Hong Kong’s witch-hunt against dark and evil pro-independence forces continues. Communist newspaper Ta Kung Pao sends a reporter out to smear and goad localist 
superstar Edward Leung. And following the contrived panic (from contrived ‘Academy of School Managers’ group) about pro-independence teachers, another United Front mob called Real Hongkongers’ View gather outside a teachers’ union to accuse it of encouraging sedition, splittism and devil-worship. The Education Bureau, as if fearful of being left out, yaps its approval.
No-one has ever actually seen a pro-independence teacher.
The above four links respectively report: character assassination, violence, intimidation and threats of being fired. Insofar that this campaign is fighting a barely existent, mainly imaginary enemy – a Hong Kong ‘pro-independence movement’ – it would be funny. But the way even fairly moderate figures and government agencies are being required to publicly align themselves with this artificial hysteria is creepy.
Possible reasons Beijing’s Liaison Office is mounting such an elaborate crusade, in increasing order of likelihood:
- They really believe there is a CIA plot to mount a local coup and set up a puppet independent Hong Kong city-state from which to overthrow the Chinese Communist regime
- They are trying to provoke a mass movement or incidents to justify sending the tanks in and eliminating free Hong Kong once and for all
- Their bosses in Beijing really believe there is a CIA plot, and they are too afraid to disagree
- They are trying to convince their bosses in Beijing there is a CIA plot, so they can ‘crush’ it, thus get bonuses and promotions
- This is a Leninist United Front attempt to condition Hong Kong into accepting the banning of ideas and criminalization of thoughts as normal, reasonable and necessary
- This is a Leninist United Front attempt to force moderate officials, professionals and others who prefer to keep their heads down to publicly declare their loyalty (or implicitly declare disloyalty)
Anything I’ve missed? (They’re all on drugs, or something?)
For anyone keeping a list, don’t forget to add another area of creeping Mainlandization in Hong Kong: financial market analysis. The Communists are so far keeping their claws off the courts, which have found Joshua Wong and friends charged with Occupy offences to be ‘brave youths who express their opinions’. Something tells me brave Magistrate June Cheung who expresses her opinions isn’t going to be getting a Gold Bauhinia Medal any time soon.
We have all heard the story about CCP “studying” the events leading to Soviet Union demise, so they may be understandably nervous about approaching the 70th. anniversary of their state birth, and supremely willing to pass this mark, as to demonstrate the superiority of their system not only to the American hegemons but also to the weak Russians.
Yet you still haven’t spelled out why this is all important, interesting or even morally relevant when IN THE SAME CITY much more interesting social phenomena occur: dehumanisation, alienation to name just two.
The players of the Hong Kong political game are nearly all cowardly consumerist neo-liberal or worse Philistines who are clearly getting what they deserve. I suppose you just like the Schadenfreude. But never forget, it’s on both sides. They all believe in money, property, capital, Democrat or not. As such, naturally, they are damned.
Read the Tribunal report on the Moody’s case and the eventual tribunal teport on Citron and then make judgements. It’s not negative reports that are being punished but shoddily written/negligently prepared negative reports that tank companies share prices for no good reason.
7. Xi Jinping is one bad paranoid mofo and everybody down the chain is jumping up and down to prove their loyalty so that they don’t get purged next. Anyone with the balls or ovaries to say “actually, we should stop freaking out about a handful of attention-seeking cranks” may be committing career, or actual, suicide.
For those sensible types who think that an independent Hong Kong is impossible, envision this scenario: CCP’s political collapse as a result of economic mismanagement, debt Armageddon and institutionalized corruption, following the Soviet model. Regional power centers emerge to fill the power vacuum created by the absence of an Emperor in Beijing, the Cantonese will assert themselves, like so many others, and geopolitical realities will set Hong Kong free.
The cockroach in the bathroom,
The splittist in the classroom.
The voyeur creeping in the dark,
The splittist in Victoria Park.
The maggots in the honey-jar,
The splittist on the MTR.
The cancer in the healthy lung,
The splittist with a silver tongue.
Rabid dog, bubonic rat,
The splittist in a Taikoo flat.
It’s basically option 3.
Beijing really believe there is a CIA plot due to a combination of the Peter Principle — (cadres rise to the level of their incompetence) and Celine’s Laws of Chaos, Discord and Confusion:
1) National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity.
2) Accurate communication is only possible in a non punishing situation. (AKA communication is only possible between equals)
3) An honest politician is a national calamity. (AKA Convictions cause criminals)
The collapse of the totalitarian state in China is a given. My guess it will, eventually but inevitably, be replaced by a federal style nation, like f.e. Germany. Hong Kong, perhaps paired with Shenzhen, could play the part of Hamburg, a self governing urban conglomerate on the coast, within the democratic federation. The Enlightenment is knocking on the door.
The remarkable factor in Hong Kong, in the past just three years, is the voice of the young. Chinese society (am I right LRE?) has been built around the wisdom and myths of wispy beard or dyed-haired elders. Privileged patriarchs, perhaps ordained.
Just to look at the list of candidates in the upcoming Legco elections, to see 25 year-olds running for political office, is unsettling.
If Hong Kong people won’t be good ‘han’ Chinese and love (or at least accept) the CCP party-state apparatus as the rightful and natural expression of Chinese political authority … then Hong Kong loses its ‘privileges’ and gets destroyed by the Party-State. Classic paternalism justified according to the rather distorted versions of Confuciusanism popular in Hong Kong and the mainland.
Methinks some Northern peeps doth underestimate the Cantonese. And buy-in overmuch to their own myths of owning a divinely ordained right-to-rule.
Oh well at least it isn’t two times in a hundred years … More like two times in 120 years.
“JB”, Such a scenario, unlikely though it was, was the only hope for HK in about 1995. We’re now past that stage, with China at present mopping up the last institutions that don’t open the day with nine northwards obeisances.
Hemlock’s analysis (hope? prayer?) that each turn of the screw, each inch of flower-pot encroachment will turn people (the people?) against it may not work in a culture with 9,000 years of authoritarianism and no tradition of brotherhood, freedom or equal rights.
Legco may easily go next. The Marias and Reginas will have a field day, and it’s not Ed or Joshua that will make any difference.