We remember the democratic triumph of two years ago, and also commit to memory injustices that continue to be perpetuated to this day

 Banners for two of the candidates for the

 District Council elections held two years ago today

 

What a difference two years makes. Back on November 24th, 2019, District Council elections were held in Hong Kong which saw record-breaking wins for pro-democracy candidates. The "silent majority" spoke, and turned out to be far more pro-democracy than anyone, especially the authorities, realized. Cue so much joy in much of Hong Kong.  

 

Fast forward two years and the mood is far less happy.  Many of the individuals elected to District Council seats on November 24th, 2019, are now in jail (what with a good number of the 47 politicians and activists arrested for taking part in last year's democratic primaries having been district councillors) or have gone into exile -- and even many of those who haven't suffered this fate have been stripped of their positions or felt forced to resign from them.   

 

There's also the not insignificant matter of China having imposed a national security law on Hong Kong and sweeping electoral changes to make a system that already wasn't all that democratic and representative even less so.  Which is why it's very unlikely that voter numbers in the upcoming Legislative Council "election" will approach, never mind, equal the 71% participation rate and 2.94 million raw voter numbers of the 2019 District Council elections. 

 

Adding to the dark mood of many Hong Kongers these days is the continued political persecution and prosecutions evidenced this week.  As an example, yesterday saw 20-year-old student activist Tony Chung become the youngest person to be jailed under the national security law. After pleading guilty to charges of “secession” and “money-laundering” (in a deal that saw charges of "sedition" and a second one for "money-laundering" against him dropped), he was sentenced to three years and seven months imprisonment. 

 

Should it not be clear, a Hong Kong Watch statement regarding his sentencing points out that "Tony Chung’s charges relate to a series of social media posts and the financial management of his student localist group".  It also includes the following comments by the NGO's Policy Director, Johnny Patterson, Hong Kong Watch’s Policy Director: 

Tony Chung’s sentencing is disproportionate, draconian, and sets a dangerous precedent for other young Hong Kongers whose only crime is using social media to protest the dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms.

At twenty years old, Tony Chung is the youngest person to be sentenced under this draconian law. He will not be the last.

And this past Monday saw a 29-year-old man sentenced to 28 months imprisonment for having thrown "a plastic water bottle in the direction of the police" on the evening of July 14th, 2019, at Shatin's New Town Plaza mall. It's well worth noting the following: his attempt to hit the police was unsuccessful; the bottle he hurled was made of plastic (rather than glass); and the bottle was in all likelihood not going to hurt the cops if it actually had hit them since they were wearing protective gear (unlike the convicted man, whohis lawyer pointed out was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of slippers).

Lai Chun-lok also had not planned his action, the lawyer said. As to why he threw the bottle: do note that July 14th, 2019, marked the very first time that riot police entered a shopping mall in Hong Kong: one which is physically linked to a number of residential complexes. 

 

I remember how people were so very upset then at what they perceived to be their space having been invaded by the police, and determined to clear away what they perceived to be elements disturbing the peace. (And yes, the police really are often seen in Hong Kong as disturbing the peace rather than there to restore or preserve it.) 

 

On a not unrelated note: many of the events that took place in the latter part of 2019 remain fresh in my memory.  Two years may seem like a long time ago for some people, and Hong Kong circa 2019 can indeed seem like another world as well as time from Hong Kong 2021.  Nevertheless, I still remember.  And I know many other Hong Kongers do too.