July, 2003

The Meaning of the July 1 Demonstration

Rose Wu

(Ed. note: This was published as a letter to the editor in the South China Morning Post on June 30, 2003.)

On July 1, we will mark the sixth anniversary of the handover. For government leaders, the handover was the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the transfer of our sovereignty to China. What though does sovereignty mean? To us, the sovereignty of Hong Kong resides in the people; government leaders are the servants of the people, not their masters! Our demonstration on July 1 is both a concrete and symbolic sign of our sovereignty.

It is clear during this, the sixth, anniversary of the handover that the will of the people has been distorted for the past year as the community has debated the Hong Kong government's proposed Article 23 legislation. Those who are deaf to the voices of the people—our government officials and our legislators who support the government's Article 23 proposals—cannot claim to represent their interests. As a result, more and more people have chosen not to be silent any longer and have decided to participate in this act of protest.

As we approach July 1, we see more and more people in the community organising among themselves from so many sectors of society that know no boundaries as people of all ages and genders, classes and professions, local people and expatriates, etc., come together. This is a true expression of Hong Kong people's power that has been initiated by the people themselves—the sovereigns of Hong Kong. This demonstration will be a coming together of different streams of our society uniting in one large river of freedom, participation and protest.

The moving force behind this demonstration is not just about Article 23. It is much more than this. It is also about freedom as the highest value of humanity. We speak of SARS as a health issue, but freedom is also part of our health. The denial of our health affects our physical, emotional, psychological and social well-being. Moreover, without freedom, we cannot have a healthy society. Freedom is about the way in which we respect each other, including those who disagree with our views. This holds equally, of course, for our government leaders as well: they must respect us, the people, as well. Without freedom, people cannot develop their potential, and our society cannot progress. We will come out onto the streets on July 1 to state that we do not want our rule of law twisted into rule by law.

This demonstration will be a peaceful and non-violent demonstration in spite of our frustration, and even anger, with our government. We have much experience in expressing ourselves peacefully, especially since 1989 and the Tiananmen crackdown. Both the people and the police are called to act rationally. This demonstration is not about hate. Rather, we are marching based on our love and commitment to our community and freedom, freedom that we do not want to be taken from us by our government and legislators. The government and legislators still have time to change their minds and their hearts.