Back to "Annual Reports" Main Page
Director's Report
For many of us, 2003 is a year we will long remember—the year that Hong Kong's people demonstrated the meaning of people's power, the first time since 1989 when more than one million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to support the student movement in Tiananmen Square. A local film director described the sky of July in Hong Kong as the most beautiful and brightest sky he has seen since the 1997 handover.
The year 2003 is also the year that the Hong Kong Christian Institute (HKCI) celebrates our15th anniversary. During this special milestone in the life of our organisation, I want to thank, first of all, our founder and first director, the Rev. Kwok Nai-wang, for his vision and courage to create HKCI as an alternative Christian witness for the community of Hong Kong in 1988. As the present director, I want to offer this annual report as our thanksgiving to God and to all members and friends who have faithfully supported HKCI throughout the years with their participation in our mission work and their financial assistance.
As I look back on the past journey of HKCI, there are three mission priorities that HKCI has tried to achieve: being a dissenting voice in society in order to affirm life and defend the value of human dignity, seeking an alternative vision of the human condition based on the Christian convictions of peace and justice and creating a space for ecumenical dialogue and cooperation among Christians as well as people of other faiths and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in order to strengthen civil society locally and globally to counter the dominant forces of destruction running rampant in the world today.
In the past year, HKCI has actively engaged ourselves in advocating three human rights concerns in the global as well as Hong Kong context: peace, health and freedom and democracy.
The First Concern Is PEACE
Even though Hong Kong was not under any direct threat from the outbreak of war in Iraq, HKCI felt compelled to promote peace in the face of the use of violence and to counter the dilution of human rights that has occurred during the "war on terror." As many Asian human rights activists have warned, the recent changes in security policy as well as the new military doctrine of the United States not only pose threats to countries like Iraq, Iran or North Korea, which were labelled by U.S. President George W. Bush as an "axis of evil," but they deserve careful examination in the context of empire-building.
According to Harvard professor Michael Ignatieff, "America's entire war on terror is an exercise in imperialism." In the name of combating terrorism and making the world safe from "rogue states" possessing weapons of mass destruction, this application of military force aims at securing the United States and its allies a long-term military presence identical to occupation in several regions of the world. As a result, the whole of Asia has become a potential theatre of war.
Take, for example, the Philippines. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has effectively overturned the Filipino people's decision a decade ago to oust the U.S. military from bases in the country by allowing American troops to return in 2002 through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Pentagon, in the name of waging the "war on terror," has renewed its aid to the Indonesian military, an institution notorious for its violation of human rights; and in Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been emboldened to further suppress dissent among the Malaysian people under the draconian Internal Security Act, or ISA, as part of the global preoccupation with terrorism.
Furthermore, various anti-war human rights groups have also pointed out that global militarisation led by the United States and its coalition of "the willing" is linked to its initiative to promote globalisation of the market economy. In other words, the "war on terror" aims at making the world safe for globalisation. Thus, globalisation and militarism should be seen as two sides of the same coin.
Based on the above analysis, the "war on terror" in Asia has illuminated a trend that has existed a long time: the real justification for maintaining Asia's security forces is hardly to protect its own people; rather, it is to control dissent. Thus, it is important to form anti-war networks across our borders in order to confront today's borderless global military power. Globalisation of the market economy and of militarism must be resisted by the globalisation of people's solidarity.
As faith communities, when the present world is sinking into an abyss of division, violence and exploitation, the challenge before us is whether we can put aside our differences and prejudices toward each other and search for new ways of dialogue and cooperation that enable us to seek justice and peace and to serve and heal our common humanity more effectively. True peace must begin with justice. It is a peace resulting from the establishment of justice for all people in the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of life.
In order to be an active agent to build peace and justice, HKCI invited representatives of various religious communities in Hong Kong, including Muslims, Buddhists, Catholics and Protestants, to meet in January 2003 and share their concerns about the crisis in Iraq. Representatives felt that since their various faith traditions share the same commitment to peace and an affirmation of life they would organise several activities in response to the crisis in Iraq, including an interfaith prayer gathering and a candlelight prayer vigil. In addition, they issued a joint statement calling upon the world's political leaders, religious communities and all people of good will to turn their hearts towards peace, to build bridges between different communities and nations and to contribute towards efforts to promote a lasting peace for the people of Iraq and their neighbours. Future cooperation will include HKCI's support for the local Muslim community as it seeks recognition of their equal rights by pushing the Hong Kong government to enact anti-racial discrimination legislation as soon as possible.
