Top public figure joins struggle
HONG KONG — Pressure mounted for Hong Kong and Beijing leaders to respond to calls for full democracy in this Chinese territory as tens of thousands of protesters marched Sunday, demanding the right to pick their leaders.
Organizers said the massive protest drew 250,000 people — far exceeding analysts’ forecast of between 50,000 and 100,000. But police put the turnout at 63,000.
Pro-democracy legislators and some protesters gathered outside the government’s headquarters after the march. They demanded Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang immediately respond to calls for a roadmap specifying when and how Hong Kong could have universal suffrage, promised as an eventual goal under the territory’s mini- constitution.
They were joined by the most popular woman in Hong Kong, Anson Chan, who was head of the
civil service for four years after the 1997 handover from Britain.
Chan has been reluctant to take sides. But she joined the rally to protest at the lack of a timetable for the introduction of the one-person, one- vote system promised in Hong Kong’s constitution after the handover.
“There are moments in one’s life when you have to stand up and be counted and for me this is one of those moments,’’ she said.
“I can’t think of anywhere else in the world that you can have such large number of people turning out in such a peaceful manner to ask for something which is of their own right,” said Ronny Tong, a legislator and march organizer. “ Any responsible government owe it to themselves to respond positively to what happened today.”
The big turnout means hopes are faltering for the government to push through a political reform package that critics said was too conservative in the legislature.
Lee Wing- tat, head of Hong Kong’s top opposition party, the Democratic party, said Tsang “should reflect directly to the state leaders that there is a huge turnout today, so they should rethink the package.”
Tsang said in response to the protest that he has heard people’s demands but an immediate timetable for Hong Kong to have full democracy is “not achievable.”
“I’ve heard their voice. I have felt their feelings and I share their pursuit,” Tsang told a news conference late Sunday. “Both the central government and this administration are actively leading this community towards universal suffrage in an orderly fashion.”
“I am 60 years of age. I certainly want to see universal suffrage taking place in Hong Kong in my time,” he said.
Tsang defended the existing package, which calls for doubling the size of the 800-member committee that picks Hong Kong’s leader and expanding the 60-member legislature, as a step toward greater democracy.
“There is little scope for me to change. But I wish within the little scope I have, I will see what I can do to perfect the package. But it will be on limited scale and it will not affect the timetable of a resolution of this matter in the Legislative Council,” Tsang said.
Dozens of protesters, including some opposition legislators, decried Tsang’s response and refused to leave the government offices, saying they would stay until Tsang comes out to meet them.
“I don’t think he answers the call for democracy of the 250,000 people that marched on the streets,” said legislator Lee Cheuk- yan, who remained with the demonstrators. “We want to see concrete actions.”
Opposition against the proposed political reforms has renewed momentum for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which has slowed after Beijing rejected quick political reforms last year.
Two massive pro- democracy marches helped trigger the territory’s first leadership change since the handover. Both protests — in 2003 and 2004 — drew half a million people demanding the right to pick their leader and all members of the legislature. Currently, only half of the legislators are elected, the other half selected by interest groups.
Chan remains highly popular and influential despite quitting as head of the civil service in 2001. She had previously drawn fire from Beijing by critic i z i n g i t for rejecting a quick transition to full democracy.
“ We have no intention of confronting the [Hong Kong] government or the central government,” Chan said. “I believe democracy to be good for Hong Kong and, in good time, when the time is ripe, it would also be good for my country.”
When Hong Kong was a British colony, its rulers denied the people the freedom to elect their leaders and only some members of the legislature were elected. The tradition has continued since the city returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that promised to give Hong Kong a wide degree of autonomy.
Associated Press
with files from the
Daily Telegraph