|
Hong Kongers rue
Chinese rule
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwanese academics and Hong Kong students find it hard to agree with Chinese
President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), who said yesterday on the 15th anniversary of Hong
Kong’s 1997 handover to China that the “one country, two systems (一國兩制)” design
was “the best solution.”
“Are Hong Kong people happy with the arrangement after 15 years? It appears the
answer is negative,” said Lin Wen-cheng (林文程), a professor at National Sun
Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung. “While Hong Kong is a designated Special
Administrative Region, its people know very well that Beijing is the boss and
calls all the shots. People have no say in direct elections or over the influx
of Chinese citizens.”
Lin observed that Hong Kongers’ attitudes toward China and Taiwan have changed
drastically since the handover.
Hong Kongers used to be proud of their advanced economic and educational
development, he said, adding that now Hong Kongers “feel inferior to Beijing and
envy the democratic system Taiwanese enjoy.”
Lin warned that China has been using similar strategies to incorporate Taiwan
with its “invisible influence,” such as economic measures and promotion of
Zhonghua culture (中華文化).
In the short term, Beijing might be upset with Taiwanese people’s increasing
support for independence, he said.
“However, its united front effort may be able to turn things around in the long
term, which is a serious concern for us,” he added.
Political analyst Paul Lin (林保華), who lived in Hong Kong between 1976 and 1997,
expressed similar concerns, saying Zhonghua culture is dangerous because of its
lack of the concepts of freedom, law and democracy.
With the example of Hong Kong, he warned Taiwanese people against holding any
delusion about “Chinese democracy” and lowering their guard to Beijing.
Public opinion polls showed that Hong Kongers under the age of 29 expressed the
least support and had the most complaints about the handover because “it was not
their decision.”
The Hong Kong case has taught us a lesson that we should make responsible
decisions for future generations, Lin said.
Young Hong Kongers showed frustration in their observations about what had
happened in the former British colony during the past decade.
“Beijing promised the system in Hong Kong would remain unchanged for 50 years,
but this has not been the case,” Jessie Tam, who graduated from National Taiwan
University’s graduate school last month, said.
While most young Hong Kongers pay little attention to politics, they did see
some uncomfortable changes in the education system and social order, she said,
adding that the influx of pregnant and job-seeking Chinese had caused serious
resource distribution problems in Hong Kong.
The capital flow from China may have helped Hong Kong’s economy and employment,
but it also created fierce competition with streams of job-seeking Chinese, Tam
added.
A Hong Kong tourist in Taiwan, who gave her first name as Helen, said that
increasing housing prices and stagnant wages are among the most common
complaints of Hong Kongers who were born after 1980.
Hong Kong-based Angle Woo expressed concern about the worsening situation for
freedom of speech, the wealth gap, increasing housing prices and stagnant wages,
saying that young people “can’t see where their future lies” because of the Hong
Kong government’s lack of vision.
|
