Abstract
The main findings of the book are summarized in this chapter. In addition, it concludes with a discussion on possible lessons that can be derived from the experience of postcolonial Hong Kong with respect to electoral competitions between the incumbent and the opposition in the setting of competitive authoritarian regimes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
See Eva Chan’s speech delivered in a mass protest on September 1, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbkbvyK9thk
- 2.
Interestingly, the CCP had used the “termite” analogy in relation to its Hong Kong policy. For example, in 1955, Liao Chengzhi , the person-in-charge of Hong Kong Affairs in Beijing, gave advice to his fellow cadres who were stationed in Hong Kong: “[You] should make friends with all walks of life. Never say anything like ‘you are a reactionary, centrist, and I am a leftist, communist.’ Instead, you should never let your enemy know who you are and where you come from. We should do our work in the same way as termites” (Wang 2006, p. 537).
- 3.
Personal interview with a District Councillor on January 4, 2014 (Code: 12).
- 4.
The united front tactic is succinctly summarized by Mao (1976) in a famous party motto: Unite the majority, attack the minority, exploit the enemies’ contradictions, and conquer them one by one (tuanjie duoshu, daji shaoshu, liyong maodun, gege jipo).
- 5.
Deng Xiaoping suggests that Hong Kong must be ruled by those who are “patriotic to China and Hong Kong.” The definition of what it means to be patriotic has been a bone of contention in Hong Kong. Members of the prodemocracy opposition elite emphasize that they, too, fulfill this criterion, because they are patriotic to the country, though not to the CCP . To Beijing, however, “patriotic to China and Hong Kong” implies supporting the single-party regime in Beijing.
- 6.
Personal interview with Bobo Yip on March 27, 2014 (Code: 30).
- 7.
Personal interview with a group member on May 16, 2014 (Code: 33).
- 8.
At the time of this writing, the occupy movement has already lasted for more than forty days. Part of the downtown area, including Admiralty, Mongkok, and Causeway Bay, has been occupied.
Bibliography
BBC News. (2014) Is Hong Kong’s Media under Attack?, 11 Mar 2014.
Brunetti, A., & Weder, B. (2003). A free press is bad news for corruption. Journal of Public economics, 87(7), 1801–1824.
Dahl, R. A. (1971). Polyarchy: Participation and opposition (Vol. 254). New Haven: Yale University Press.
DeNardo, J. (1985). Power in numbers: The political strategy of protest and rebellion. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Deng, X. (2003). Selected works of Deng Xiaoping (Vol. 3). Beijing: Renmin Chubanshe.
Diamond, L. J. (1994). Toward democratic consolidation. Journal of democracy, 5(3), 4–17.
Li, X. (2010). Impasses and Breakthroughs: Case study on Hong Kong’s critical issues. Hong Kong: Cosmos Books.
Mao, Z. (1952b). Communists: Foreword [“Gong chan dang ren” fa kan ci]. Beijing: Renmin Chubanshe.
Mao, Z. (1976). On policy [lun zhengce]. Beijing: Renmin Chubanshe.
Norris, P. (1999). Critical citizens: Global support for democratic government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roscigno, V. J., & Danaher, W. F. (2001). Media and mobilization: The case of radio and southern textile worker insurgency, 1929 to 1934. American Sociological Review, 66(1), 21–48.
Wang, J. (2006). Laio Chengzhi: A Biography [Laio Chengzhi zhuan]. Beijing: Renmin chubanshe.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wong, S.HW. (2015). Elephants Versus Termites: Lessons from Hong Kong. In: Electoral Politics in Post-1997 Hong Kong. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-387-3_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-387-3_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-287-386-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-287-387-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)