Timothy Birdnow

Hong Kong has gone dark

A new law enacted in Hong Kong last week is the final death knell in the city’s democracy. China’s national legislature approvedelectoral changes intended to ensure there are "patriots governing Hong Kong.” Of course, in Communist Party-run China, "patriotism” means rubber-stamping the Party’s wishes.

With dozens of the top pro-democracy political candidates now inprison, Beijing has crushed the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers who took to the streets in a call for greater democracy. As Hong Kong endures political repression under the Chinese Communist Party’s tightening grasp, the freedom-loving world must act to punish Beijing.

The new election law gives Beijing far greater input into choosing the members of the local legislature. Short on details, the measure’s new requirement of "patriotism” will block any dissident from being elected, or even anyone reluctant to affirm the policies of the Party.

As justification for the continued assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy, Beijing loyalists now argue that the "one country, two systems” principle agreed upon prior to the British handover in 1997 refers only to economics, not politics. They are changing the rules in the middle of the game.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 02:12 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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