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HONG KONG CITIZENS turned out in force today to cast ballots in local council elections that the city’s pro-democracy movement hopes will add pressure on the Beijing-backed government to heed their demands.
Queues several hundred metres long snaked out of polling stations in the early hours of a vote for 18 district councils in which high turnout is expected to benefit democratic forces.
The government said nearly a third of the record 4.13 million citizens registered to vote had cast their ballots within five hours of polls opening, more than double the rate seen over the same timeframe during the last election in 2015.
The selection of 452 councillors handling community-level concerns like bus routes and garbage collection traditionally generates little excitement, but has taken on new significance following months of political unrest.
Hong Kong has been buffeted by mass rallies and violent clashes pitting police against protesters who are agitating for direct popular elections of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s government, as well as a probe into alleged police brutality.
District councils have long been dominated by the pro-Beijing establishment, and voters seeking change hope that weakening that grip will give their movement fresh momentum.
“I hope this ballot can increase our voice in the council,” 19-year-old student Michael Ng, voting for the first time in his life told AFP.
“Even though one ballot can only help a little, I still hope it can bring change to society and support street protests in some way.”
The vote is the closest that Hong Kongers get to direct representation.
By contrast, the legislature is elected by a mix of popular vote and industry groups stacked with China loyalists, which ensures Beijing’s control of the city of around 7.3 million.
The pro-democracy camp is calling the vote a referendum on Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the pro-Beijing government, which have resisted the movement’s demands.
But the polls are not entirely symbolic: some candidates for next year’s legislative elections will be drawn from district councillors, and the councils also will contribute 117 members to the 1,200-strong Beijing-controlled electoral college that chooses the chief executive.
Calm streets
Protests have been muted in recent days after pro-democracy figures urged citizens to cease disruptions to avoid giving the government an excuse to delay or suspend the polls.
Police were deployed at some polling stations and on city streets, but the presence was not particularly heavy.
No violence or other disturbances were reported in the early hours.
“I’m pleased to say that … we should have a relatively peaceful and calm environment to conduct these elections successfully,” Lam said after voting in her constituency on Hong Kong island.
The political unrest kicked into high gear with giant rallies in June against a bill backed by Lam that would allow extraditions to China’s opaque justice system.
The bill was eventually withdrawn amid public pressure, but the anger that it unleashed sparked the wider calls for democracy.
Analysts expect pro-democracy candidates to see gains in the district councils but still fall short of a majority of slots.
Campaigning has been marred by acrimony, with one pro-democracy candidate having his ear bitten off in an attack, while 17 other candidates of all stripes – some seeking re-election – have been arrested over protest-related activities.
Election authorities also banned leading democracy activist Joshua Wong from running in the district poll for backing Hong Kong “self-determination”.
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Meanwhile back here in Ireland the people sat and watched a government destroy the country by paying 40% of the EU banking disaster without a single mass protest.
Thats because most governments are afraid of its people, Irish people are afraid of its government.
Ireland
And they’re right, Brazil football era is over, they don’t want to see Germans or Spaniards giving them serious beating in São Paulo :)
therefore ,when the people fear the Government democracy has been destroyed….we are surely the meekest people that have lived on earth since 1916
I think ur missing the point of the video Fizi, it’s NOT about the soccer.
Tony, I think you misunderstand my sarcasm more likely :) maybe it was bad joke anyway
True enough an absolute discrase….
Disgraceful spelling
200000 didn’t pay the property tax, 300000 left the country. We’ve had protests. Just not on the street so much. The main obstacles being the unions lack of ideology and defence of the status quo and a percieved notion that people in the private and public sector are from completely different tribes or something and both deserve mutual derision. Another great way to protest is to buy physical gold and silver bullion. Look up max keiser!
Go away and pay your house hold charges and what ever else the goverment decide….
It also comes down to a misplaced guilt stirred up by our intellectually moribund media (sorry journal) that say we partied too hard, we deserve this and we have a moral obligation to pay. Bullshit! I think there is still a chance of mass protest tho something will happen where people will say enough is enough it will probably be related to inflation, like groceries reaching high prices, property tax being doubled etc.
@ Kevin – protesting not to pay a tax in this country is pointless because this government will just take the tax at source.
We need mass protests like a lot more oppressed citizens are currently showing their governments.
The Irish have an amazing talent for talking about things, governments and unions are your instruments not the other way around.
In Turkey the people protested first then the unions called a one da strike, as far as the government taking tax, they can only take it if you give it.
Perhaps the truth of the matter is, that Ireland is simply not culture that questions and challenges authority, having said that, it’s not about questioning every thing it’s about challenging the wrong doing of banks and governments, are all the cut backs a result of irresponsible spending on the part of the Irish people or irresponsible banks and government …..
The Irish have no balls. Sure are a windy bunch though. Never lived in a country where the wearing of ones underpants down around the ankles was such a point of pride.
Ok Kevin, I’ve just gone out and bought 10 gold bracelets.
What next?
http://www.maxkeiser.com/2013/06/kr459-keiser-report-life-in-open-air-prism/ hope this gets accross what i mean bullion, not bracelets.
