Pro democracy landslide win in Hong Kong election - why are people still protesting?

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(Edited)

This past week Hong Kong has had a much needed respite, and a small breakthrough in the protest, albiet perhaps a more symbolic than practical one. On Sunday 24 November, the District Elections were held in Hong Kong. These are held every 4 years, and the elected candidate roles are mainly advisory, limited to local functions without much absolute power on the macro level. Universal suffrage is available to all eligible citizens in the District Elections.

LANDSLIDE VICTORY

Over 1100 candidates contested for the 452 seats. It was a landslide victory for the pro democracy camp who won 388 seats, thats 86% of the total available. This is a sharp rise from the 125 seats, or 30% that they won in the 2015 election. The pro domacracy seats are donated in yellow. Voting in the district election and the outcome was seen as a massive suppport to the pro democracy protest and growing discontent with the Hong Kong government and the CCP.


Source : Stand News

RECORD TURNOUT

Turnout to the 2019 election was record high. 2.94m voters, representing over 71% of the electorate turned out. This was the highest ever turnout to an election in Hong Kong.

Source : http://varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk

SO WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?

Given these encouraging results, you may ask what is all the fuss about? Why are people still protesting when everyone can vote, and the pro democracy camp win with such a high margin?

The TL:DR version is that under the Sino - Britain Joint Declaration signed by UK and China, Hong Kong was promised full democracy and that the basic policies governing Hong Kong should remain unchanged for 50 years. That means China does not meddle with Hong Kong's affairs, that's why Hong Kong is called a Special Administrative Region.

Universal suffrage is available for the District Elections and the Legislative Council. But that's it.

In 2014 the CCP set out new rules on how the Chief Executive of Hong Kong would be elected. The CCP would hand pick 2 or 3 desirable candidates to stand for the role. A group of 1200 people would form an Election Committee and cast their vote for the Chief Executive.

Most of the 1200 on the committe are hand picked by the CCP. The remaining represents various sectors and industries and are voted by members (via unions, member associations) from that sector. However, these representations are heavily skewed towards pro CCP industries.

For example professional sectors such as accountancy, education, IT, legal, architecture, engineering etc typically have a lot of pro democracy middle class. Each of these sectors have 30 seats on the committee.

  • Accountancy have 26k members voting for 30 representative, that's 1 rep for every 867 member
  • Education 80k voting for 30 seats, 1 rep for every 2688 member
  • Legal 6.8k voting for 30 representatives, 1 rep for 225 member



Labour intensive industries are typically pro CCP

  • Agriculture and Fisheries is a sunset industry in Hong Kong. This sector has 154 member voting for 60 seats on the Election committe. That is 1 rep for every 2.5 member
  • The HK Chinese Enterprises Association and Employers' Federation of HK are pro CCP organisations, each have 18 representatives and 447 members combined. That's 1 rep for every 25 member.

Based on this, out of 7.4m Hong Kong population, 240k members across different industries and sectors select 1200 representatives to sit on an Election Committe, who in turn select 1 Chief Executive who is already hand picked by the CCP. The system, from the Election Committee to the Chief Executive are all effectively hand picked by the CCP.

How is this full democracy?

Why does students, even those intellectuals who are studying for a Phd not get to vote for the Chief Executive? Why does those currently unemployed, maybe taking a career break or change in career direction not get to vote? Why does, say freelancers or artists, who does not belong to any union or association not get to vote? Why does housewifes, or the retired not get to vote? Why does the other 3m of the electorate who can vote in the District Election and Legislative Council not get to vote for the Chief Exective who (supposedly) runs the city they live in?

This whole system that was announced in 2014 is what triggered the Umbrella Movement and bought the city to a vitual standstill for a few months. This is the system that gave Hong Kong Carrie Lam, the current Chief Executive who is most part to blame for Hong Kong's situation today.

Full democracy without China meddling is one of the the five demands of the current protest, and this protest will not stop until this is achieved. Would you accept lower pay from your employer than promised in your employment contract? If you don't, why should Hong Kong?


And for those who say, Hong Kong didn't have full democracy under British rule, why should they have it now? I would politely ask that person to crawl back into their cave and stay there.



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34 comments
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And for those who say, Hong Kong didn't have full democracy under British rule, why should they have it now? I would politely ask that person to crawl back into their cave and stay there.
♥️♥️♥️

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Hi @livinguktaiwan, a modest tip of appreciation:
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Thanks!

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To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.

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Hi, @livinguktaiwan!

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Good breakdown. Good to see the American Anthem playing in Hong Kong after Trump signed a bill protecting them.

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The people of Hong Kong are very grateful for the support from representatives from both Chambers. Thanks!