The Second Concern Is HEALTH
For more than three months, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spread fear throughout Hong Kong, Asia and the rest of the world. In early February, a 9-year-old boy was confirmed to have the new disease and died—the first case of SARS in Hong Kong. His father died shortly afterwards.
On Feb. 22, Liu Jianlun, a mainland doctor, admitted himself into Kwong Wah Hospital in Hong Kong with an infectious disease. The previous night Liu had stayed at the nearby Metropole Hotel. As a result, eight people who stayed at the Metropole were infected, and three of them unknowingly exported the disease to Vietnam, Singapore and Canada.
As late as April 3, China's health minister, Zhang Wenkang, continued to lie to the public and international community that it was safe to travel to China. It took tremendous courage for retired military doctor Jiang Yonyong to release an open letter to the international media exposing the serious underreporting of SARS cases in the capital's military hospitals. By then, the SARS virus had travelled to two dozen countries, infecting almost 2,000 people worldwide and killing more than 200. In order to restore the nation's credibility, China's new leadership sacked Zhang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong on April 20.
While the mysterious virus caused 299 deaths and weakened an already fragile economy, the people of Hong Kong also awakened, reflecting in the face of the crisis about the true value of health and community and the role of government.
First, our experience with SARS reveals the influence of globalisation. There is an urgent need for us to be open to effective cooperation between regulatory authorities, both domestic and international. In our local context, it is important for Guangdong Province and Hong Kong to develop a regional regulatory framework to enhance cooperation, cooperation that is based on mutual respect and the welfare of people on both sides of our common border.
Secondly, the mainland's initial denial and slow response to the SARS outbreak exposed the major shortcomings of the Chinese authorities and the danger of obstructing the free flow of information to the people of China as well as the global community. In order to restore national and international confidence, China must allow the media to play an independent role and report the truth in the future.
In Hong Kong, the SARS crisis exposed our government's lack of confidence, the inability of our "small government" to cope with emergencies and the vulnerability of our health care system. It is also evident that Hong Kong's health care system has been overstretched since the government began cutting funds for the public health sector, a policy which contributed to the health crisis we confronted this year, for the decline in resources created extreme pressure on our medical staff. In order to restore a sustainable health care system in Hong Kong, we must put more resources into strengthening, not only the public health sector, but also research and community health education.
While many people simply saw SARS as the cause of our problems, we must also acknowledge the contribution of our human greed and aggression that have made our relationships with each other and with nature precarious and less sustainable. Our competitive lifestyles create a culture of work that primarily focuses on productivity and efficiency. We are merely encouraged to produce and consume. As a result, we have gradually ignored the importance of health and our environment. How we respond to the environment around us determines much about our health.
What disappointed the public was that our government, instead of launching an independent investigation into the government's handling of the SARs outbreak, appointed Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong to head the nine-member panel to investigate the public health problem, a decision that was later retracted after numerous public complaints. Tung maintained though that the panel's role was "fact-finding" and not targeting individuals to be held responsible.
In addition, our government also failed to address the fundamental causes of the virus that were mentioned above. Rather, it chose to focus its resources and energies on cleaning up Hong Kong as it unveiled a post-SARS blueprint on Aug. 9. The proposals ranged from tougher penalties for repeat hygiene offenders and a crackdown on building owners and tenants who flout cleanliness standards. Among a series of controversial proposals is a move to ban the import and sale of live poultry and the installation of closed-circuit TV cameras to monitor hygiene black spots. Another worrying aspect of the proposals is that they tend to be directed at, and affect the most, the less privileged in our community.
From a Christian perspective, a holistic concept of health must begin from our respect for life and community. The struggles for civil and political rights and for social, economic and cultural rights are central to the struggle for human health and dignity and the relief of human suffering. The full realisation of the human right to health is more a matter of improving the socio-economic, cultural, environmental and political conditions of all people than it is of simply maintaining a certain hygiene standard for the city. The health of individual people reflects the social health of their communities and the physical health of their environment. Thus, the issue of health cannot be separated from the issue of social justice. Now is the time for all of us to reclaim our right to health care and refuse to accept any policies that sacrifice our health and community for the sake of economic success. Health care is not a commodity: it is a basic human right!
