It's a weird term, universal suffrage, and I didn't immediately recognize the meaning when my brother used it a while ago. Sometimes it's hard to remember that there are still places in the world that don't have it - the right for everyone to democratically vote for their governmental representatives. And my brother was right in the middle of it.
Hong Kong made some front page news a couple of months ago when thousands upon thousands of people clogged the busiest streets in the city to protest the Chinese government's decision to vet the candidates who would run for the first democratic election of the region's chief executive, which will happen in 2016. Made up of mostly students and pro-democracy activists, the people wanted free elections as well as the immediate resignation of the current chief executive, a deeply unpopular guy. One of the fascinating points during the course of the sit-in demonstration was that the government's use of pepper spray and riot police had the exact opposite effect on the protest - it actually made it bigger.
So, now, months later, there are still people sitting in the Central, Admiralty, and Mong Kok districts, protesting for their right to universal suffrage. My parents are over there right now, visiting my brother and other friends and relatives, but back in October my father told me that he didn't agree with the protestors. Even though he's been living here, in a democratic society, for the majority of his life. I found it a bit surprising and odd, but then he gave his reason. I think he felt that the students were demanding more than what we in Canada have. We actually don't get to elect our Prime Minister. A much smaller group of people decide who the leaders of the parties will be, and then based on the MPs who are successfully elected, the leader of the party with the majority (or largest minority, as the case may be) becomes Prime Minister. I had to admit that he had a point. Sometimes I find that I'm torn between the individual I want to represent me and the party I want to have the power in parliament, which would result in the Prime Minister we will have to make decisions for the whole country. It all gets a bit diluted in the end.
The fact that China agreed for Hong Kong to have elections of any kind was already a huge step up. The chief executives had been appointed by a committee since the handover in 1997, and prior to that, the Governor of Hong Kong was appointed by the British monarch. They haven't had any kind of choice for their leader in over a hundred years. As it is with everything, baby steps are probably the best way to go. We really have to remember who we're dealing with. China is still, despite their recent capitalistic tendencies, a Communist country. China is not going to back down on their decision for Hong Kong's first election. I will be supremely surprised if they do.
All of these events led me to really consider our own elections last month. Unfortunately, since I live just outside of Toronto, I wasn't able to vote for the mayor. I'm not sure if the end result will lead to positive changes or not, but I think just the fact that we had a choice at all was important, and I'm glad that more people showed up to vote than in previous years. Baby steps.
"Everyone here is ready to go, it's been a hard year with nothing to show"