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民主只是暴动的遮羞布,欧美媒体罔顾事实,误导吃瓜群众

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维基百科了解一下:英国学者约翰·李雅对港英政体评说:“香港不是民主政体。无论是行政上的和执行上的权力,皆掌握在政府官员之手,而他们在法律上是通过总督向英国负责的。香港的人民对他们并无任免之权。行政、立法两局的成员,不是由选举产生,而是为皇室所任命。‘非官守议员’们……不会而且在法律上也不可能决定政策。宪法允许总督忽视行政局的献议,而总督作为立法局主席所享有的决定票,也意味着政府的方案不会被立法局所否定。”[8]:28

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(Edited)

维基百科了解一下:中英联合声明签署后英帝国才开始为香港谋划民主,为什么呢?真的是为了香港人民吗?如果是为了香港人民为什么在20年前就推行民主?反而香港准备回归才开始“设计”民主制度?
1980年代,中英开始就香港问题展开谈判。1983年1月28日上午,在英国首相撒切尔夫人和大臣、官员及港督举行会詓,撒切尔夫人说“反复思考我们的目标”:“我们必须发展香港的民主架构,使她能在短时间内达成独立或自治。”

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It helps to read more interenational news so you can find out the facts for events

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it helps to get your brainwashed head out of your uncle chong ass. ''interenational'' ? Learn to spell first before you come here trying to indoctrinate individuals smarter and better educated than you with your CIA NED spoon-fed propaganda in chingchonghongkonglish ;)

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I'd rather have typos than a brain full of shit which can't be removed

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#blackshirt HK hooligans: We demand things to stay the same!
every other educated sane person: ..uh you were living under British colonial dictatorship.
#blackshirt HK hooligans: We demand things to change!

xD

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Stay strong, Hongkong! You guys inspired us at so many levels. Last few months there were also some big protests by students here in Indonesia. Decentralized protest against the new laws (with some big flaws that will make corruption easier). The brutalities against them were intense. But the students were brave enough to stand their ground. Many of them said they were inspired by Hongkong Protester...
Again, I only can say: stay strong, good people!

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Thank you @gibic.

I heard about the protests in Indonesia. It seems like the proposed new laws takes Indonesia back in time and not forward. Once you go back it is much more difficult to move forward again. I hope the students and all the Indonesians can hold your corner and fight for your rights!!!

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Thank you for this update @livinguktaiwan. Many in America stand with these pro-democracy protesters. Hopefully they will eventually be successful, as the alternative should be clear enough. I wonder how people in Taiwan view them, given their proximity to Hong Kong and their history with mainland China? I make no profession of being an expert, but I would assume Taiwan is next, should this movement in Hong Kong fail.

#sbi-skip

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you are pretty ignorant. but then again. the bipartisan dictatorship of United shitstains of Murica is known to breed patriotarded rednecks with a complete lack of integrity. Stop building your illegal wall on lands you yanks stolen from Mexico to stop mid-south-americans from claiming back the lands that were theirs in the first place. Get the fuck out of Hawaii too. If there was any schoolbook example of how white migrants stolen a nation it's Kingdom of Hawaii stolen by white US-spies/capitalists. While you are at it, go back to europe all together and stop poison the Americas with your US sick consumerism making tap waters burst out in flame in flint while turning dakota into one gigantic toxic pool.

And stop waving your ''russian meddling'' conspiracy theory like it's a real thing.

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(Edited)

Wow @theabyssals. Impressive! While I would typically give some thought to a response, I am clearly no match for your vast vocabulary, impeccable English grammar, and masterful command of American history. So … I won’t bother …

Have a good life! Just kidding …


P.S. If any of your overlords are following up on your work, I’d be concerned if I were you. If they don’t realize what a mistake it was to employ you in the first place, they will certainly realize you are clearly overpaid …

#sbi-skip

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China have always had their eyes on Taiwan. With the Presidential elections coming up in January things are getting a bit tense. Luckily, the oppposition pro China camp candidate who is running for President is bit of an idiot. He came out of nowhere to become the mayor of the second largest city last year. And is now running for President. Perfect puppet for the CCP. Many Taiwanese are worried if he wins, he will take Taiwna to a downward spiral, but on the other hands, many still can't foresee the danger. It will be an interesting two months in Taiwan.

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Catching up a bit @livinguktaiwan, thank you for this reply to my question. I always appreciate the opportunity to “hear” from someone closer to the source of whatever might be of interest. My confidence and trust in what is reported as “truth” today is not very high …

”He came out of nowhere …”

Yes, it is a wonder people don’t seem to give this a second thought, but I believe it is very real. All over the world … We have a candidate for president here who also came out of nowhere. Surely just a coincidence, right? Right …

”… many still can't foresee the danger.”

Yes on this as well, so we have something in common, when comparing our two countries … 😉

For your sake, I hope the “interesting two months” ahead results in a sufficient number of your people “waking up” to the reality of what is at stake and subsequently making the right vote.

#sbi-skip

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the typical retarded arguments from your 13 in a dozen antisinoists. So they basically demand to be an independent country and if they don't get it they will make the lives of 99% normal HK citizens miserable by blocking every car road, beating up every old man or woman cleaning up the road blocks, blocking and burning subway and public transportation and public properties, attacking small business that do not support the #blackshirt hooligans.

#blackshirts thugs arguments have so far been that Chinese central government did not hold their end of the bargain. And this idiot just showed that CIA-backed HK blackshirts are the ones that want to change things, since he just admitted that Hongkong never had demoncracy under his inbred Windsor Brittish dictatorship, but want to be fully independent now from China with zero political accountability toward the rest of the nation. Cut the crap and say it like it is, #blackshirts are #separatists. Which is illegal just like it has been in Spain, in which case your Brit daddy and all other western nations and their lying MSM have been supporting Madrid and bashing Catalonian separatists with many rightwing propaganda media even calling Catalans racists for striving for a racially pure Catalonia. Funny how you expect every non-western nation to allow separatism.

I think Mr Malcom X. described very accurately what the neocon HK #blackshirts are: House negroes uncle toms.

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