In order to create an alternative platform to reflect on the impact of SARs and to seek a holistic approach to health, HKCI, together with 12 other local organisations that include youth and community organisers, church groups, academics, human rights and development advocates, environmentalists, teachers, women and artists, organised an open forum and other opportunities for discussion. As well as attracting more than 100 participants at the forum, this collection of groups began a process and network among those who are concerned and committed to seeking an alternative lifestyle and values as a movement to counter the mainstream system of destruction and exploitation that are root causes of SARs and other potentially deadly viruses in the future.
The Third Concern Is FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY
In September 2002, a paper addressing implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law was unveiled for a three-month consultation period. This article of the Basic Law stipulates that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) shall enact laws on its own to prohibit acts of treason, secession, sedition and subversion against the central government and the theft of state secrets. Despite the efforts of government officials to reassure the public that the Article 23 legislation will not take away Hong Kong people's freedom, many people, both local and abroad, raised legitimate concerns about the government's proposal.
One of the major worries is that through enacting this proposed legislation the HKSAR government will introduce into Hong Kong the mainland practice of using "national security" as a pretext to silence dissenting opinions, suppress the development of civil society and deprive Hong Kong's people of their basic human rights.
Another worry is that the proposed Article 23 legislation will criminalise free speech. Professional organisations representing journalists expressed their concern, particularly regarding offences related to sedition and the theft of state secrets. They are afraid that if the proposal becomes law an indirect form of censorship will be imposed on the media that will damage freedom of speech and expression in the community.
We also worry under the section relating to foreign political organisations that an organisation can be banned if "the organisation is affiliated with a mainland organisation which has been proscribed in the mainland by the central authorities in accordance with national law on the grounds that it endangers national security."
Lastly, one of the most threatening aspects of the proposed legislation in the consultation document was that the police would be granted the power to enter homes and offices in Hong Kong without a warrant to search and seize materials.
As Christians, we believe that freedom of expression, in particular freedom of thought, belief, conscience and speech, are basic human rights. We cannot sacrifice these values in the name of protecting "national security." Particularly for Christians, freedom of religious belief flows from our freedom of conscience, which may cause us to hold views that oppose those of the government. Therefore, the challenge for Christians is to make a choice: either surrender our conscience to God or to state authority. To translate our faith into action means that Christians in Hong Kong should say No to Article 23.
After the consultation period ended, the government, instead of releasing a white bill that would have enabled a second round of public consultation on a draft of the actual legislation, unveiled the law on Feb. 14, 2003, and tabled it in the Legislative Council (Legco) for its first reading on Feb. 26. Moreover, the Security Bureau planned to rush this controversial bill through Legco, seeking to enact the legislation by July 2003.
Although the government diluted the original package with concessions in nine areas, including exempting non-Chinese residents from the treason provisions and narrowing the scope of official secrets legislation to reduce its negative effects on press freedom, there are still widespread fears that the bill will further undermine the freedoms and civil liberties of Hong Kong's people.
In order to defend our freedom and human rights, HKCI, together with more than 40 NGOs, formed the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) in September 2002. One of the objectives of CHRF is to ally with other people in the community to oppose the government's enactment of Article 23 legislation. In addition to assisting the work of CHRF, HKCI also has cooperated with other Christian groups to organise seminars and workshops, produce pamphlets and booklets and initiate joint statements in order to provide a platform for the clergy and lay people to participate in the process of a wider civil movement and to reflect on how the issue of Article 23 relates to our Christian values.
On July 1, 2003—eight days before the government had scheduled a final vote on the bill in Legco—CHRF organised a demonstration to allow the people of Hong Kong to express their views on the legislation with their feet. To the amazement of the organisers, more than half a million people from all walks of life participated, waiting in the hot sun for hours to begin. Their discontent with the Hong Kong government's proposed Article 23 legislation, their frustration with their voices being repeatedly ignored, was reflected in their determination to be a part of the march. People's participation in the march, however, was not just a vote against the National Security Bill but also a vote of no confidence in the administration of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. In spite of their frustration and anger toward the government, the march was a peaceful and orderly demonstration.
