Pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong are celebrating after securing a landslide victory in the 2019 municipal elections. The pro-democracy camp has won almost 390 council seats compared to less than 60 for pro-Beijing parties and now controls a majority of councils in the city. Hong Kong residents turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots in an election widely seen as a referendum on the pro-democracy movement after nearly six months of protests. Surprise victories for pro-democracy candidates against strongly favored opponents led to some voting centers erupting in loud cheers and chants of “Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution Now” — a phrase used by many protesters in recent months. City leader Carrie Lam said she would “listen humbly” to voters.
So if I went to watch the vote counting I might have been in this clip! Who would’ve thought the election for our district councils, which deal with matters such as parks and air conditioning dripping, would make international news! However this is not really about local affairs but showing the government where Hong Kongers stand during these months of unprecedented turmoil. It’s a small victory because China will come back with a vengeance and continues to breathe down our necks, while the demands that have been the cause for the protests are still not met.
Just a little bit of background. While pro-democracy candidates have taken 86% of the seats, the votes are roughly 59% pro-democracy and 41% pro-government. I think this would be considered a comfortable margin in any referendum or general election but on paper not a landslide. However, I’d like to point our that China has for the past 20 years perfected a system that skews Hong Kong elections in their favour, even though pro-Beijing supporters are definitely in the minority. They plant and buy votes, manipulate elderlies and abuse the system in every way possible. For us to achieve this small victory, in spite of the machinations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is very heartening even though we’re still foreseeing tough times to come.
China is playing the long game because 150 resident visas are given to people from the mainland to live in Hong Kong. Don’t ask me why these new arrivals can register as voters right away in a city where they don’t share the same values. And don’t ask me why most of these people, now living in a place with relative freedom, would willingly be at the beck and call of the CCP and participate in institutional vote rigging. So sooner or later, they will have a majority that are rubber stamps and all dissent will be snuffed out.
Just thinking about this is depressing but today we show them that the voice of the people cannot be ignored! Share our joy when a much reviled incumbent was unseated, and some champagne popping in Central!
Thank you for observing the vote counting! Without the foreign delegation and Hongkongers like you, we would never know how CCP would have intervened and rigged the results. No one is in better position than Hongkongers and some Mainlanders to say how evil CCP is. Our people are murdered, raped and beaten up to fight against CCP and police brutality. Every vote is casted with tears and blood. More battles ahead but Hongkongers will not surrender. They can’t kill us all.
Tori