I'm spending this week working my tail off for the re-election of this guy, Leung Kwok Hung
Also known as "Long Hair". He's running for a seat in Hong Kong's 60-member Legislative Council (LEGCO)
Hong Kong is the only place in China that has (some) free, popular democratic elections, thanks to the deal brokered when the U.K. ceded Hong Kong back to China in 1997.
The powers that be made sure LEGCO had almost no teeth. Legislators can't initiate legislation--the only thing they can do is refuse to approve the Hong Kong Government's proposals (most of which, these days, are straight-outta-Beijing).
The pro-Democracy parties in Hong Kong must win at least 21 seats in the legislature, or they will lose their ability to do even this much.
My pal Leung Kwok Hung is a Marxist who started a party called the League of Social Democrats (yeah, LSD!). He's pro-universal suffrage, pro-gay rights, fights for a mimimum wage, and for full democracy in Mainland China. No punches pulled with this guy. He's battling for his seat against a far-better funded team of conservative, well-organized pro-Beijing candidates.
The way politics is played here in Hong Kong is a giddy throwback to the old-skool ward-heeling days of the big cities. There's no TV or radio advertising allowed. Long Hair's district has 1.6 million people, and it is about the size of Brooklyn. To reach these folks, you must hit the streets.
And that's what I've been doing. (I'm keeping a running diary of it here. The election is Sunday, 9/7.
Working for democracy in the streets of HK is a terrific remedy for McCain/Obama/Palin-osis.
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This is very cool!
Thanks for posting this. It's nice having a variety of subject matter on Corrente.
It would be interesting to hear about the effect of internet-enabled social networking on politics in HK. Your blog is a prime example.
Go long hair!
Yes, I asked the poster to...
... when MsExPat registered, and he was kind enough to do so. Yes, I'd like to see many more posts like this, from other countries especially. Canadians?
[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
Internet networking in HK politics
is still in the infancy stage. Most politicians have a Facebook website up, and a lot of them take a stab at doing a blog. 99% of the content is Chinese.
The more interesting tech development in HK elections is the use of Internet broadcast radio. It's in wide use, and most of the pro-democracy groups have their own Internet radio channel. (If you speak Cantonese you can check this one out: www.myradio.com.hk)
In Hong Kong, as in mainland China, SMS messages are used to organize people (98% of Hong Kong people have a mobile phone. Tomorrow Long Hair will be sending out thousands of SMS messages as "Get Out The Vote" reminders on Election Day.
I've often thought that radio would be a good platform
Don't know how to set it up, though.
[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
Do the authorities
Do the authorities interfere with any of that as we hear about the mainland limiting internet access? If so, how does that actually work in practical terms? I would think it would be difficult with all the business emphasis and all the people coming in and out of the city.
The "Great Firewall of China", thank goodness
does not surround Hong Kong. There's no Internet censorship here (if there were, Hong Kong would be dead as as a financial/business center).
But the print and broadcast media does self-censor. The owners of the media are also tycoons with interests in mainland China, so they can't afford to offend. That's why the Internet been such a great resource for the Hong Kong democracy movement.
It helps that this city is wired up the wazoo. I even have broadband internet TV.
no radio or tv ads
Do they drive around in trucks covered with candidate posters, recorded adverts blaring from loudspeakers?
Banners, Caravans, Loudspeakers....
It's politics the way it used to be! The election was today. I spent most of the day passing out leaflets and campaigning in the Sai Kung village of New Territories East district.
The polls are closed, results coming in, and my candidate, Long Hair, is looking good! I think it's because we played a good ground game.
I'm live blogging the election here:
http://daisann.com/2008/09/07/down-to-th...