OCCUPY CENTRAL HONG KONG

This new social experiment needs a due date

Occupy Central Hong Kong

Occupation Central began as early as the 70’s. Having spent six-week days looking after Hong Kong families and children and pets, our domestic helpers occupy pavements, walkways and parks in Central on their day off. They gather to meet friends and relatives, to socialize, share food, news and gossip.

Sunday, their day off.

Foreign domestic helpers in Central

As of the 15th October 2011 we have another Occupy Central group.
Protesters have occupied the ground floor space of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation for more than a month. The migrant workers, an accommodating lot, have been displaced from this space. On Sundays they are squeezed around the periphery.

The Meeting

Periphery

There is much admiration for this peaceful demonstration, Occupy Central. It is indeed a noble gesture that a group of our citizens demonstrated, showed their support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement with placards and slogans and waving fists, denouncing the greed of our own Banks and other Corporations.

Forty or so demonstrators decided to occupy the ground floor beneath the HSBC with all the paraphernalia of a home away from home. Tents, sleeping bags, sofas, bicycles, bookshelves, guitars, tables, stools, computers, laundry, a clothesline, a generator, and a mini-kitchen make this the most unsightly happening in our lovely city.

I have much sympathy for the demonstrators and their cause…the ‘Greed’ has indeed spread around the world. ‘1% holds the wealth of the world’ the placard says but looking at the occupiers last Sunday afternoon did not give me much hope for a successful outcome of snatching part of that 1%. What I saw seemed an untidy group of twelve or so tired and bored.

Our HK group is indeed lucky, they do not have to worry about inclement weather, the very bank they are angry about gives them a comfortable squatting space beneath its tower, the Asian headquarters of HSBC Holdings.

Accessible and nearby is the clean public loo and washing facility. Rubbish collection and ample lighting are provided by the very government one wishes to topple.

‘Everyone is equal’ said one slogan. It reminded me of the slogan that some are more equal since the migrant workers had their space taken by the all are equal group.

‘There are no designated leaders at “Occupy Central”, and all matters are put through an extensive decision-making process to reach a consensus. Everything is shared, from water to food and cigarettes,’ said a report.

Great sentiment, I thought, but leaderless leads to nowhere.

‘I want to tear down capitalism’ screamed a placard. Anti-capitalist passion, and I hope the how has been sorted out.

‘The gap between the poor and the rich people in Hong Kong is the most serious in the world,’ said another.

And one twitter has the right invitation:‘to night let us bros and sis have our first hot pot together at occupy central’

What is the focus?
What is the outcome so far?
What, when is the end?

The food and hygiene and environment and other authorise have turned a blind eye to the unsightly squatter mess of sleeping quarters, a mini kitchen, and laundry blowing in the breeze on Queens Road, Central.

Let us hope when the authorities finally decide enough is enough, as is happening in the US right now, they will be compassionate and give our squatters enough time to move away. And our protestors for their part will peacefully move on to somewhere else or find a different route to solving the international problem.

This new social experiment needs a due date.