Hong Kong Democratic Party leader Wu Chi-wai makes a suggestion only a Democratic Party member could make – ‘amnesty’ for both protestors and police convicted of Occupy-related offences.
Not many people are likely to appreciate the idea that these two groups are equally deserving of mercy. Those of us who do not worship the Chinese Communist Party will fail to see much equivalence between kids sitting in the street asking for democracy and police abusing their powers by assaulting people. Beijing’s local followers, meanwhile, will object to giving CIA-funded radical vandals the same treatment as noble patriotic forces of law and order.
Of course, that is in some ways the whole point of the suggestion – new Chief Executive Carrie Lam can make a fresh start by getting everyone to admit that they got too carried away, and we all need to sit down together and learn to be friends again.
The idea is typical Democratic Party, however. It is earnest and well-intentioned, attempting to be constructive while true to the party’s ideals. It is fanciful, and probably impractical or questionable from a legal point of view. It is also inappropriate, if not pretentious, given that the Occupy protests and subsequent politicized prosecutions are a mess rather than some sort of social cataclysm. You get the feeling that the Democratic Party wanted to announce something to get some attention, and this was the best they could think of.
Unfortunately, Carrie is not ushering in a new regime. While she would probably like to spread harmony, she is not in a position to rise above divisions and bring opposition forces and the pro-Beijing camp together as equals. Her duty is to serve Beijing and counter the opposition, if less stupidly than the incumbent. There will be no Truth and Reconciliation Commission until the Communist Party loses its monopoly of power.
Your assumptions and inferences are wrong as usual and you are still caught up in a dated CIA MI6 view of the world. Blow the cobwebs, have some ear candling or colonic channeling. Soho can do all your orifices and catharsis is assured.
The ruling power in China is now international globalised neo-capitalism, not the Communist Party. Growth – they don’t even have to say economic growth, witness the SCMP banner headline today – is the new God and Measure Of All Things. The good news is that capitalism is now more moribund than any one-party state.
Economic growth: the fairy dust supposed to make all the bad stuff disappear. Never mind that it drives ecological destruction; that it has failed to relieve structural unemployment or soaring inequality; that, in some recent years, almost all the increment in incomes has been harvested by the top 1%. As values, principles and moral purpose are lost, the promise of growth is all that’s left.
Thanks for the context. Context is the stuff in the pudding that makes it wobble.
@Warren Fuggit, – you say “The ruling power in China is now international globalised neo-capitalism, not the Communist Party.”
An epic fail. You mistake the method for the master. Rather like your namesake George declaring a war on terror.
It doesn’t matter how successful a mainland capitalist is – if he’s not on board with the party under its current leadership, how far do you think he’ll get ?
Ear candling and colonic channeling? New Age nonsense and global neo-capitalism too! True, the Chinese Communist Party is no longer communist in any meaningful sense, but that doesn’t mean global mega-corporations are now the ones calling the shots in China.