Appeal from Global Democracy Groups to Prime Minister Stephen Harper August 31, 2014 Re: Political Reform in Hong Kong An Open Letter to the Honorable Prime Minster Mr. Stephen Harper, the House of Commons and Fellow Canadians We are urging you to monitor the constitutional development in Hong Kong and to press the Chinese Government to honor their promises to the people of Hong Kong on “One Country Two Systems” stated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 and the constitution of Hong Kong, the Basic Law. In June, the Chinese government issued a White Paper to set out an official interpretation of the Basic Law. The document demonstrates an attempt to undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong and to erode their core values, threatening the foundation of faith in Hong Kongs future. The promise of “Hong Kong people running Hong Kong with a high level of autonomy” is replaced by new concepts such as complete jurisdiction, oversight by the Central Government and “judges must be patriotic”. In July, the Hong Kong government submitted to Beijing a report on the selection of the Chief Executive in 2017 and the formation of the Legislative Council in 2016. On June 22, almost 800,000 people participated in a Civil Referendum, 90% of whom supported a proposal that involves civil nomination. The Report considered this too minor to be counted as “mainstream opinion” and nothing was said of how the public could be properly represented. On July 1, over 500,000 people protested on the streets. However, the voice of the people has fallen on deaf ears. The failure of the report to aptly reflect Hong Kong peoples views seems to signify the shrinking likelihood of genuine universal suffrage. This is a huge step backward in Hong Kongs constitutional and democratic development. The Chinese People’s Congress Standing Committee yesterday released a set of rules to select the 2017 Chief Executive. A Nominating Committee continue to be composed of 1,200 mainly government appointees will be formed. Chief Executive candidate must obtain approval from the majority of the committee members and the number of candidates will be limited to two to three people. One people one vote to select a government approved candidate is not election by universal suffrage. This indeed is a big setback. Hong Kong people’s hopes for democracy over the past 30 years are completely shattered. Dear Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, the people of Hong Kong cannot rely on their government for a democratic future. It is not the case for the Chinese Government to issue a decree and the people of Hong Kong to comply. Canadians need to take a strong stand in the preservation of the dignity of the Hong Kong people. Canadians are watching and absolutely care that you demonstrate Canadians’ support of Hong Kong people’s demand for genuine universal suffrage. We shall never let them stand alone. Yours sincerely, North American Alliance for Democracy in China (NAADC) Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement (Contact: Henry Chau 604-202-2324) Toronto Association for Democracy in China Canada Hong Kong Link (Toronto) Movement for Democracy in China (Calgary) Tiananmen Memorial Foundation Friends of Hong Kong Chinese - Washington DC Chinese Democracy Education Foundation (San Francisco) Association of Overseas Hong Kong Chinese for Democracy and Human Rights (Boston) Friends of Hong Kong and Macau of Boston Hong Kong Forum Los Angeles The Alliance of the Guard of Canadian Value
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 04:40:49 +0000
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