Wu Guangqiang

    jw368@163.com

    ON April 22, the Hong Kong government published a long-awaited electoral blueprint for selecting the city’s next leader, which may open a new chapter in Hong Kong’s history if opposition lawmakers do not impede it. If passed at the SAR’s Legislative Council (LegCo) this summer, the plan will allow Hong Kong residents, for the first time in Hong Kong’s history, to choose their chief executive by universal suffrage in 2017.

    The blueprint for the proposal, which says that the public can vote on two or three candidates who are pre-selected by a 1,200-member nominating committee, was first outlined by the National People’s Congress last August.

    By Western standards, the proposal may seem conservative, and Hong Kong’s “pro-democratic” activists have criticized it for not meeting “the international standard.” But, at the present stage, it is the best possible package for Hong Kong, given Hong Kong’s current situation, its fundamental interests and, more importantly, the core interests of China as a nation. After all, Hong Kong is part of China as a special administrative region, and it is political common sense that a nation’s interests always come before a region’s.

    The proposal reflects the principles of democracy: balanced participation and one person, one vote, and, therefore, it has won the support of more than half of Hong Kong citizens, according to several polls.

    However, in an attempt to compel the Central Government to revoke the proposal, Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers have continued to obstruct the Constitutional Reform Package.

    Opponents of the package launched the 79-day Occupy Central protest in July 2014. Tens of thousands of demonstrators blocked major roads in four key districts for months, only to considerably hurt the city’s economy, mar the city’s image and trigger public wrath. The farce ended in disgrace as its initially boisterous momentum soon dwindled to low-spirited desolation because of diminishing public support.

    It’s unlikely that Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers will face up to the reality and vote for the blueprint. Most of the city’s 27 opposition legislators, who hold a one-third veto bloc in the 70-person chamber, said they would vote against the package.

    If the package aborts, it is the loss of every Hong Kong citizen rather than anyone’s victory. As Hong Kong’s leader Leung Chun-ying said, “If this proposal is vetoed, it could be several years before the next opportunity.”

    We sincerely hope that Hong Kong’s lawmakers make the right decision for the sake of Hong Kong’s future and Hong Kong people’s wellbeing.

    Sadly, however, ever since the former British colony returned to the arms of the motherland in 1997, Hong Kong’s so-called “pro-democratic” camp has been doing everything possible to confront the Central Government and the SAR Government.

    They keep filibustering and vetoing bills or plans presented by the government, making any plan to upgrade Hong Kong’s economy or improve the livelihood of the Hong Kong people impossible. They have been hijacking Hong Kong in the name of democracy, which reminds me of the famous remark by Madame Roland, a supporter of the French Revolution. Before being executed on the guillotine, she exclaimed, “O Liberty, how many crimes are committed in thy name!”

    Compared with the mainland’s rapid development, Hong Kong’s growth has been tanking. The Hong Kong miracle that once enchanted mainland compatriots is rapidly fading. According to a recent study, Hong Kong was once far ahead of the mainland in most industries decades ago, but today the opposite is true. Hong Kong is dwarfed by mainland cities in most sectors: high tech, e-commerce, Internet finance, Internet+, and creative industries, to say nothing of manufacturing.

    It’s crystal clear that further political rows and futile attempts to confront the Central Government will hasten Hong Kong’s decline. The mainland is strong enough to withstand the impact of any possible troubles in Hong Kong. But the Hong Kong people will have to bear the serious consequences of political turbulence and an economic plunge.

    Wise and brave Hong Kong residents should stand out and show their support for the package. The Hong Kong people who have gone through countless tests will again demonstrate their courage and wisdom by seizing this historic opportunity and embracing a better tomorrow.

    (The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.)