For a long time after the end of World War II, there was little interaction between Taiwan and Hong Kong. Yet in recent years the two have developed a unique, sympathetic relationship as they each pushed for democratization. This is especially evident among the younger generations, who have bonded over supporting each others’ efforts to promote democracy.
The extent to which they will shape the future of Taiwan and Hong Kong cannot be underestimated.
Following the September Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong, two newly elected lawmakers were disqualified from taking their seats after Beijing interfered.
The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress delivered an interpretation that said the pair’s controversial oaths at their swearing-in ceremony were improper.
The pair’s disqualification was a serious setback for Hong Kong’s democracy.
While it might first appear that Beijing’s move was primarily aimed at suppressing Hong Kong’s independence movement, a more important aim was to put an end to the “one country, two systems” model and replace it with the same political system used elsewhere in China.
Beijing apparently sees Hong Kong as just another, albeit much larger, Wukan — the Guangdong Province village where an uprising against the village council took place in 2011.
It is quite clear that Beijing is not yet ready for Western democracy. It has been tightening its grip on the territory to prevent its pro-democracy movement from spreading to other parts of the country.
However, Hong Kong is not Wukan. It has independent international media outlets, a vibrant civil society and new political parties such as Youngspiration and Demosisto, which are prepared to do whatever it takes to safeguard democracy.
Hong Kong society cannot be so easily silenced.
Considering how far Taiwan has come since the Martial Law era, its experience in fighting authoritarianism may be of some help to Hong Kongers.
Unlike Hong Kong, Taiwan has developed a mostly stable democratic system, and one that has seen two transitions of power.
However, the current constitutional structure has restricted the government’s approach to policymaking, which resulted in low government efficiency and, in turn, a low approval rating from members of the public who expected President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to embark on a program of reform.
Despite the many controversies and problems that have recently occurred, a close look at the underlying structures of the nation shows that Taiwan’s democracy remains healthy.
The most important task at the moment should be rebuilding the public’s confidence in democracy and ensuring that the progress Taiwan has made in its democratization will be converted into good public policies that can benefit the public.
If the Tsai administration could get back on track and build an efficient policymaking mechanism, it could become a role model in democracy for the Chinese-speaking world.
US president-elect Donald Trump’s election victory has injected a sense of uncertainty into international politics, but despite mounting pressure from Beijing, Taiwan and Hong Kong will continue to stand side by side in their fight for democracy.
Their dedication to what they believe in even in times of difficulty is truly significant and shall enable them to triumph in the end.
Ku Chung-hwa is an executive director of Citizen’s Congress Watch.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
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