What Happened to Hong Kong's Right to Resolve its Own Problems

"Hong Kong's Right to Resolve its Own Problems, Provided by law, is Lost on Leung Chun-ying"

South China Morning Post
21 January 2015
Michael Davis

The Hong Kong government has lately had great difficulty understanding what autonomy is and what its responsibilities are for the high degree of autonomy provided under the Basic Law.  In last summer's white paper, Beijing admonished us that a "high degree of autonomy is not full autonomy".  In his policy address, the chief executive, following Beijing's line, argued that the protester's slogan of "Hong Kong shall resolve Hong Kong's problems" violated the constitution.  The protests in Hong Kong have been driven by the concern that the special administrative region's autonomy is being eroded. In the face of a local government that has been unwilling to defend Hong Kong autonomy, many Hongkongers fear it will be lost and, along with it, the rule of law and other core values. For the protesters, democracy offers the possibility of a government that will represent Hong Kong concerns more effectively in its relationship with the central government.  Click here to read the full article.