Ellen Bork, a frequent contributor to the Weekly Standard, emails:
Donald Tsang, Beijing's man in Hong Kong, recently completed a pleasant visit to Washington where he faced little criticism over his (read: Beijing's) plan to tweak the process by which Beijing controls the executive and the legislature and call it progress toward democracy. The reception to these so-called reforms has been much frostier in Hong Kong where religious leaders have taken a particularly vocal stand. Bishop Joseph Zen condemned the "reform" package proposed by Tsang. Reaching full democracy "is just like climbing up a mountain--our goal is to reach the peak," Bishop Zen said. "This proposal is just guiding us round and round making pleasure jaunts rather than moving towards the peak. It is a waste of time." Currently, Beijing's choice of chief executive is approved by a rubber-stamp committee of 800. The new Tsang proposal would double that number. "So what if the election committee (to choose the city's leader) is expanded to 1,600 people? What is the next step? There is no direction," Zen said, according to the local Ming Pao Daily. Zen's call was joined by other religious leaders, including the president of the Methodist church. Under Communist Party rule, Beijing will not provide direction or lead the way. Hong Kong's diverse democracy movement, which includes free labor unions, as well as organizations of teachers, social workers, lawyers and other professionals, will have to prepare their own program for democracy.