The politics of "patriotism" in Hong Kong

Submitted by kevininpudong on Wed, 2007-05-16 05:30. ::
 

Fury at DAB chief's Tiananmen tirade
Hong Kong not ready for universal suffrage because of unpatriotic view of June 4, says Ma Lik

Hong Kong will not be ready for universal suffrage until around 2022 because the people lack national identity and many still believe there was a massacre in Tiananmen Square in 1989, the leader of the main pro-Beijing party said yesterday.
In remarks that drew immediate condemnation from the pan-democratic camp, the chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Ma Lik, said local students had not received proper "national education" since the handover and many still "care nothing" about the mainland.
He said one example to show Hong Kong society was not mature was people's belief that pro-democracy activists were "massacred" in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
"We should not say the Communist Party massacred people on June 4. I never said that nobody was killed, but it was not a massacre," Mr Ma told a media gathering less than three weeks before the 18th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on protesting students. "A massacre would mean the Communist Party intentionally killed people with machine guns indiscriminately."
Szeto Wah, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, said Mr Ma had brought shame onto himself. "Facts written in blood cannot be twisted by lies. Luckily, we still have many eyewitnesses from Tiananmen who have not died yet."
Democrat Cheung Man-kwong said: "I am shocked and sad to hear Ma Lik, who I thought was an intellectual, try to whitewash history. It will only boost the number of protesters at the June 4 demonstration and vigil."
Mr Ma, who is not known as an outspoken hard-core leftist, said universal suffrage could not be introduced before the public adopted "heart-felt" patriotism.
Although his views drew a strong reaction, he said they had actually moderated from those he previously held. "In the past I have said universal suffrage should be introduced in 2047. Now I think it is appropriate to introduce [it] around 2022 because by then, hopefully, half a generation would have gone through the new national awareness education."
Mr Ma said that "consciously or unconsciously" Hong Kong people were resisting the idea that the Communist Party was the ruling party of "our sovereign state" and were trying to draw a line between themselves and the party. "It is difficult to push for [universal suffrage] under these conditions." He said the Hong Kong government should take action to educate teachers about what happened at Tiananmen Square.
Civic Party leader Audrey Eu Yuet-mee said national awareness education should not be a condition for universal suffrage. "Nobody wants any brainwashing."
Tiananmen participants also disputed Mr Ma's claims. Teacher Lai Hung, a Hong Kong student in the square at the time, recalled: "Gun shots were heard everywhere and I saw people being shot ... When we retreated back towards the universities, I saw several people run over by tanks."
Ding Zilin , an activist whose son was killed in Tiananmen Square and heads a campaign for vindication of the movement, said Mr Ma should learn "moral integrity".
"He does not know what really happened. He was brainwashed by the party. He believes in lies and spread the lies. I feel really regretful that he said such things," she said.
Law Yee-ping, a journalist who was around the square on the morning of June 4, said she was sure troops were killing people but the fact that there were conflicting accounts presented a case for an inquiry.

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