The fears of Hong Kong citizens lie within the hopes of the Chinese population. I made this discovery when I was having dinner with a friend of mine, Junning from Kunming, China. “Do you think that China will have universal suffrage within your lifetime?” I asked. Junning’s answer was completely unexpected: “Yes.” To him, it [...]
In a country where freedom of speech is not held in high regard, Hong Kong’s ‘one country two systems‘ arrangement only provides pro-democracy advocates limited grounds to express their perspectives. Many forms of censorship exist in Mainland China and Hong Kong but differ greatly. In an age of Internet interactivity, an age-old tradition of censorship [...]
A banana has transformed Hong Kong’s politics. A banana was hurled in the direction of chief executive Donald Tsang while he was giving his annual policy address in October 2008. The man who threw the banana peel was Raymond Wong Yuk-man, a legislator and chairman of the radical and newly formed League of Social Democrats [...]
The Hong Kong government’s latest move to avoid the issue of democracy is a disappointment to the population. In an attempt to minimize the impact of avoiding talks on universal suffrage, the government tried to gift-wrap its decision with something that’s on everyone’s mind: the failing economy. Moving quickly to counter the economic problems that [...]
The emergence of the controversial Article 23 in Macau may be a factor in the legislation’s future in Hong Kong. A draft of Macau’s Article 23 was unveiled on October 22nd 2008, which bans treason, theft of state secrets and subversion of the state. The draft had many similarities to Hong Kong’s proposed version of [...]
Recent events point to a shift towards the left within the government of Hong Kong. This may be seen as a weakening of the pro-democracy camp by the year 2017. A tsunami of Chinese national patriotism followed the protests in Tibet, the earthquake in Sichuan and the Olympic games in Beijing. These events swept the [...]
There seems to be a variety of ways to put off the goal of achieving a democratic Hong Kong. The following is one of them. “I will resolve the question of universal suffrage totally, completely, within my next term.” said Donald Tsang in an interview with Time Magazine, while campaigning for re-election as Chief Executive [...]
The battle for the UBC Farm is seen as a test for democracy on the campus, as the university decides on how to develop this valuable land. The potential loss of the farm has spurred staff, students and aspiring politicians into action. The farm represents some of the last undeveloped property on the campus and [...]
The future for the UBC Farm is in the balance as the university decides on how to develop this valuable land. The potential loss of the farm has aspiring politicians into action. The candidates who would represent the UBC campus on the Metro Vancouver Board outlined their position during an all-candidates debate earlier this month: [...]
Kenny Crawford survived the battlefields of World War Two. Now the 85-year-old is fighting for his quality of life. Crawford was stationed in Britain during the Blitz. When he returned from the war, he did not need much help. He was able to raise his family. But, as he began to grow old, his health [...]
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