Friday, September 2, 2016

Why is Beijing so scared of this 25-year-old Hong Konger?

Hong Kong (CNN)"We are the future of Hong Kong!"

Edward Leung stands on a crowded overpass connected to a busy metro station, speaking into a white megaphone.
    "We will win, we have the mandate!"
    Behind him, his round, bespectacled face adorns multiple large banners overlapping those of various political parties, as he and three volunteers hand out leaflets in the sweltering summer heat.
    But while he"s clearly the main draw -- with several passersby stopping to shake his hand and take surreptitious selfies -- Leung is not a candidate in Sunday"s election to the Legislative Council, Hong Kong"s parliament.
    He was one of several candidates disqualified by electoral officials for promoting Hong Kong"s independence from mainland China.
    The move, denounced by his supporters as illegal, has made the 25-year-old political philosophy graduate a kingmaker among the city"s more radical parties and the figurehead of the Hong Kong independence movement.
    It"s an idea that was, only months ago, dismissed as impossible but it has gained momentum in the city, livening up what would"ve been a humdrum vote and angering giant neighbor China.
    Banning Leung may end up backfiring on the government and its Beijing masters, says Chinese University professor Ma Ngok.
    "He was the only guy who had a realistic chance of winning," he says. "(But now) a lot of people, especially radical voters, will try to send a message to Beijing by casting a vote for one of these groups."
    Leung is backing several other independence-leaning candidates still in the race.
    "They took one seat from us, we"ll win three seats back."

    Political test

    Earlier this year, election officials issued a warning to candidates reminding them that legislators must vow to uphold the Basic Law, Hong Kong"s mini-constitution, which states the city is an "inalienable" part of China.
    They also asked candidates to sign an additional declaration, never before used, acknowledging that the constitutional status quo cannot be changed.
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    That doesn"t amount to a call for violence, he"s quick to add, pointing to examples such as the Velvet Revolution in 1989, which spelled the end of Stalinist rule in Czechoslovakia.
    Leung isn"t the only one with color revolutions on the mind. Last month, China"s top prosecutor posted an apocalyptic video online warning that the country could become like Syria or Iraq if "separatist" movements in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang were allowed to succeed.
    The video blamed the "dark shadow of the Stars and Stripes," echoing similar accusations of foreign interference in, and encouragement of, the Umbrella Movement.
    While Leung does connect his advocacy with independence movements in Tibet and Xinjiang -- "we"re all asking for the same thing" -- far from being a foreign agent, he"s actually Chinese born.
    Leung"s parents emigrated to Hong Kong from Wuhan, in Hubei province, when he was just a year old.
    "All my values were shaped in Hong Kong," he says. "It"s very natural for me to pledge my loyalty to this place."
    And Leung says time is on his side, as his generation will one day be the ones in charge.
    "Once you advocate for Hong Kong independence, would you go back and think, hey, let"s be real, let"s embrace China once again?" he asks.
    "Once you go radical, it"s hard to change back."

    Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/01/asia/hong-kong-independence-edward-leung/index.html

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