The New American
September 10, 2012
Hong Kong voters went to the polls on September 9 to support liberty-minded candidates after months of growing protests and even hunger strikes against proposed communist “brainwashing” in government schools, which opponents said was an effort to indoctrinate children into supporting the brutal dictatorship ruling over mainland China. Anti-Beijing sentiment is still at an all-time high and continues to grow.
The legislative elections, in which voters selected over half of Hong Kong’s lawmakers while mostly pro-Beijing special-interest groups and elites chose the rest, were seen by analysts as a crucial milestone. The vote marked the first time that a majority of lawmakers were chosen by the electorate, and the results will play a key role in determining Hong Kong’s future governance.
Citizens opposed to the increasing influence of the communist regime in Beijing over Hong Kong did succeed in maintaining control over at least one third of the legislature — and with it, veto power. The results will allow Hong Kong to block constitutional changes that would further the expansion of power by pro-Chinese Communist Party forces.
Pro-Beijing forces did relatively well considering the surging opposition to mainland communist scheming and their small numbers of supporters in the city. According to the New York Times and various analysts, the Chinese regime-supporting “Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong” used various gimmicks to garner more seats. Some even accused the mainland dictatorship of unlawfully subsidizing the pro-regime party.
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