Marching for Democracy

Two days ago, I took part (for the first time) in Hong Kong's July 1 Marches.

I believe this is the first time that I actively exercised my civic right to gather, to protest, to express a wish to the government. In 1989 when I was barely 4, I went with my parents to protest against the inhumane measures by the CCP in the Tiananmen Massacre ("Incident"). Now that I'm almost 22, I'm proud to declare a longing for democracy at home, and a will to act on it.

The Economist saw this coming:

Hong Kong would be a good place to try an alternative way of dealing with dissent. On Sunday, after the fireworks have fizzled and China's and Hong Kong's leaders have told each other how well they are doing, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers will take to the streets to demand their democratic rights. It is fair to predict that they will do so without violence and with considerable good humour. They should be cheered on by everybody who wishes China well.

"Rally turnout highest for 3 years," say organiser. But not many of my friends at home participated in this march. It wouldn't be far from the truth to say that most of them believe Hong Kong isn't yet ready for democracy. I don't blame them; my family and I would agree. Most people are indifferent to politics until it infringes upon their profits and interests.

What then is my rationale for marching? I believe in substantiating a public voice, the voice that Democracy (universal suffrage) is crucial and inevitable. A simple and powerful reason.

Many people may disagree on when to implement full democracy in Hong Kong, but almost no one would claim that it is unnecessary. This is mainly driven by the fear that CCP's promise of "One Country, Two Systems" will expire in 2047 and drive us from our "undemocratic but free" society towards an "undemocratic and unfree" land.

The CCP's dictatorship will not be contested in Mainland China until it causes widespread hardship and a significant portion of the population is educated. Like in Hong Kong, economic prosperity (or progress) manages to keep a lot of people content and passive.

Although the current government succeeds in maintaining a vibrant economy, our leaders are not chosen by the people. They are appointed by the CCP in a faux democratic manner, resulting in a system that can screw up really bad without an insurance policy. Perhaps the people in the Politburo don't believe in "shock therapy", in that case I'd really like to hear how the "gradualism" plan is like. It feels like the government is performing all sorts of trickery to delay that process.

Hong Kong may not yet be fully mature for democracy, but without taking that first step, it never will be.

Check out these photos, they awakened my social conscience.