Mediaboss Marketing

The small group of pro-democracy lawmakers in the Hong Kong legislature dont have enough votes to get much done. But when 27 of them band together, they have the numbers to block significant pieces of legislation that require two-thirds support in the 70-member legislature.

Now they hope to use that power to knock down a Chinese proposal that would allow Beijing to choose who Hong Kong can vote to its top political office.

We are very angry and very, very unhappy, said Emily Lau, who leads Hong Kong's Democratic Party. Theres no chance that we will allow this to pass.

But China wields such influence in Hong Kong that its unclear whether legislators will ultimately prove capable of vetoing a new plan that places heavy constraints on who can be elected Hong Kongs powerful chief executive.

A proposal released Sunday mandates candidates love China and be nominated by more than half of a secretive 1,200-person committee over which Beijing holds substantial sway. Two or three successful nominees can then appear on a ballot for a general election, a system China has said fulfills its promise to give Hong Kong universal suffrage.

But critics have called it sullied democracy, and are threatening wave after wave of protests that are beginning to come to life. On Monday, protesters holding we want democracy signs interrupted a press conference with Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Youth leaders pledged broad mid-September student strikes at high schools and universities. Police used pepper spray on a small group of protesters, the first scuffle in what could be a coming series of tense encounters with police and, perhaps, soldiers.

Chinese officials have already threatened to use provisions in Hong Kongs Basic Law that allow the Peoples Liberation Army to be called in. They have also warned that the election reform is in large measure a take-it-or-leave-it deal, saying Beijing is not eager to revisit the issue in five years time.

It would be impossible for the development opportunities that were lost to come again," said Li Fei, chairman of the Basic Law Committee that oversees Hong Kong.

If the Hong Kong legislature rejects the voting proposal, the 2017 election will not happen. Instead, the chief executive will be chosen using the current method, where the 1,200-person committee makes the decision.

That would seem to be a step backwards. But pro-democracy lawmakers said Beijing has gone back on its word to allow proper elections, and they cannot support it.

Read the original:
Hong Kongs pro-democracy lawmakers look to veto Chinas proposal

Read MoreWill 'Occupy Central' hurt Hong Kong?

The official also said "the legitimacy of the chief executive will be greatly enhanced if "the election provides the people of Hong Kong a genuine choice of candidates representative of the voters' will."

"We understand that the August 31 announcement is just one step in an ongoing process leading to a final decision on election reform in Hong Kong and will continue to watch as the process unfolds," the official said in Washington.

On the surface, the NPC's decision is a breakthrough that endorses the framework for the first direct vote by a Chinese city to choose its leader. Beijing is already hailing it as a milestone in democratic reform.

However, by tightly curbing nominations for the 2017 leadership poll, some democrats said Beijing was pushing a Chinese-style version of "fake" democracy.

Read MoreChinese interceptions of US military planes could intensify

The NPC statement said all nominations would be carried out according to "democratic procedures" and each candidate would need the endorsement of more than half of a nominating committee that will be similar in composition to an existing 1,200-person election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.

The proposed electoral framework will still needs to be approved by two-thirds of Hong Kong's 70-seat legislature. With pro-democracy lawmakers holding more than a third of the seats, the proposal will likely be shelved.

In that case, the next leader would likely again be chosen by a small election committee. Wang Zhenmin, a prominent legal scholar and adviser to the Chinese government, said recently that: "Less perfect universal suffrage is better than no universal suffrage," adding that this window of opportunity in Hong Kong was an historical crossroads after "2,000 years of (Chinese) feudal history without any democracy."

Senior Chinese officials have repeatedly warned activists against their "illegal" protests, and say they won't back down.

Originally posted here:
Hong Kong braces for protests

Hong Kong police used pepper spray to disperse pro-democracy activists who stormed past a security check-point at a venue where a senior official from Chinas National Peoples Congress, or NPC, Standing Committee was addressing a gathering, Reuters reported Monday.

As Fi Fei, the deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, explained the Chinese governments decision to not grant all-out democracy to the former British colony, scuffles reportedly broke out at the entrance of the venue. Activists of Occupy Central,a pro-democracy movement, shouted slogans and interrupted Fis speech as he explained Beijings decision, which was announced Sunday, to rule out the possibility of a completely democratic 2017 election to decide Hong Kongs next leader.

The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 and has enjoyed wide-ranging autonomy and freedoms not seen on the mainland -- a policy the Chinese government calls one country, two systems. The Communist Party, which rules the country, says that it will approve any candidate running for the position of Hong Kong's chief executive. This stance, the activists say, is not a complete democracy. And, Occupy Central has threatened to blockade Hong Kongs financial district until the Chinese government decides to grant full democracy to Hong Kong.

"Occupy Central is an illegal activity. If we give in, it will trigger more illegal activities," Li said according to a Reutersreport.

Pro-Communist government people in the crowd cheered as members of the democratic camp, dressed in black with yellow ribbon, were escorted out of the auditorium after they reportedly interrupted Lis speech by shouting slogans and holding up signs that read shameful and accused Beijing of losing credibility. Alex Chow, head of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, was escorted out for jeering and heckling, while student activists said that they would begin boycotting classes in September, Reuters reported.

Amid heavy police presence, British colonial flags and banners with an X over the Chinese characters for communism were reportedly waved by some of the 100-odd pro-democracy activists who had gathered for Lis speech while a group of Beijing loyalists waved the Chinese flag nearby.

On Sunday, the NPC Standing Committee endorsed a framework to let only two or three candidates to stand for Hong Kongs 2017 leadership elections, and required all candidates to first obtain the approval from the nominating committee before they could stand for elections. In his speech, Li said that if Hong Kong failed to approve Beijings decision then the citys next leader would be chosen by the small election committee itself.

The Communist Partys rule has made it almost impossible for opposition leaders to stand for election and has prompted the Occupy Central movement to renew its efforts to bring the financial powerhouse to a halt. Chinas leaders have long been fearful of Hong Kongs demand for political reform and calls for democracy spreading to other Chinese cities.

The Mainland Affairs Council in Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province, expressed regret at Beijings decision.

"This decision by the NPC to limit the type and number of candidates for Hong Kong's election is a major setback for the progress of Hong Kong's democracy, and weexpress regret at this decision," the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan said in a statement, according to Reuters. "This decision represents a smothering of the Hong Kong people's demand for truly representative government and casts a shadow over the progress of Hong Kong's democratization."

Visit link:
Hong Kong Police Attack Pro-Democracy Activists With Pepper Spray

Pro-democracy Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lais home raided by corruption investigators
The Hong Kong home of Next Media Chairman Jimmy Lai, an outspoken advocate of democracy for Hong Kong and owner of the Apple Daily newspapers, was raided by officials from the city #39;s anti-corrupt...

By: TomoWorld

See the rest here:
Pro-democracy Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lais home raided by corruption investigators - Video

Kitaabnama: Books and Beyond: Revolution from Above: Discussing Democracy - Ep # 23
Conceived by writer and literary activist Namita Gokhale, the programme will have a participatory and inclusive format and showcase the multilingual diversit...

By: DoordarshanNational

Continued here:
Kitaabnama: Books and Beyond: Revolution from Above: Discussing Democracy - Ep # 23 - Video