The Last Governor 5: Another Balls-Aching Week 2/7

BBC documentary (Final part of a five part series) about Chris Patten, the popular last Governor of Hong Kong before Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese rule, and his democratic reforms which were undone by China.

He was quite possibly the first and only leader Hong Kong ever had (with the possible exception of Sir Murray Maclehose) that put Hong Kong's interests above that of her colonial masters, be that China, Japan or Britain.

It also show the exceptionally shoddy, two-faced and dishonorable nature of Hong Kong's tycoons like Gordon Wu and Li Ka Shing. It shows how willing they were (and indeed still are) to send the Hong Kong people down the river for a few dollars and their shamefully sycophantic attitude towards Beijing (with a few precious exceptions such as Jimmy Lai and Simon Murray) despite having foreign passports and having prospered under British rule.

Since then the Hong Kong people have become more politically embolden, with 500,000 people marching in 2003 calling for full universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the resignation of Patten's successor Tung Chee-Wah after a series of spectacular policy failures.

Today, Mr. Patten (who left Hong Kong with and %80 approval rating), is welcomed back to Hong Kong with great enthusiasm by the people whenever he returns to visit.

Category:

News & Politics

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• reform
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[weissman2000]

Would those people of Indian descent have accepted the Chinese nationality if they were presented the choice?

[therepublicofHK]

You would have to ask them, it's an question for the individual.

[therepublicofHK]

That is true in so far as it goes, but right of abode and being a Chinese citizen of the HKSAR are two different things. Technically they would have been stateless, yet have right of abode in HK.

Sadly, HK does not have citizenship as we are not a country and those with Chinese HKSAR citizenships are not permitted to live in the mainland, hence Chinese colonial subjects with the responsibilities, but not rights, of Chinese citizens would be a better description of who we are.