It is understandable though, who didn't think they knew all about life and society when they were 17? The remaining students should start going home. That's the best result of this whole thing anyone can hope for.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CY_Leung A whole long list of lies and deceptions and help of Triad to marginally win the election (only got 689 votes out of 1200 from the election committee) then being the worst communist suck up ever since 1997. Tried to push "brainwashing" curriculum in high school (mass protest forced the policy shelved), said all Hong Kong judges should base their decision on Mainland's interest (instead of being fair and independent, hundreds of lawyers protested), then now trying to force Hong Kong to accept the North Korean style of "Universal Suffrage" (broken promise). Even his daughter is a brat everyone hates. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...xpayers-buying-expensive-necklaces-shoes.html Since CY Leung took over, Hong Kong society became more corrupted. Even the Anti-Corruption chief was caught grafting. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...chief-timothy-tong-grilled-spending-lawmakers He passively let villagers (natives) to destroy the little countryside Hong Kong has in the name of "development" (money grab by literally stealing lands they never own by permanently destroy a wetland or forest so the government cannot do anything when the harm is already done). Let the wealthy people to destroy historic heritage for property development. (Same here, the wealthy people just suddenly permanently damage the historic building before applying permits to create irreversible destruction instead of letting government do its thing). Journalists who are critical of his doings also get threatened and oppressed. Kelvin Lau got stabbed and legs severed under broad day light by Triads (which never happened in Hong Kong before). Other unbiased media organizations were boycotted by Chinese corporations and corporations that has business in China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_attack_on_Kevin_Lau While all TV stations in Hong Kong has become Communist's propaganda tool, CY Leung refused to open the TV market to new unbiased competitor, even changing the goalposts or interpretation of laws to prohibit Hong Kong Television Network (new company promised to be unbiased) entering the TV market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Television_Network Here are just some of the major ones in the past 2 years I can remember of. There are others that I don't want to waste any more time to dig up and find English links...
This is probably the end of the beginning for the Occupy Central movement and the opinions expressed by silent majority of Hong Kong is why. These are the type of people the PRC is counting on to tamp down democratic feeling and opposition to the PRC because they feel they are doing materially better with the status quo. The one thing I hope that the Hong Kong Occupy movement can learn from this and the experience of the US Occupy movement was that occupation should only be one part of the movement and that energy has to be channeled into other directions. The biggest problem that I saw with the US Occupy movement was that it became more about occupation than actually enacting political change. Hopefully the Occupy Central people can figure that out. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/hong-kongs-silent-majority-critical-of-protests/ar-BB88VIl Hong Kong's 'silent majority' critical of protests HONG KONG — When Beijing cracked down on student protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989, Bobby Yim was among many in Hong Kong who sympathized with the demonstrators and angrily denounced the Chinese government. But 25 years later, his views on China have changed — and he couldn't muster any support for the students now clamoring for democratic reforms in his own city. "Yes, the Chinese government was wrong then. But we were very emotional. Looking back, if the students had won, would China be where it is now?" said Yim, a retired insurance manager out for a stroll at a mall in Taikoo Place, a few subway stops from the main protest site. Yet there was almost no sign here of the turmoil that has rocked Hong Kong. "The kids occupying the streets now are dragging the whole society down. I think the economy and people's livelihoods are more important that what they are asking for," he added. "I tolerate them, but only to a certain degree." Yim's views are echoed by many of the older generation in this city of 7 million, which has been deeply divided over Hong Kong's student-led pro-democracy protests pushing for a greater say in choosing the city's leader. The scale and youthfulness of the movement, the largest and most dramatic since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has captured the world's imagination, but many Hong Kongers who consider themselves older and wiser have stood by watching with skepticism. Typically middle-class, middle-aged and proudly pragmatic, these opponents of the protests bristle at the notion that the teenagers and 20-somethings camping out on the streets represent Hong Kong. They call themselves the "silent majority." Although most do not identify with the Chinese Communist Party, they are some of Beijing's best allies in the city and embrace mainland China's development model that has prioritized economic development over political reform. One of the most repeated arguments in the anti-protest camp is that with growing integration into the mainland's economy, Hong Kong cannot afford to rock the boat and anger Beijing. They also argue that political reform cannot come at the expense of economic turmoil, and that Western-style democracy is no quick fix for the city's problems, which range from stark economic inequality to a shortage of affordable housing. "This is very romantic, but what about our lives? People want democracy, not hooliganism," said Robert Chow, a former radio host who co-founded the Silent Majority for Hong Kong campaign last summer when the first threats of a civil disobedience movement surfaced. Chow, who is also the spokesman for a pro-Beijing political alliance, believed most residents favor democracy but prefer gradual, orderly change. Many of his supporters' beliefs sound strikingly similar to Chinese state propaganda, which stresses the importance of social harmony and economic stability. But Chow rejected the notion that all who opposed the protests were pro-Beijing, and said his supporters came from all walks of life. "The