When I started my internet browser, this breaking news popped up in front of my eyes from the website of CNN World. The Occupy Central has started to create chaos all over in every main business Center and commercial district in Hong Kong. In the expression of the European news organization, Hong Kong 2014 Protest is known as umbrella revolution. Honestly, I am not sure if it is a satire, but I am proud of it because of the peacefulness and self-restraining of the Hong Kong citizens. The reason the organization named the protest to be an Umbrella revolution is because hundreds and thousands of protesters have used umbrellas to protect themselves from pepper spray and tear gas attacks.
The main purpose of this protest is to fight for the right to vote for their chief executive. The citizens have chosen the path of nonviolent civil disobedience and have called for Beijing government to make concessions. However, from a certain point of view, it does not seem to be too useful in fetching results.
As ten thousand people create this ruckus, the transportation gets affected by the chaos and many problems emerge in the economic and the social spheres. The first and the most important example is the stock market.
The Hong Kong stocks have seen an unprecedented fall (the biggest one since the month of February, 2014). On 30th September, Hang Seng Index fell by 1.3 percent to 22,932.98 at the time of close in Hong Kong.
Thesis: The present day is not good for Hong Kong to have a revolution as people are not coming out in enough numbers to raise their voice. They need to fight with more tenacity and bigger cause- independence. If Hong Kong people want to have the right to vote, they should have a real revolution, not a peacefully one (same like Turkey, Egypt).
The form of protest has always been a matter of vehement debate all over the world. The independence movement of India that is a sub-continental nation involved mainly non-violence methods.
Also, a peaceful mode of protest would require a lot of discipline and resilience on the part of the protesters, which would in turn strengthen the movement. But, I am not too sure about the success of the movement in the present scenario of Hong Kong.
China, although known to be a Communist nation, has shown signs of aggressive imperialist tendency even in the past. The conquering of Tibet is one major example of its exercise of supremacy and military power on its neighbors. I believe, in the case of Hong Kong, China will not bow down so easily. In fact, China is also having somewhat antagonistic relationship with its neighboring nation, India, over the issue of border. China has been accused many a time by India of infringing into its territory, and setting up military base or camps in the hills. Thus, to me the nature and future course of action on the part of China seems to be very clear.
While the protesters are demanding a democratic set up in Hong Kong, the mainland of China does not share this sentiment. The media are highly regulated by the state authorities, and not many people know about the full extent and procedures of the on-going protest in the city, Hong Kong.
Suffrage right is not there in the mainland of China, and under such a circumstance the demand of the people of the city seems to be too much for everyone. I think the citizens of Hong Kong need to understand the societal condition of the entire nation. They need to gather more support if they wish to raise their voice. The China government sees such democratic rights as the replica of Western democracy, and an impending problem for the status quo of the nation. China is not ready to give in to the demand of the protests in any way.
What the Hong Kong protesters need to understand is that only a protest like that we have seen in Egypt or Turkey can shake the authority from the core, and make the protest successful. Otherwise, if you ask me, the Chinese authority would surely turn a blind eye to the occurrences as they are too small to create ripples in the large system of the nation.
The people in Hong Kong have to fight for independence, and not just the right for voting. They can build a system of their own then. I think the protesters should try to gain more mass support. They need to spread the word and make people aware. Their fight has to be stronger so that they can answer back China if the authority tries to nullify the protests.
If the Hong Kong’s citizens continue this kind of action, their economy will surely take a huge blow due to the protest. When their economy falls, they will surely have no more political footing for going against China. Without any political footing, Hong Kong will become a city of China for sure, with no specialty or power of its own. Hence, this is not the right time for such protests or revolution. We need to understand when it is right to take the steps for revolution. It is only correct when the people are willing to have independence from China.
Bibliography
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/03/world/europe/turkey-conflict-explainer/
http://time.com/3471366/hong-kong-umbrella-revolution-occupy-central-democracy-explainer-
6-questions/
