hello Philv, I observer and figure ...
(1) 6:40am and am in office in Central. I am usually an early-toned-early-to-rise sort. I normally quit the office at between 1:00/2:00pm. The bus passed by Admiralty, the center of the protest where much of the government offices are, along with the upmarket Pacific Mall and its four contiguous hotels Conrad, Marriott, Shangri-la and Upper House.
The scene of yesterday's protest is populated by ~20 police, 0 demonstrators, and a TV crew of 4.
(2) Unlike the earlier Umbrella Movement / Occupy Central (2014) which paralysed parts of HK, this current event may not physically paralyse HK.
Believe the organisers are aware that whilst the general population of HK, of which I am one and including all taxi drivers, supports the overarching aims of protest, we are not for violence, paralysis, and stoppage of revenue.
We are also more balanced than the youth on the streets.
We were supportive of the 2014 episode up to and until violence and destruction of property broke out.
We believe it is good and proper to show cause, demonstrate resolve, and display gumption, to keep the officialdom on toes and hooks, but not alright to hurt people and to destroy property.
In 2014 the taxi drivers first and rightly expressed support for the students, and then, also correct, turned against the residual core radicals who tee-ed up violence.
(3) Yesterday at around 9:30am we viewed youth collecting bricks by destroying sidewalks. The violence broke out at 3:30pm. So, at the street level, the police best do their duty to protect property, free up traffic paralysis, and go into anti-riot mode.
Protest and riot are metaphysically different. One right, and the other wrong.
(4) Away from the street level, the extradition treaty, whilst necessary but can wait.
Fact is both China and America try and do grab people from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has an extradition treaty w/ America, and Hong Kong should have an extradition treaty w/ China. America tried to extradite Snowdon, and righteous people in HK helped Snowdon escape to Russia.
Hong Kong is a city of China, albeit one with some exceptional features, and given that we regularly have violent and white collar criminals escape to China mainland, we best have a way to get at them.
The issue with the treaty is w/ the fact the mainland China can get at folks they want from Hong Kong.
The truth is that anyone the Beijing central government want they can get irrespective of treaty or no treaty, and last year we had a person of interest wheeled out of the Four Seasons Hotel, voluntarily :0) and the bank he looted was taken over this year.
The troublesome feature of the treaty is that provincial and municipal authorities can also request extradition from HK of folks they wish to get at, to which my automatic response to them would be, "who the tfjytrvewq are you, and blow it out of your oi2kl,fc"
(5) So, I do believe it is important to try to stop the treaty passage through the legislative process, and note there are a lot of weak-kneed politicians needing a lesson by the people for the people.
At the end of the day I may be disappointed, and chalk up one more disappointment point. I was similarly disappointed when HK, after many years of foot dragging, finally agreed to the USA / OECD banking KYC protocol, which also severely encroached on freedom.
(6) I am aware that the whole world is going to cr@p, but it is a question degree / extent, velocity / acceleration.
I am for a HK that keeps the stuff I have high, going higher, and maintains the stuff I need low and going lower. There is a natural conflict between what I want and what I wish, and so I tweet and tune the portfolio to adjust ballast.
(7) So yesterday I gave my assistant dispensation from office duties so that she accompanied her daughter to the protest, but alerted her to head home at 3:00pm.
(8) Hong Kong cannot be independent from mainland China. Full stop.
(9) Hong Kong can pivot, leverage, and play to advantage to do better than all. Whatever Hong Kong does, best to try maintaining status of being the freest in this galaxy of this universe. Let's see if Hong Kong does so. The effort is delicate. |
