Bres
Fren Extrad.
8.C.M. Pest. Jene 10, 1969
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enters to the Baňu
Democratic representation: Not worth
and all credit must go to the Student Union and its leaders for the dignifled manner in which they have conducted their negotiations with the Powers that Be.
In regard to "the letter", the following comments might apply-
Sir, The case for "demo- They want no part of it, land of Quemoy is barely like a flock of pigeons, leav- cratic representation" as set forth in a letter from cightcen educators, and others, (SCMP June 4), has been well answered by two correspondents "Political Realist" and "D. H. Potten", and is best summed up in the closing sentence of your Editorial of the same date- "Is it worth the risk"?
1. Not one of the signa- torics would appear to be a The proposal for full self- person of any special status by government in Hongkong is —and even less of substance it simply not practicable, as at in this Colony. They speak
least 90 per cent of the for themselves alone. id population will agree,
to
Furthermore, it might be here noted, the
Chinese people are not accustomed to -democratic government; the ar democracy which they un- it derstand is that of the home,
10-
(
held against communist cap- ing the police force, and the ture by thousands of Na- people-inore than a million tionalist troops, and bristling of them escapees from the fortifications.
Mainland-to face a very un- Why did Peking expend pleasant future. half a million men in Korca? 6. Lastly, just how would Why invade and conquer this full self-government be i "autonomous” Tibet? Why elected? And here we will smash the Indian army over-do the assuming-if any elec- an unimportant border dis- tion were held in Hongkong, 1 pute?
there could be only two ( parties involved-and they would not be the Reform Club, or the Civie Associn- tion, though for the "United Nations Association" one could scarcely speak with certainty.
Do the signatories of this letter recall the Red Guards, the Macao riots, and 1967 in 2. The majority are uni- Hongkong? Can one imagine versity personnel, with no ex- how an all-Chinese adininis- perience in government, and tration would stand up to a probably little in administra- full-scale attack such as that tion; yet this self-styled to which Macao capitulated- The two partics, as "Poli- ! "sophisticated, egalitarian and what then?
tical Realist" has rightly and enlightened" group
said, would be the Nation- he the village, and the clan would appear to contemplate kong were given full internal
5. Assuming that Hong- alist (Kuo-min-tang) of Tai- ! ly and the concept of “freedom" an important role in the new
wan, and the communists; } which openly hurls chal- democratic
self-government, could representative
the and it would develop into the lenges, insults,
and vilifica- form of internal self-govern- sume" for us that the com- prior to the final integration signatories of the letter "as- biggest, best, and last riot tion at Government is as ment: who else could they ay alien to their traditions as is be referring to?
munists would not again of Hongkong into the Mo- the rebellion of youth, de- 3. Hongkong is
bring pressure to bear? And ther country, not an
just thirty ay fiance of law and of autho- "autonomous area" vis-a-vis in such an emergency, what miles away. ed rity, loose morals, and so China, and there is no "work would be the attitude of the much else which goes hand- ing arrangement" other than administration, and perhaps a police-under an all-Chinese in-hand with what we re- treaties signed in 1842 gard as democracy in Bri- (circa) and subsequent leases Chinese Governor?-with the tain, and the United States of areas in Kowloon. "Auto them, and their families, and prospect of retaliation upon in and Canada, and of course nomous arcas" in the nu Australia.
minology of Peking
revenge for the "brutality" of people by aboriginals of non-
which they are accused in the Chinese
riots of 1967? stock-Tibertans, Lisu, Miao, et al.
er-
at!
he
Such "freedom" to defy au- tof thority is not tolerated in isti Taiwan, or in Mainland China (or for that matter within the European bloc of communist countries), and he the total failure of attempts ns, to stir up the students of ex- Hongkong University (by as meinbers of the same group ay who signed this letter) is an nic expression of Chinese opinion in Hongkong in regard to the ed
violence which has occurred 7ill
on university campuses in Juc North America, and in Bri-
tain, in recent months,
ter-
are
4. What right or qualifica- tion have these signatories to "assume" anything at the risk and expense of four million people in Hongkong, or to propound the theory that Peking "will surely tolerate" a major change in the gov- ernment here?
We can "assume" the an- swer to this one might be "bring in the British Tommys, the Gurkhas, and the volunteers"; is that why they wish no "flirtation" with defence?
Without assuming any- thing, we can be quite certain
that in the event of serious Taiwan only remains inde- trouble, where the security of pendent through the presence Hongkong hung in the of the United States Seventh balance, all of the eighteen Fleet In the Straits of For- petitioners who signed this mosa; the tiny fortified in- letter would be out and away
communist-inspired and led, 7. The riots of 1907, would have toppled any such is suggested by the peti- internal self-government as
tioners, and a “free election" would provide the opportu- nity to try again.
How such elections could be held is a problem of colossal magnitude in itself, but our crusaders cross Red Sea
the into the land of milk and honey by the same specious reasoning whereby they "assume” a great many other imponderables.
rot
The petition, and the peti- tloners, have already crived recognition out of all proportion to their validity; demagogues nmtally do.
ANOTHER REALIT.
RECEIVED IN
~No.51
13 JUN 1969
HKK
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