HONG KONG’S political crisis shows little sign of abating. It has been triggered by a move to introduce an extradition law that critics argue would put anyone in the city at risk of being prosecuted for crimes under China’s arguably flawed legal system. Earlier last month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the controversial legislation was effectively ‘dead’, but stopped short of pledging a formal and permanent withdrawal. It is indicative of the level of distrust among the protesting public — joined this week by many of the city’s civil servants — that her words failed to put an end to the mass demonstrations, which have continued in scorching heat and heavy rains, and despite police crackdowns and vigilante attacks.

Under the 1997 handover agreement, the former British colony is to be ruled under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle until 2047. Yet, the recent unrest clearly demonstrates an overwhelming anxiety among citizens that Hong Kong’s autonomy and unique freedoms are being hastily and systematically eroded by Ms Lam’s Beijing-backed government. Tensions have been simmering for years, particularly since the 2014 umbrella protests erupted following a proposal for electoral ‘reforms’. Pro-democracy legislators have been disqualified; booksellers critical of China have been allegedly disappeared; and journalists, activists and artists are increasingly complaining of being forced to self-censor dissenting opinions. Beijing’s response to recent events has been disquieting to say the least; on Wednesday, it released a video widely seen as a warning of possible military intervention. This, coupled with remarks by the authorities painting the protests as foreign-backed, runs the risk of escalating matters to a point of no return. No observer can reasonably argue that the highly organised protesters are not motivated in large part by a deep sense of civic responsibility. Thus, any excessive action at this juncture threatens to not only tarnish China’s image as a global leader, but also to expose the limits of Chinese-style governance when applied to a populace that has known greater freedoms. The Hong Kong government must try a different tack.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2019