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Amid much criticism Hong Kong chooses new legislature |
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September 11, 2000
HONG KONG (AP) - Discontentment with Hong Kong's political leader - and the lack of full democracy - bubbled out Sunday as citizens and special interests voted for a legislature that critics say will be unduly controlled by pro-Beijing forces and big business. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa wasn't even on the ballot but he came under harsh attack from voters who accuse him of bungling the governance of Hong Kong in the three years since it returned from British to Chinese sovereignty. "The social undercurrent is very bad," said Jimmy Leung, a 62-year-old retired restaurateur who voted in Kowloon. Leung accused many influential people in Hong Kong of going against their consciences to curry favor with mainland China. "They've become pro-Beijing imperialists," Leung said. Opposition figures will use whatever minority of seats they gain in the Legislative Council, known as Legco, to clamor for more democracy and to intensify their attacks on Tung and a government system that now gives some voters much more power than others. "It's certainly undemocratic and unfair," said Martin Lee, the head of the opposition Democratic Party. "Hong Kong people need a stronger voice." Analysts say a recent scandal involving charges that an academic was pressured to stop polling Tung's plunging popularity has only served to aggravate dissatisfaction among ordinary voters - who only have a say on 24 of the 60 legislative seats. Tung declined to take questions when he went out under clear skies to vote in a Hong Kong park, where a small group of protesters led by longshot candidate Leung Kwok-hung were chanting "Down with Tung." One Leung supporter, Lui Yuk-lin, sat on the steps of the polling place and began screaming anti-Tung slogans, setting off a minor scuffle as police moved her back. "I want to make it known to Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world this is not a democratic election, and we're appealing for Tung to step down," Leung said. Tung merely encouraged Hong Kong's 3.05 million eligible voters to do their civic duty in the second legislative election since the territory was reunified with China on July 1, 1997. Half of the legislative seats are chosen by special interest groups such as businesses, lawyers and doctors - giving those voters much more clout than ordinary citizens. Six seats are chosen by a committee. Critics say the cumbersome system is designed to ensure the legislature will be dominated by pro-Beijing forces and business interests. "I hope our society won't be monopolized by these big businesses," said voter Lo King-bong, a 26-year-old courier. Hong Kong's economy is showing double-digit growth, but many citizens feel like they are being left behind. "The gap between the rich and the poor has widened," said Chan Tai-man, a construction worker angered by the cancellation of a big public housing project. "Our wages haven't gone up. I hope to vote in some voices of opposition, only making the noise is pretty useless." Housewife Poon Hau-mei said life in Hong Kong has gotten worse since the handover. "My son and daughter are worried about the security of their jobs," Poon said. "We used to go out every weekend, but we don't go out much now because we're always worried about their jobs." The polling places were to stay open until 10:30 p.m. (1430 GMT). Final results were expected sometime Monday morning. Tung was not on any ballots Sunday. The chief executive post will be filled in 2002 by an 800-strong committee and Tung has not said whether he will seek another term. But Tung's unpopularity has hung over the election even as concerns about mainland China's control over Hong Kong have faded in the minds of many citizens. Among Hong Kong people who planned to vote, 62 percent are dissatisfied with Tung's performance - a new low point for the former shipping tycoon, according to a survey released this week by the Hong Kong Transition Project 2000. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. In a campaign that took mudslinging to unseen levels for Hong Kong, the biggest bombshell came when the major pro-Beijing political party seen as being aligned with Tung's government - the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong - was confronted by a newspaper report that its vice chairman had leaked confidential government documents to a client of his public relations firm. Gary Cheng quit his party post but he remained on Sunday's ballot atop a slate of DAB candidates. |
