Thursday, November 12, 2015

Benny Tai Writes "An Essay that Changes Hong Kong"

A night in mid-January of 2013
Lights are out. Lying in pitch darkness, my mind is still swiveling madly like a spinning engine. Before climbing to bed, I have decided the topic of the article for Economic Journal next week is Occupy Central. After completing the framework and the introduction, I plan to write the substantive part the next day as usual. When I turn off the computer, I still have no idea what to fill in at that very moment.
      After the march on the New Year Day of 2013, a number of protesters occupied the street in Central ending in the arrest of Long Hair for unauthorized assembly. All of a sudden, a thought springs up in my mind: What happens if a lot more protesters occupy the streets of Central? C.Y. Leung, the newly selected Chief Executive is going to deliver his first policy address in the coming Wednesday. I don’t think he will dare to touch the issues of political reform as it is so controversial. He might want to first focus on some livelihood concerns with the hope of enhancing his popularity. We cannot let him go so easily.
     By putting these two considerations together, the idea of Occupy Central is born... Click here to read the full article by Benny Tai in "An Essay that Changes Hong Kong", Democracy Chronicles, 7 November 2015.

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