Although many people urged Tung to defer enactment of the bill, the chief executive refused to delay a vote on the bill or withdraw it. Instead, he offered three amendments, scrapping provisions in the bill that permitted the government to outlaw local groups deemed to be subordinate to organisations banned on the mainland on national security grounds, removing the powers granted to the police to search premises without a warrant and granting the media the use of public interest as a defence against charges of disclosing state secrets. However, the amendments did not stop people's opposition to the legislation.
Tung finally abandoned his position at 2 a.m. on July 7 after Executive Council (Exco) member James Tien Pei-chun of the Liberal Party resigned from the cabinet several hours earlier, forcing the government to announce that it would defer the second reading of the national security legislation.
Tens of thousands of people turned out again in two mass rallies organised by CHRF and the Democratic Development Network (DDN) on July 9 and July 13 respectively. The message of the first protest was to continue to oppose the Article 23 legislation until Hong Kong enjoys full democracy; the second rally urged democratic reform in Hong Kong. Since then, Tung announced on July 16 that he had accepted the resignations of Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung—the first ministers to resign since Tung introduced his ministerial system on July 1 last year that replaced senior civil servants with political appointees in an attempt to make the government more accountable.
As we reflect on the dramatic events in July 2003, we realise that even though change seems impossible under the Tung administration there is still hope when ordinary people are determined to come out and stand up for their rights. The meaning of democracy was fully expressed by each of these ordinary people who realised that only when the people stand in solidarity and are equally counted as the subjects of society will we connect with the real spirit of democracy.
In the past year, in addition to my involvement with the wider ecumenical community and the civil rights movement in Hong Kong, I also offered a course entitled Public Policies and Christian Values at Lutheran Seminary as well as taught a course, Theology and Feminism, with Prof. Angela Wong Wai-ching at the Chung Chi Theology Division of Chinese University. From these teaching experiences, I am more convinced than ever that HKCI's direct involvement with the struggle of people is an important resource for theological education as a whole.
As well as organising activities in Hong Kong, I was very fortunate to be invited to participate in four ecumenical gatherings to exchange ideas and experiences on the "war on terror," globalisation, interreligious cooperation and violence against women with HKCI's overseas partners in the past year, such as the Association of Christian Institutes for Social Concern in Asia (ACISCA), the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED), as well as other faith communities. Moreover, our staff members Frankie Ng and Brenda Tam joined an E-communication workshop organised by ACISCA in Thailand in August 2003. These programmes not only widened our perspectives and experiences, but they also expanded HKCI's network with other Asian and global ecumenical bodies and individuals.
As I conclude this report, I want to share with you some reflections which I think are core values of HKCI as well as other ecumenical bodies that are called to be witnesses of God's peace and justice. The first reflection is that, although the overwhelming complexity and suffering of the present world always blind us and make it difficult to imagine another reality, the divine presence of empowerment and transformation is among all of us. Therefore, we must learn to use a lens of faith to see hope beyond our human condition. It is a deeply spiritual challenge which requires our radical faith in God, a God who is life and justice, a God who defends the poor, a God of liberation and resurrection, a God who loves us and will not abandon us, especially in our darkest moments.
The second reflection is that the more we are forced to face the harsh realities of this life—war and terrorism, SARs, globalisation, etc.—the more we discover the unbounded oneness of humanity regardless of what class, national, racial, cultural, gender or religious label we put on ourselves. The domination of one part of humanity over another is because of our lack of understanding and recognition of God's household as one family. We are, indeed, each other's keepers.
With this conviction, HKCI, even though it has limited resources, knowledge and capacity, is called to live out our faith, just like the boy who offered his five loaves and two fish to Jesus, trusting that God's love and power will enable all of us to see a new reality of hope and transformation in the process.
Lastly, I want to extend my profound gratitude to each of you who have offered your time, talent, energy and financial resources to enable the presence and witness of HKCI to become a reality in Hong Kong.
As we look towards the future, we continue to need your prayers, comfort, participation and critical comments as well as financial support. As long as we know that we are part of God’ movement in this world, we will naturally be bound together in the same mission circle.
Rose WU
|
