Hong Kong lawmakers reject Beijing-backed election plan

[webfact]

Hong Kong lawmakers reject Beijing-backed election plan
KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — The Hong Kong government's controversial Beijing-backed election blueprint was defeated in the legislature Thursday but the crucial vote came to a confusing anticlimax as pro-establishment lawmakers walked out just before it began.

After a lengthy debate stretching over two days, 28 lawmakers voted against the proposals, which sparked huge street protests in the southern Chinese city last year.

Eight others voted in favor.

However, in a bizarre scene moments before the vote, most of the pro-establishment lawmakers walked out of the legislature chamber and ended up not casting their votes.

Lawmaker Jeffrey Lam later blamed a "communication gap," explaining that they were waiting for a fellow lawmaker who was ill to return to the chamber. They left even after their request for a 15-minute break was rejected by the legislature president.

The government needed at least 47 of the 70 lawmakers to vote in favor of the proposals.

"If you look at their farcical behavior, you can't help but feel very sorry for Hong Kong that we are in the hands of such people," pro-democracy lawmaker Emily Lau said after the vote.

The government had proposed allowing voters to elect the southern Chinese financial hub's top leader starting in 2017, but bowed to Beijing's demand that candidates by screened by a panel of elites, which pro-democracy leaders branded "fake democracy."

Beijing has promised to eventually grant universal suffrage to the city, a special administrative region of China, but the defeat raises the chances of a political stalemate for years to come.

A former British colony, Hong Kong retains its own legal and financial system and civil liberties such as freedom of speech not seen on the mainland. The city has seen its most tumultuous year since Beijing took control in 1997, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets last autumn to protest the central government's election screening requirement.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam told lawmakers just before the vote that she was "sad and disappointed" knowing that the proposal would be defeated.

"I don't know when democratization can be taken forward," she said. Hong Kong and Beijing officials have said that in the event of a defeat, leaders would continue to be handpicked by the panel of local elites.

Pro-democracy leaders vowed to continue fighting for genuine democracy.

"Today is not the end of the democracy movement," said lawmaker Alan Leong. "Quite the contrary, this is the starting point of another wave of democratic movement."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-06-18

[Publicus]

HKG is getting fairly well along in its revolt against the authoritarianism of the CCP Dictators in Beijing.

The big conflict is that five years ago Hong Kongers voted overwhelmingly for universal suffrage, and more recently Beijing responded by presenting and requiring the Iran model of democracy whereby Beijing decides on three people all HKG voters can vote for directly .

Pro-democracy demonstrators celebrating outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on Thursday after it rejected a Beijing-vetted proposal on electing the city’s top official. Credit Tyrone Siu/Reuters

In this vote, the HKG Legislative Council said no to Beijing. The LegCo is already stacked in favor of the CCP in Beijing due to the electoral rules set by Beijing in effect since the 1997 reversion of HKG sovereignty to the CCP.

Six months ago LegCo approval was taken as a given, then there were months of "Occupy" demonstrations and in what became known as the "Umbrella Revolution" sentiment turned against the dictators in Beijing. Demonstrators used umbrellas to help protect against tear gas which was the turning point as the tear gassing brought out large numbers of new demonstrators that propelled the demonstrations for months more.

The CCP Dictators in Beijing needed a two-thirds vote of the total 74 LegCo members but it failed miserably:

LegCo Vote

Present 38

Yes 8

No 28

Abstain 00

The CCP Dictators in Beijing got only eight of the 47 votes they needed, but they had only 46 votes to begin with, so the large number of pro-Beijing LegCo members took a walk rather than take the loss in an official recorded vote.

Pro-democracy lawmakers in the council chamber in Hong Kong after the defeat of the electoral changes on Thursday. Their banner reads, in part, “We will not give up the fight for real universal suffrage.” CreditBobby Yip/Reuters

Better days are coming.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Publicus

[chainarong]

Common sense prevailed , even though walking out before the vote say's it all , now what will Beijing do , that's the million dollar question

[LawrenceChee]

Be patient as Hong Kong belongs to China irregardless of whatever the western unicorns believe in fairy tales

Eventually it will swing over whether it takes 3-5 generations for that to happen

[Publicus]

Be patient as Hong Kong belongs to China irregardless of whatever the western unicorns believe in fairy tales

Eventually it will swing over whether it takes 3-5 generations for that to happen

So in a couple of hundred years we'll all get to see and know how right you are and how wise the Chinese are and always have been.

Certainly can't argue with what the Chinese say of the world 3-5 generations from the present .

Reality is that the 12th century Chinese mindset wandering lost in the 21st century gives us the Chinese theater of the absurd.

Those old time hits just keep on comin'.....

Edited June 18, 2015 by Publicus

[LawrenceChee]

True and we will all get to see most of the naysayer stuff mentioned in some postings will be untrue and scary shit forum talk only

China will prosper for its people although credit must be given to the west for teaching them a few lessons

Never get in expensive wars , trade with multiple partners , never use excessive terms to dictate trade , always build long term infrastructure and always start something in which you are a founding member and have a say in it , always be firm and be strong defensively , never allow terrorists to think you are weak and always abiding with social experiments instead of thinking your unicorn universe has no racial tension

[Publicus]

The Boyz in Beijing are not in the business of learning. They are dictators who are convinced they can do whatever they like and want. Their demand is your command to do.

The statement out of Beijing after its HKG defeat is that the Boyz are "unwilling to see" the result. So indeed, what happens next?

The current rules will continue to apply to the 2017 elections of a chief executive as will universal suffrage approved several years ago in a popular referendum Beijing opposed very loudly.

So Beijing again will choose who HKG voters get to vote for two years hence, subject to two-thirds approval of the HKG Legislative Council. After the vote of this week in LegCo, however, Beijing knows it does not have the two-thirds to approve its choices. Beijing is thus facing a new first time reality so let's see what they have learned and whether or not the CCP Dictators in HKG and Beijing do in fact learn.

[LawrenceChee]

It seems interesting that after all the progress in recent years , some western powers are still convinced they can dictate China to do what they want or see and perceived as progress and democracy

China is a country by its own strength and rightly so should chart their own course in its influence of its oriental values and see fit to govern as they believe is best for their citizens

The Chinese government has done much for the infrastructure and economic boom ...the next challenge is to balance that with an increasing vocal youth group and also environmental protection while staying unyielding in foreign forces determined to meddle with its foreign policies by remaining a strong defensive force

Any terms of dictatorship is best reminded if Jeb Bush it H Clinton wins as that is more dynastic than a Qing Emperor

Hong Kong belongs to China and China is determined to introduce democracy at its own pace and HK is vital to that experiment and people should respect it will come eventually ...in an earlier forum posting I made mention that those who eventually pushed the factor will lose much more and that is what happen right now

HK will have rejected the right to vote over the slow progress of the choice of candidates ...it's an immense step the communist government was willing to concede to allow for some progress but some wanted the cake and the toppings and now we are back to square for the HK people

Indeed one needs to understand for a communist government the Chinese have made better strides than Russia or N Korea or Vietnam ....it has 1.3 billion to govern and make progress for ...it's a tall order and calls for strong and firm leadership and in Asian terms it means a firm leader like Xi and not a showmanship leadership as defined by the west

Edited June 20, 2015 by LawrenceChee