Editorials
Monday, July 1, 1996
Status of Hong Kong
after turnover to China
WITH just a year to go until Britain returns Hong Kong to China, anxiety is growing among the colony's residents. So is a feeling that it would be better not to rock the boat and offend the new rulers - even by reminding China of its commitments.
Thus the Hong Kong legislature narrowly voted down a motion calling on China under President Jiang Zemin to stay out of the British colony's affairs. In the 1984 agreement on the turnover, China pledged that Hong Kong woud be permitted a high degree of autonomy and that its free-market economic and democratic political systems would remain unaltered for 50 years. But many democracy advocates fear that Beijing will renege on its promise. These fears have grown since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
The leader of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong's largest, proposed that the legislature call on China to ensure that Hong Kong receives its promised "high degree of autonomy" after the transfer of power on July 1, 1997.
His motion also urged China not to interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and to stick by its formula of "one country, two systems."
But the legislature, on a vote of 28-26, adopted an amendment deleting the proposed wording. The lawmakers substituted a message to the people of Hong Kong urging them to uphold the constitution Beijing has written for the territory and support the preparatory committee chosen by China to handle the transition. Rather than a reminder of China's commitments, the final product was an expression of subservience.
China has announced it will disband the legislature because it was elected under rules that Beijing did not approve. Its intention appears to be to replace it with a rubber-stamp body. A majority of the legislators seems resigned to that and will go along without protest.
That China will find ways to control Hong Kong despite its pledges to maintain a hands-off posture seems obvious. Lu Ping, director of the Chinese State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, has said that after the turnover freedom of the press will have to be "regulated by law," meaning that there would be restrictions.
Lu said journalists would not be allowed to advocate independence for Hong Kong or Taiwan. By way of attempted justification, he remarked that in the United States journalists would not be allowed to advocate independence for Hawaii, which of course is false.
The statement is significant in that it reveals the ignorance of Chinese officials regarding freedom of expression - and undoubtedly other democratic principles as well. Despite China's pledges to maintain its freedoms, Hong Kong is likely to be quite a different place after the turnover. Many people take that for granted, and don't even want to annoy the Communist regime by asking it to live up to its promises.
Other editorials in brief:
Revitalizing Waikiki
IN an article that appeared in this section Friday, Richard R. Kelley of Outrigger Hotels made a persuasive case for revising the Waikiki Special District (WSD) zoning ordinance. There is a perception that Waikiki is too crowded, with too many substandard hotel rooms, he says, and one of the big reasons is the current ordinance.
Complacent acceptance of continued deterioration and obsolescence would spell doom for Waikiki before many years had passed.
Raising children
ARE you discouraged by all the stories about teen-age violence, a stagnant economy, the high cost of living, traffic congestion and educational problems? For relief, consider this: A national organization, the Children's Rights Council, ranks Hawaii one of the 10 best states for raising children.
Hawaii consistently ranks no. 1 in longevity, an indicator of a healthy population, and high in clean air and water. And we haven't even mentioned the climate, the natural beauty and rich ethnic mix and cultural tolerance.
Throw all that in and Hawaii would rank even higher as a place to raise kids. And what's more important than that?
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor