06-04-2013, 09:14 PM
Is the Remembrance of June4 really Relevant to Hong Kong People?
(Associate Professor in Division of Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Sing Ming)
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/2...4/18283314
When I discuss the relevance of universal suffrage with my students, some replied:"it is hard to understand the relevance of universal suffrage for Hongkongese in a few words." Actually, what they thought is untrue. One obvious implication of universal suffrage for Hongkongese and, in fact, for human beings can be gleaned by considering the case of June4 massacre.
Many Hong Kong people know that in1989, a massacre happened in Tiananmen Square. Some of us also realize that massacres also occurred in Taiwan during late1940s, in South Korea in1980, as well as in Rwanda in1994. What some Hongkongese may not know is the terrifying scale and prevalence of those state-led massacres throughout the20th century.
According to the decades-long research of Professor Rummel, from1900 to1999,174 million people were murdered by their own governments."If all these bodies were laid head to toe, with the average height being5', then they would circle the earth ten times. Also, such government-led massacres murdered6 times more people than that died in combat in all the foreign and internal wars of the century(endnote1)."
Based on a top journal in political science, between1955 and2001, state-led massacres have occurred far more common in nearly every continent than what HK people have imagined(Endnote2):
Those state-led massacres have been triggered by leaders' attempt to wipe out the dissidents, or even potential dissidents. In Cambodia alone, for example, its dictator in1970s murdered20-25% of the entire national population, especially the more educated citizens, simply because the latter were suspected of having greater likelihood to disobey the dictator. In addition, a number of mass murders were related to ethnic cleansing.
The same research finds that in China that between1950 and2001, three major large-scale state-led massacres were carried out. The first happened in1950-51 after the Communists took power, the second in Tibet in1959, and the last one during the Cultural Revolution from1966 to1975.
The research concludes that"unless the Chinese government becomes more willing to accommodate national minorities and unauthorized religious sects, the risk remains that repression may escalate into policies aimed at eliminating the offending groups."
Fortunately, many scholars find that democratic countries with universal suffrage are far less likely to have committed such massacres of their own citizens than other forms of government. The key explanation is that democracies tend to diffuse power, and provide far better checks and balances, making such large-scale killings far less likely. In order to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies like Tiananmen Square in Mainland China, Hong Kong or any part of the world, implementing universal suffrage then becomes a must.
If we do not have genuine universal suffrage in Mainland China or Hong Kong, they simply lack a crucial institution to defend a fundamental human right(right to survive), and against the most brutal form of crime against humanity. Against this context, one cannot help finding the following remarks of leaders in Hong Kong absurd and irresponsible:
CY Leung: Deng Xiaoping should get Nobel Peace Prize(despite that he masterminded the massacre in1989).
Donald Tsang(in his response to legislators' question of whether he would support redressing Beijing's verdict on June4 of1989), he said"I understand Hong Kong people's feelings about June4, but the incident happened many years ago. The Country's development in many areas has since achieved tremendous results and brought economic prosperity to Hong Kong," Tsang said his view represented the public stance.
Remembering June4 tragedy is not only looking backward, aiming at restoring justice against the wrong-doers. The remembrance should also keep reminding us the utmost importance of building universal suffrage in Hong Kong, Mainland China and everywhere in the world for defending the humanity against the most brutal crime in the world.
Endnote:
1. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
2. Harff, B.(2003)."No lessons learned from the Holocaust? Assessing risks of genocide and political mass murder since1955." American Political Science Review97(1):57-73.
Sing Ming
Associate Professor in Division of Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
(Associate Professor in Division of Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Sing Ming)
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/2...4/18283314
When I discuss the relevance of universal suffrage with my students, some replied:"it is hard to understand the relevance of universal suffrage for Hongkongese in a few words." Actually, what they thought is untrue. One obvious implication of universal suffrage for Hongkongese and, in fact, for human beings can be gleaned by considering the case of June4 massacre.
Many Hong Kong people know that in1989, a massacre happened in Tiananmen Square. Some of us also realize that massacres also occurred in Taiwan during late1940s, in South Korea in1980, as well as in Rwanda in1994. What some Hongkongese may not know is the terrifying scale and prevalence of those state-led massacres throughout the20th century.
According to the decades-long research of Professor Rummel, from1900 to1999,174 million people were murdered by their own governments."If all these bodies were laid head to toe, with the average height being5', then they would circle the earth ten times. Also, such government-led massacres murdered6 times more people than that died in combat in all the foreign and internal wars of the century(endnote1)."
Based on a top journal in political science, between1955 and2001, state-led massacres have occurred far more common in nearly every continent than what HK people have imagined(Endnote2):
Those state-led massacres have been triggered by leaders' attempt to wipe out the dissidents, or even potential dissidents. In Cambodia alone, for example, its dictator in1970s murdered20-25% of the entire national population, especially the more educated citizens, simply because the latter were suspected of having greater likelihood to disobey the dictator. In addition, a number of mass murders were related to ethnic cleansing.
The same research finds that in China that between1950 and2001, three major large-scale state-led massacres were carried out. The first happened in1950-51 after the Communists took power, the second in Tibet in1959, and the last one during the Cultural Revolution from1966 to1975.
The research concludes that"unless the Chinese government becomes more willing to accommodate national minorities and unauthorized religious sects, the risk remains that repression may escalate into policies aimed at eliminating the offending groups."
Fortunately, many scholars find that democratic countries with universal suffrage are far less likely to have committed such massacres of their own citizens than other forms of government. The key explanation is that democracies tend to diffuse power, and provide far better checks and balances, making such large-scale killings far less likely. In order to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies like Tiananmen Square in Mainland China, Hong Kong or any part of the world, implementing universal suffrage then becomes a must.
If we do not have genuine universal suffrage in Mainland China or Hong Kong, they simply lack a crucial institution to defend a fundamental human right(right to survive), and against the most brutal form of crime against humanity. Against this context, one cannot help finding the following remarks of leaders in Hong Kong absurd and irresponsible:
CY Leung: Deng Xiaoping should get Nobel Peace Prize(despite that he masterminded the massacre in1989).
Donald Tsang(in his response to legislators' question of whether he would support redressing Beijing's verdict on June4 of1989), he said"I understand Hong Kong people's feelings about June4, but the incident happened many years ago. The Country's development in many areas has since achieved tremendous results and brought economic prosperity to Hong Kong," Tsang said his view represented the public stance.
Remembering June4 tragedy is not only looking backward, aiming at restoring justice against the wrong-doers. The remembrance should also keep reminding us the utmost importance of building universal suffrage in Hong Kong, Mainland China and everywhere in the world for defending the humanity against the most brutal crime in the world.
Endnote:
1. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
2. Harff, B.(2003)."No lessons learned from the Holocaust? Assessing risks of genocide and political mass murder since1955." American Political Science Review97(1):57-73.
Sing Ming
Associate Professor in Division of Social Science,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology