By Coconuts Hong Kong, 8 Sep 2014 10:20 0 comments
Are your angry letters to the UK and US governments not getting answered? Try a bit of ‘strength in numbers’ with these two online petitions - one pretty sober, the other fairly alarmist.
The first, via change.org, calls on the UK Government to clarify comments made by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on Sept. 4 following Beijing’s decision not to allow Hong Kongers to directly elect their representatives. In a nutshell, the FCO said that while the announcement would “disappoint those who are arguing for a more open nomination process”, the UK welcomes China’s confirmation that universal suffrage is still the end goal, and is hopeful for a “meaningful advance for democracy” in the near future.
Quite rightly, we think, the organisers behind the petition would like the Brits to confirm that:
1) The Chinese government's proposed model to pre-screen Hong Kong Chief Executive (CE) candidates before Hong Kong citizens are allowed to vote does NOT meet international standards on universal suffrage.
2) The election method proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) does NOT give Hong Kong people a “genuine choice”.
3) In light of the current crisis, the FCO’s undefined "welcoming”, mere “recognition” and indecisive “hope” are NOT conducive to producing meaningful progress toward democracy in Hong Kong and may eventually be interpreted by Beijing as a green light to do as it wishes.
The pitch ends by asserting that since China has broken its promise to allow Hong Kong to elect its CE in 2017, “Prime Minister David Cameron and the British Government owe a duty to the people of Hong Kong and the international community to monitor and censure China for reneging on this all-important promise now”.
The petition currently has more than 700 participants and is seeking 1,000.
Click here to add your voice to the cause.
If that’s simply not going far enough in your book, however, write to the White House instead via this slightly more gloom-mongering petition we stumbled across. With a goal of garnering 10,000 signatories by Oct. 4, the We The People petition urges America to take a strong stance against Beijing in an effort to prevent a massacre reminiscent of Tiananmen Square.
It says: “Chinese officials have intimidated or shu[t] down voices of protest and threatened even more interference by Beijing and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops stationed in Hong Kong. Given Beijing’s records of using force to suppress peaceful dissent, we fear repetition in Hong Kong of the infamous 1989 Massacre in Tiananmen Square. But this time, the United States has ample warning of the danger and could take steps to prevent it.”
So far ,the petition has only received 111 signatures, but although the prospect of a Tiananmen-style crackdown may seem rather remote at present, we’ve no doubt many might indeed fancy giving Obama a nudge, just in case.
If you’re in that camp,
1) Click here
2) Sign with your First Name, Last Name, and Email on the right column.
3) Check your email from the White House, and CONFIRM your signature.
Good luck getting the governments of other countries to listen to your concerns.
http://hongkong.coconuts.co/2014/09/08/online-petitions-pester-uk-and-us-governments-clarify-positions-hong-kong-democracy-and