protesters have basically taken the law into their own hands," he said. "At the moment the common people are suffering." Chow said a petition last year rejecting the Occupy Central movement — a grassroots political group that first suggested blocking streets as a tactic — garnered 1.5 million signatures, representing one in five people in Hong Kong. Rivals have argued that the numbers are not representative because anyone, including tourists, can sign. For the moment, it looks like Chow's camp has won. Support for the protests is fast waning among the city's residents, who turned out en masse to oppose Beijing's restrictions on nominees for the first-ever direct elections for Hong Kong's leader, promised in 2017. The numbers thronging the streets swelled to tens of thousands after police on Sept. 28 fired tear gas and pepper spray on unarmed and mostly peaceful students, and the crowds occupying the streets paralyzed three areas in the city center for days. But as the week wore on, grumbles about the protests ruining businesses grew louder, and blue-collar workers — shopkeepers, cab drivers and delivery men — joined with those in the finance and tourism industries to condemn the movement. Analysts say political participation is not a priority for those at the bottom of the economic ladder because they are struggling just to pay the bills. Official figures show that average wages for people with lower skill sets was HK$10,000 (US$1,290) a month last year — and 13 percent of residents earned less than half that. "The great majority of ordinary people have tremendous pressure in their daily lives. Those people ... have to spend more than 10 hours just to earn an income to support their families," said Ding Xueliang, a social sciences professor at the city's University of Science and Technology. Agitating for political reform "would be a big luxury for them." There's also a strong generational divide. Those in their 40s and above vividly recall life before the economy took off in the 1980s, when most people still worked in factories and when parents struggled to feed their children. Many feel they have built up Hong Kong with their hard work, and are loath to have their now comfortable lifestyles threatened by political chaos. Alex Wong, a 40-year-old teacher who joined the street protests, said he understood his peers' disapproval, but he also saw value in the new generation's idealism. "I don't blame people for bowing their heads to reality," he said. "But it's the kids who have many more years to live. It's them who need a future to look forward to."
It is almost impossible to have the kind of change they are looking for without war. I wonder if that is bad for business in HK?
I dunno, but it seems to me Hong Kong is moving slowly toward greater democracy. 1st under British rule they have absolutely no say regarding who will become the chief executive/governor. It's whatever random person the queen picks. Than after the handover the the chief executive was selected through a funky election committee . in 2017, the people will be able to direct elect a chief executive, albeit from a pool of candidate that's prescreened by the election committee. Seems to be going in the right direction at least.
Oh Robert Chow, the famous freedom traitor. He used to be OK until the CCP tried to push him to be the radio station head by lowering qualification then got caught red handed. He is the typical "pragmatic" Hongkongese who would say anything for a buck. Although he is staunch pro-CCP on the surface, he was caught in possession of a right of abode in Britain. He initially stated that it was not possible to voluntarily renounce his British right to abode, acquired in the 1990s as part of British Nationality Selection Scheme. Later, he backtracked saying that he is working with a lawyer to completely give up the rights. No one can self-claimed "Silent Majority" to spread pro-CCP propaganda. He is one of the smarter pro-CCP figure I admit, but his actions told me he is just doing it for money, not really for the betterment of Hong Kong.
No, China has always been hindering Hong Kong's democratic progress even before Hong Kong returns. Those 50 centers just emphasized certain information to mask PCC's interference. E.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Hong_Kong_electoral_reform Note this happened even before the 1989 Tian An Men Square incident.
Unfortunately yes but that doesn't mean that gradual and peaceful change can't be made. While yes war is bad for business the PRC clamping down on Hong Kong isn't either.
Another day, another corruption scandal for CY Leung. Right before he became Chief Executive of HK, he received 6.4 million to support an Australian Engineering Firm's Asia business. He claimed that because he signed the deal before he became Chief Executive, he had no obligation to disclose the income even though those money were paid in 2 installments AFTER he became Chief Executive of HK. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/cy-leung-received-us-6m/1404076.html
I assume you meant to say "isn't good either" which I agree with but the majority weren't willing to put up with even small inconvenience. They have a bunch of work to do.
If there is no requirement to report it, then where is the wrong doing? Or is there more to this? Did he give contracts to the Australian Engineering firm? Everyone in congress is a millionaire and they get lobbied to favor special interest projects all the time. I also read your post listing why he's a terrible mayor and it's a huge reach. Triads stabbing a guy is his doing? People remodeling property is his fault? His daughter is an online troll and this impacts his duties how? It's nonsense. This must be the Hong Kong version of "Thanks Obama".
For decades Americans have been wanting to see a war on the land of China and the Chinese are fully aware of it. If you think about it, Chinese trying to keep their country in peace against the west is kind of a war itself.
It's the issue of integrity. Being legal doesn't mean one should do it. You can probably find many examples around our lives. The issues definitely show his lack of political awareness to be a high level civil servant.
No, it's not. There never be a official poll to prove they are "real" majority, just some famous CCP mouthpiece coordinated a group of people self-claiming "Silent Majority" and use that as their group name.
While the anti-protesters did demand the government to use 1989 approach against the protesters it was not really necessary for the protest only lasted like 10 days. Americans are disappointed of course.
