Letters | It’s simple: Hong Kong people can be proud Chinese and still want democracy
- Hongkongers have expressed their desire for democracy in peaceful marches and at the ballot box over decades. Their desire for a different political system from the one in mainland China does not make them less Chinese
I will not attempt to address all the misplaced logic in the article. What I can say is that, when people say the situation in Hong Kong is complex, I say, it isn’t.
It’s very simple: Hongkongers want democracy.
The people of Hong Kong have expressed this clearly many times over the decades – in 1989, when a million people took to the streets to support democracy in China, throughout the 1990s and beyond during countless June 4 anniversary demonstrations, in 2014, and again in 2019.
They have also made this desire clear at the ballot box when allowed. In the 1991 Legislative Council elections when the key issue was democracy, 16 of the 18 seats allowed to be directly elected went to pro-democracy candidates.
In the next election, in which all 60 seats were either directly or indirectly elected, results were mixed – which shows Hong Kong people are quite moderate, but they do want democracy.
And, just to be clear Mr Lee, a “robust middle class, besides being an important driver of growth”, most certainly does not provide legitimacy for the Communist Party. Being elected by the people does.
The Communist Party is trying to hijack 5,000 years of Chinese history, culture and achievements by claiming that they alone represent that history, that they are China, despite having ruled the country for only 70 of its 5,000-year history.
Hong Kong people can easily be proud Chinese but also want democracy.
Yes, Hongkongers should embrace their history and culture; but let’s be clear: China’s history and culture belong to all Chinese people, not to one political party.
Neal McGrath, Quarry Bay
