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When Justice and Peace Collide – Faith and Politics in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is in turmoil right now. In Central, Causeway Bay and Mongkok (all of them are the most important commercial centers of Hong Kong), thousands of people flock to the streets and block some major roads. Their demand is that the Chinese and Hong Kong government should give us true democratic election for our chief executive in 2017. Since the gatherings are spontaneous, it is not clear if anyone has the authority to call off the mass demonstration. On the other hand, police has tried without success to clear the mass using tear gas, pepper spray and, perhaps, rubber bullets. They reserve the right to use these and other violent methods to clear the streets if the people refuse to disperse. Everyone here is asking the question: How will this movement end? Will it end tragically, like June 4th Tiananmen Square? Many Christians are asking: where is God in all these?

We shall give a few words on background first. Hong Kong was a British colony since 1841, and we did not democracy under British rule. But when Britain negotiated with China on the return of Hong Kong, democratic election was promised to Hong Kong people in the Basic Law (a mini-constitution for Hong Kong) in order to calm people in Hong Kong and critics in Britain. After the handover of Hong Kong to China, the Chinese government set up the system of an electoral committee to elect the chief executive. In our last election, the committee has 1,200 members. These members are elected by members of different sectors in the society. Since some sectors are very large (e.g. laborers), while other sectors have few members (e.g. financiers, Chinese medicine workers, fishermen), people in the later sectors have a lot more influence. Moreover, due to the small number of people involved and the need of many of them to do business in Mainland China, it is relatively easy for the Chinese government to coerce the 1,200 members into voting for its favorite candidate.

The Basic Law stipulates Hong Kong should have universal suffrage for its chief executive no later than 2017. Ever since the return of China, many people have been looking forward to this day. However, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has recently declared that the candidates should be selected by a majority vote of a nominating committee that has essentially the same structure as our electoral committee right now. People ask: what good is there in universal suffrage if all possible candidates must receive the endorsement of the Chinese government? If our choice for breakfast is between fried egg with bacon and bacon with fried egg, do we really have a choice?

Here comes the Christian question: what has Jerusalem got to do with Rome? Or, does the Christian faith have any message for our political conundrum? Many Christians here give a passionate yes to the question, yet their messages contradict one another. The title of our essay captures the conflict in a nutshell: justice versus peace.

Let us begin with justice. Several issues are involved here: many people believes that Hong Kong government serve the interest of the rich; others think that the government put the interest of the mainland people ahead of the interest of the Hong Kong people; still others are just angry at our chief executive Mr CY Leung. But probably the most fundamental issue right now is: do Hong Kong people have the right to select our own government and determine our own fate?  For many, to deny this right is a gross act of injustice.

Hong Kong people did not have this right under British rule. So why does this right become so important now? First, the society has changed. Right is a funny thing: it is as important as you believe it to be. In other words, it is a value judgment. Fifty years ago, people in Hong Kong were happy if they did not need to worry about their next bill. As the society grows richer, people demands more ‘higher order goods,’ such as freedom, justice and a democratic government. In fact, these are the things demanded by the middle class in mainland China too. Second, the Chinese government has promised democracy to us. Though the Bible never says ‘Your government shall be democratically elected,’ it does say ‘Thou shall not lie.’ How can Christian remain silent when the government breaks the commandments of God? Third, many here regard the Communist government as an oppressive regime. They throw human rights activists (such as Liu Xiaobo) into jail and forcibly demolish church crosses. They equate loyalty to the nation with loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. To some Christians, the CCP qualifies as a representative of the breasts in the book of Revelations. If we do not protect the right of our self-governance, other rights would be taken away from us too.

Let us listen to the other side: the need for peace. Bible passages such as Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Tim 2:1-2 tell us to submit to the government and work for peace in the society. We may not like our existing government, but civil disobedience is, by definition, an act of disobedience. Two wrongs do not make a right. Second, the Occupy Central movement is disrupting normal life in Hong Kong in the name of an elusive dream of democracy, causing significant economic and other losses to many businesses and individuals. Do the demonstrators have the right to inflict these pains on other citizens? Is that what ‘loving our neighbors’ mean? Third, the movement is creating a dangerous situation. History tells us that the CCP leadership will not back down. But the streets and the government headquarters cannot be clogged forever either. The movement is forcing the Hong Kong government to use some radical steps sooner or later. For mercy’s sake, please stop this madness before things go out of hand.

Taking the arguments to a higher level of theological sophistication, the justice party would say: we do not submit to despair. If we believe in the resurrection of dead, why can’t we believe in the power of hope? Even the CCP cannot be more powerful than God! To which the peace party replies: where is your theology of humility? Jesus testified to God’s justice by suffering injustice with patience and love. Organizing massive confrontations on the street is a political game, not a Christian testimony.

So the Christians here are as divided as the society at large. Perhaps, this is not a bad thing. It is a lesson to teach us to be humble. Full righteousness belongs to the Lord, and we are all fumbling servants only. I believe that we cannot have real peace with justice, and justice demands us to respect the desire for peace. The dialogue needs to continue, and it will.

But, for me, the most important thing is to pray for God’s protection on everyone. Nobody can control the whole situation, and it can turn violent at any moment, possibly just by accident. The sovereignty of God is our only hope. No matter who is right or wrong, I pray that nobody needs to pay with their lives. The streets will have to cleared, one way or another. And the churches need to prepare for the aftermath. They need to open their door (literally) to anyone who may be hurt physically; and they need to open their door (metaphorically) to even more who will be hurt in their souls. We should be slow to judge, but eager to help. We need to be sensitive to every opportunity to express our love to this divided society. This is a task beyond our human capacity, but the Lord is merciful. May Your children be faithful in this critical time!