I think we can do both. We have a long history of unfair and unjust taxation in this country and of not paying it. Remember when we all had to pay for the church of ireland? The Irish invented the boycott. It was named after lord boycott who was shunned by his community and had to leave the country in disgrace. So our protests aren’t as dramatic as those in the arab spring. They shouldnt be discounted and derived. We need to stop being so hard on ourselves and acknowledge that we are doing something, even if it doesn’t get sensationalist headlines on sky news! Anyway when the next proverbial hits the fan and the govt tries to force a bail in. things can change dramatically.
They have balls fair play,Are we learning yet?
My thoughts exactly !
0.5% of the Brazilian population protested. A march of 20,000 in Ireland would be roughly equivalent. We’ve had far bigger protests
http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/100000-march-on-dublin-26515610.html
revolution all around us but the Irish watch it all and dismiss each and every one of them one by one
As a British person living here I must say there’s no fight in the Irish at all, this property tax hardly any fight back towards it. When will Ireland have its “poll tax moment” ?
Don’t hold your breath. Have you ever wondered how the British were able to hang on to control of Ireland for all those centuries.
And what did the poll tax protest achieve?
The tax still exists.
I think that many people just feel like “what’s the point? It’s not going to make a difference.” And they’re probably right…
She’s hot(sorry) :-)
Thinking the same thing buddy, and the accent is nice
” have you every wondered how britain held onto Ireland for all those centuries” are you f*cking kidding me! Your talking about the only world super power at the time, controlling large parts of asia, africa and america and some parts of Europe! Controlling the tiny island next to it was childs play. And let not forget that Ireland is largely regarded as part of the catalyst for the fall of the British Empire. As for the Irish having no fight, I cant speak for everyone but I know my own opinion is that yes were in a mess but its largely a mess created by Irish people, remember the builders and bankers and politicians, they are all Irish, it isnt like Jonny foreigner created this, and while you may not be individual responsible, collectively we are. I dont like the medicine but whatever makes us better ………
Simon,
We, as in the vast vast majority of ordinary Irish people are not collectively responsible for this economic mess. Every Irish bank collapsed into an insolvent heap in 2008. The bill for this mess is €100 billion and counting which was imposed on us by the Irish and Euro political establishment. The banks went broke because they speculated massively, greedily and stupidly in a property market bubble stoked by the construction, banking, political and professional vested interests. Most of an entire generation of Irish people were not beneficiaries of this bubble but victims saddled with huge mortgage debt in order to put a roof over the heads of their families.
The bank collapse occurred around 3-4 years before ordinary people began to struggle with the residential mortgages on their homes due to the subsequent economic meltdown after the bank collapse. The ‘we all partied’ line is cynical spin foisted on us by the same establishment who are making us pay for their crisis.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/colm-mccarthy-bank-probe-is-the-least-we-deserve-29260012.html
Actually Simon, Ireland was always rebelling against English rule and controlling it almost bankrupt England ‘s coffers in the 16 century .We fought for and won our independence 1916-1922 when the British were at the height of their empire.Our will and determination to rid the English forced them to concede most of our country back.Military tactics ingeniously invented by and applied by us (And still used today in any military text book) had the British on the run.With only a small force of mobile “moving columns of Irish men and women”We showed our mettle and fighting spirit as a force to be reckoned with.I am proud of my fighting Gaelic heritage and my ancestors stubbornness against English rule.
For a small country us Irish did some spectacular fighting against the Tyrants who tried to subdue us.
I still hope that we haven’t lost the fighting spirit that us Irish are renown for.
I think we all contributed to it in some way. Nobody was forced to take the 100% mortgage,or buy their new BMW,or go on foreign holidays every year. We got to a point where we believed we had a right to live affluently and many were consumed by materialism.
I think it is probably best in future for countries to have a referendum in asking its people if they want to enter the bidding for a certain games or cup.
Wow some interesting information there….
Wow…would make you think different about the world cup in future…
when you examine all the uprisings around the world it hasnt been a “big” issue that lights the fuse … Tunisia – street trader self imolates in frustration over bureacuracy…. egypt – police over reaction to small protest…. turkey – police over the top reaction to a small environmental protest…. now Brazil …protest over transport prices overreaction by police again…. granted there are a lot of underlying issues in all these countries and the frustration …..just needed a spark for it all to boil over …. i believe in this country the pot is simmering and there is a potential there for instability and for frustration to spill over but the anger lacks a focus ….lacks the spark to light the fuse…..
RONALDOOOO!!!!!!
I well would.
Panem et circensus…
The horse has alrea bolted. As in they’re protesting too late in Brazil: the money has already been spent on the World Cup. Don’t get me wrong, the motivations behind the protests are great; Brazil has its fair share if problems but the protests may have achieved more of their aims if they had started before the construction contracts had been signed.
And here’s a great post (in Portuguese) exposing much of what Carla said in that video to be at best, lazily researched, and at worst, downright lies:
http://cbjm.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/no-im-not-going-to-the-world-cup-a-desconstrucao-de-uma-fraude/
Shocking and disgraceful. #FIFA should put this money back into Brazils communities. They will be war there soon.
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