From: afung@world.std.com (Albert K Fung)
Subject: Re: What do you think of Chris Patten
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 06:51:54 GMT

>>cannot fight everybody at the same time. Is it fair to the people of HK?
>>Well, .... what price freedom?
>
>Actually it is .. what price democracy (not freedom)?  If you say give me
>democracy or give me death, then I rest my case.

No, I really meant "freedom" - freedom to choose our own form of government,
democracy or not. The important point is that the government should derive its
power to govern from the consent of the governed.

>(The US President and Congress is elected by the people, but that has not stop
>pork-barrel bills and ever-more spending. They don't always look after your
>interest even in a democracy.)

A slightly less cynical view of pork barrel politics is but a means at the
disposal of congressional delegates to fight for a fair share of the
bounty on behalf of their constituencies.

>And why 'fight' [with China]?  You know you need her, and she need you, 
>and you and her are not going to be separated after 1997 no matter what.
>China should be your best friend (actually more like an totalitarian step-
>mother who agree that you come back to live with me and I promise you
>to have your own life, well, pretty much).

I don't think HKers want to "fight" China. Unless I'm mistaken, Gov. Patten's
proposal is quite modest. I'm quite sure that HKers will whole heartedly
welcome a more radical proposal from China.

>As to the motive, I am not all sure why you paint such a rosy picture of 
>the motive of Patten in your last article, and has more trust and faith in 
>him than other HK-born HK-raised govt officials, non-direct elected Legco 
>members, or other business/community leaders.  The other people should 
>have more at stake in the well-being of HK as a whole, no?  Sure their
>interest may not always be the same as the average Joes, but isn't it
>the status quo for the past 150 years or so?

Being human, I'm bounded by all its inadequacies. That includes a less than
perfect way of evaluating individuals. For those that do not have a history,
I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. For those that have a history,
I cannot help but to look at their records. I placed Gov. Patten in the
former category and I put the Chinese Gov't in the latter category simply
because HK has a very bitter collective memory of CG and Gov. Patten has
barely started his job.

I myself an my family suffered quite a bit from "HK born, HK raised" gov't
officials. For the past 100 or so years, HK has been run by business and
"community leaders" who's priorities are highly questionable. What does a
prosperous lawyer know about pain? What does a wealthy doctor know about
suffering? What does a well to do businessman know about poverty? 

>>In the "Wizard of Oz", the Wizard told the cowardly lion to kill the witch
>>first before comming back to ask for courage. He killed the witch as
>>instructed. "It takes great courage to kill the witch!", said the Wizard.
>>Therein lies the secret of democracy ...... :)
>
>Killing [the witch], well, that seems to be a revolution to me :)  Is a
>revolution really what we need?

This is not the moral of the parable. The key is the "courage" that the
cowardly lion did not realize he had, not the "witch" which is merely a
transcendent ......

Some other minor points:

1. CG is not merely a totalitarian mother who wants to take back HK, she is
   a known abuser who had beaten your brothers senseless and then told the
   whole world that they were just seeing things! Is it too much to ask for
   some assurance that she will not do this to you before she closes the door
   behind you?

2. I'm not sure how long this prosperity in S. China will last. It appears to
   be investment driven and export oriented. May be those netters who have
   knowledge about this can shed some light on this?

3. The "French wine" episode was an authorized response (by GATT) that
   President Bush undertook at the request of his trade representitive.   
   Earlier, the US Congress passed an enabling legislation authorizing Pres.
   Bush to participate in the GATT talks and be abide by the outcomes.

Regards,

Al Fung
SoftFab International Ltd., Cambridge, MA
Email: afung@SoftFab.COM