{"id":115,"date":"2016-10-02T21:55:37","date_gmt":"2016-10-02T21:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/?p=115"},"modified":"2016-10-07T02:28:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-07T02:28:34","slug":"hong-kong-begins-explosive-political-chapter-as-former-protesters-enter-legislature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/2016\/10\/02\/hong-kong-begins-explosive-political-chapter-as-former-protesters-enter-legislature\/","title":{"rendered":"Hong Kong begins explosive political chapter as former protesters enter legislature"},"content":{"rendered":"

HONG KONG \u2013 <\/span>Two years after the pro-democracy \u201cUmbrella Revolution\u201d began, Hong Kong is entering uncharted political territory as former protesters prepare to take office, advocating a possible split from China.<\/p>\n

The first major elections since the 2014 rallies saw rebel politicians win seats this month as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the city in a number of areas, from politics to education and the media.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 under a semi-autonomous \u201cone country, two systems\u201d deal, which guaranteed its freedoms for 50 years. There are deep concerns that those liberties are under threat.<\/p>\n

It was 2014 that shaped this key new group of lawmakers who will now promote self-determination or independence from Beijing inside the legislature when it starts its new term in October.<\/p>\n

Wednesday marks two years to the day since the Umbrella Movement protests calling for democratic reform exploded onto the streets. Police fired tear gas on crowds, galvanizing tens of thousands more to join them in what became more than two months of rallies.<\/p>\n

Despite huge numbers, the largely peaceful protests failed to win concessions from Beijing.<\/p>\n

However, the momentum and consequent disappointment heavily influenced the young protesters who recently won seats in Hong Kong\u2019s lawmaking body, the Legislative Council (Legco).<\/p>\n

They say the failure of the protests forced them to turn to a more radical message, which has gained support among voters demanding change.<\/p>\n

At least five new legislators support self-determination or independence, which was not on the agenda during the 2014 rallies and is a departure from the traditional stance of the pro-democracy camp.<\/p>\n

Former Umbrella Movement student leader Nathan Law is the best-known of the new breed \u2014 at 23 he is Legco\u2019s youngest-ever lawmaker.<\/p>\n

Law\u2019s new party, Demosisto, founded with fellow Umbrella Movement campaigner Joshua Wong, is calling for self-determination for Hong Kong in frustration at the intransigence of the authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not pushing for independence, but Hong Kongers should be able to choose their own future. Independence is one option,\u201d Law said.<\/p>\n

Fellow new lawmaker Eddie Chu, 38, who also participated in the 2014 protests, says it is time to \u201ctake back the right\u201d of self-determination, as previous tactics have failed. \u201cFrom changing the Basic Law,\u201d Hong Kong\u2019s constitution, \u201cto seeking independence \u2014 all are acceptable to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Beijing has warned it will not tolerate any talk of independence \u201cinside or outside\u201d the Legco.<\/p>\n

The Hong Kong government \u2014 criticized as a stooge of Beijing \u2014 banned the most vocal independence candidates from running in the polls.<\/p>\n

And in a system skewed toward Beijing-friendly groups, the pro-establishment camp still holds 40 seats against the pro-democracy camp\u2019s 30.<\/p>\n

But the new lawmakers have said they will not tone down their message.<\/p>\n

Observers predict fireworks.<\/p>\n

Political analyst Joseph Cheng said the first year of Legco\u2019s new term will be \u201cchaotic and difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pro-independence legislators will use every single relevant issue to articulate their position,\u201d said Cheng.<\/p>\n

The pro-establishment camp will unite against any talk of self-determination or independence, while the new breed may also have to take on opposition in their own camp, where the moderate democrats still hold sway, Cheng adds.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the public will be hoping the fresh crop of lawmakers will push a range of social issues that have stagnated in the deeply divided legislature, including supply of affordable housing in a city where rents are sky-high.<\/p>\n

But with fault lines starker than ever, progress will be tough.<\/p>\n

Those frustrations may well drive some new lawmakers to campaign on the streets once more if they feel they cannot make headway in Legco, says political analyst Willy Lam.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have indicated they will use nonviolent methods, but the possibility of ugly confrontation between these new young Turks and the police cannot be ruled out,\u201d said Lam.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: The Japan Times<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HONG KONG \u2013 Two years after the pro-democracy \u201cUmbrella Revolution\u201d began, Hong Kong is entering uncharted political territory as former protesters prepare to take office, advocating a possible split from China. The first major elections since the 2014 rallies saw rebel politicians win seats this month as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the city in a… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115\/revisions\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/eastasiaandoceaniablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}