Rear Window | Too much ado about common sense

Severo Portela

Though, now, in low-key public protest mode – perhaps an apparent stand-still between “Be Water” activism and the security apparatus under Carrie Lam – resorting to sound common sense to wrangle over a “fast” pace  reality seems to be wise and realistic. To take shelter under the cliché, it sits between a rock and a hard place! Be it Carrie Lam muscle or the PLA hand.

As we write this column, a small crowd in the hundreds made their way to Admiralty´s Court of Appeal to support “localist” Edward Leung. Young Leung, at 28, still qualifying as a young rioter, so the officious script rules, was sentenced to six years for leading the 2016 upheaval known as the “fish ball riot”.

Edward Leung’s ordeal may constitute a double warning signal to Carrie Lam´s   mishandling of the situation these frantic four months. Not only is he one of a pool of detainees to be potentially convicted, to offer justification enough for civic protests in the future, but it also presents the fact that Leung, a few weeks after the “fish ball”, lost an election for an open legislative seat, although he collected 15% of the ballot.

So, besides the menacing equation postulated by the cliché “rock and hard place”, Carrie Lam now faces a Leninist moment. What to do about the District Council Elections scheduled for the 24th of November, 2019? Occupy Central Benny Tai vowed to take the bigger slice, which he named a “storm”, of the 452 seats. As to the 2020 Legislative Elections, she will probably be absent.

The truth is, the Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, regardless of being pressured or not, insisted on the extradition bill even after it was obvious that all walks of civil society descended to the streets. It was far from a youth problem.

Making the problem one of (poor) youth education, youth housing, and so on from the list of youth issues was wrong and reminiscently desirous of a May 68. Indeed, that agitated spring in Paris took just two-months of civil unrest, demonstrations, a two-week general strike, and occupations. And suddenly violence evaporated.

But the consequences of that May went on to change the “world”, because it was a cultural and social event. Up from a 22 million-strong labor general strike to the frivolous slapping of old ladies in fur coats at Les Champs-Elysées.

Hong Kong may replicate the French season and move abruptly to calm demonstrations. But the consequences of the four-month civic unrest will go on to change Hong Kong – how deeply we do not know – because it is a political event: freedom’s challenge to Beijing’s rule.

Back to common sense and across the Pearl River Delta, it is tempting to pester the over-quoted “A Tale of Two Cities” to illustrate how different Macau is. It is conventional wisdom that Macau is a happy square where “no pasa nada”.

Joining hands with fellow lawmaker Pereira Coutinho, Macau´s pro-democracy maverick legislator took his ANM to denounce the acting Chief Executive’s renewal of appointments to various committees, most recently the “Economic Development Council”. This move leaves Ho Iat Seng with fewer options in hand.

Apparently, Chui Sai On insists on the “continuity” of government, thus the renewals at the end of the day, while Ho Iat Seng is clearly betting on new blood for the new political cycle.

As an example, Sulu Sou and Pereira Coutinho expect a total revamp of the powerful Executive Council to work with the new Chief Executive, given the unwritten criteria of mission accomplished for recipients of Decorations, Medals and Certificates of Merit. Seven recipients are Executive Council members. According to that criteria their positions are to be discontinued.

Finally, an appropriate quotation from that May when everything was possible: be realistic, demand the impossible!