Misplaced Rights

Sohail Ahmed

Just a small speck of land compared to the most populous nation in the world, Hong Kong has nevertheless always held its own in the face of China. It has prospered economically under Britain as a capitalistic society. Things may start to change though. China took control of Hong Kong as of July, 1997.

The antithesis of China, Hong Kong is a liberal, fast paced, modern economic center. With communist China having taken control of Hong Kong though, drastic changes are expected. The very heart of Hong Kong is capitalistic. Not surprisingly, this aspect will not experience any major changes. The wealth a place like Hong Kong can provide is not to be tampered with. China will allow the autonomous territory to continue economically as it has under British rule. So much had been decided by Deng Xiaoping’s phrase, “one country, two systems” a decade ago. No, the change that will take place involves serious social issues.

Upon taking control of Hong Kong, China moved to revoke a bevy of rights from the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and civil liberties laws. A decision by Beijing to revert to Draconian law concerning freedom of assembly and the right of association has created doubts as to the future of Hong Kong’s way of life. It has been met with much anger by citizens of Hong Kong. Even the British colonial government, speaking of one of its most successful colonies in history, issued a lengthy attack on the proposal.

Tung Chee-hwa, the wealthy shipping magnate chosen by Beijing to run the British crown colony, explains the reasons for the new measures as, “a balance between civil liberties and social stability”. He claims balance has to be achieved for the people so as to prevent any lawlessness. Christine Loh, an independent lawmaker says, “it casts a pall of doubt over the future of every civic, community, and non-governmental organization in Hong Kong”. It would seem that corruption would be an actual problem to be tackled in Hong Kong, not social stability.

This is not where the new proposals end though. More powers are also being given to law enforcement forces. Such powers might well be used against protests and other gatherings. Most likely, the citizens of Hong Kong will not take such severe cuts on their freedoms without protest. Call-in radio shows have been swamped with calls of outrage over the new issues. This will spell trouble for many. In China, all dissent is officially banned. Some political dissidents even receive long prison sentences for simply writing letters critical of the Chinese government. What will happen to groups such as Human Rights Watch Asia, an active human rights group monitoring various Asian nations, including China? They have always operated from Hong Kong, criticizing the human rights situation in China. It seems this will not be able to continue for much longer. Beijing will have to stop such groups from operating as a matter of “national security”. As a result, there will be fewer checks on many of China’s policies. The influential local organizations which have kept certain Chinese practices in check through Hong Kong will be shut down.

Changes are coming to Hong Kong, no doubt about it. Laws are being passed for new measures, laws for repealing previous laws and amendments, and other laws for who knows what? The changes will be coming right on schedule, being passed through China’s rubber stamp Congress. Yes, it seems many rights will be misplaced during the transfer of power.