situation in Hong Kong change. This is by no means to deprive anyone of their wealth, nor to eliminate the capitalist system, but to build a fair and just society based on the principle of "one country, two systems", with democracy and tolerance, and with policies more suitable for Hong Kong today. We should never despise the dissatisfaction and resentment of the public. The turmoil of the past year is definitely not unreasonable, but it is not something that can be motivated by anti-amendment.
Hong Kong must change. This is the direction that Hong Kong 01 set for itself when it was founded. We are light-hearted and fail to relieve Hong Kong, but we do not want the public to realize the severity of the situation through riots and epidemics. If we ever had the illusion that fighting for universal suffrage would change Hong Kong ’s deep-seated contradictions and vested interests, let ’s look at how the United States and the United Kingdom have dealt with poverty and social injustice in the past more than 100 years. How to respond to the medical needs of different classes. Even if Hong Kong succeeds in universal suffrage, if the result is like the United States and some European countries, even people ’s lives and health cannot be guaranteed, especially those who are missed by the system, what does it mean? Only by changing our thinking, looking for solutions from the reality of Hong Kong, and bundling universal suffrage with structural reforms, instead of treating universal suffrage as a panacea, we must promote brave reforms in order for Hong Kong to really get out of the predicament.
Hong Kong has indeed reached the point of "seeing the coffin". (Profile picture / Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Some people laughed and said, "I don't see any tears in the coffin." This sentence may lack compassion, but it makes the problem clear. Hong Kong has indeed reached the point of "seeing the coffin". For the pan-democrats, I hope they see the various constraints of different systems from the global outbreak of the epidemic. Do n’t just understand parrot learning and shout political slogans. For established political parties and parliamentarians, please abandon your previous role as royalist, truly rid the government of Hong Kong ’s overall interests, oust incompetent government officials, refuse to endorse unhelpful policies, and strongly demand comprehensive government reform. Only then can you be voted by the middle voters accept. Because of political reality, the pan-democrats may have political passion, but they do not recognize the real needs of the society; the formed members have more opportunities and roles to promote policy, but if they choose to surrender themselves and be willing to be royalists, they only know how to guess the central government ’s attitude. Political attitudes are even more conservative than the business world, so Hong Kong can only continue to sink.
The above excerpt is from the 210th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Weekly Report (April 20, 2020) "The Significance of the Epidemic Situation to Hong Kong Politics".
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