Ronny TONG Ka Wah: Ten Years of Pain 湯家驊: 十年傷痛

Eleven years ago today marked the beginning of the “Occupy Central Movement,” and also the beginning of the complete failure of Hong Kong’s democratic movement.

Eleven years ago today, the traditional democratic camp—already weakened due to its own rigidity and complacency—finally lost the support of the young radicals. Tragically, instead of realizing that death was approaching and striving to revive themselves, the democratic leaders tried to cling to their positions by chasing after the radicals, hoping to preserve their own leadership status.

The democratic leaders failed to understand, or simply could not see, that to deny the Basic Law was equivalent to rejecting “One Country, Two Systems,” and that such a democratic movement in Hong Kong was doomed to fail. They did not understand, nor could they see, that without the soil of “One Country, Two Systems,” democracy in Hong Kong had no ground on which to grow.

Looking back, I was, in fact, the only legislator among the democrats who refused to stand on stage for Occupy Central. I knew many moderate democrats were angry at Occupy Central but dared not speak out; unwilling and afraid of being labeled, they chose to go along with the tide, becoming marginal figures in Occupy. In doing so, they destroyed Hong Kong’s democratic movement.

Ronny TONG Ka Wah 湯家驊: 十年傷痛

十一年前今天是「佔中運動」的開始，也是香港民主運動全面失敗的開始。十一年前今天，不斷因固步自封而積弱的傳統民主派終於失去了年青激進者之支持。可悲的是，民主派領袖不但不見死亡將至而發憤圖強，反而希望追趕年青激進者之尾巴可以抱殘守缺，繼續其領導地位。民主派領袖不明白，亦看不到，否定了《基本法》等同拒絕了「一國兩制」之香港民主運動是注定失敗的。他們不明白，亦看不到，沒有「一國兩制」的土壤，香港的民主是無從生長的。往事回首，我竟然是所有民主派唯一拒絕為佔中站台的立法會議員。我認識不少温和民主派對佔中敢怒而不敢言；他們因不願意，亦不敢被標籤而選擇隨波逐流，成為佔中的邊緣人。便是這樣，他們便斷送了香港的民主運動。超過十年傷痛何時了？新一代的政治領袖，你們在哪裡？