Paul Chong/1 November 2014

Hong Kong Chinese Singing & Dancing With Motherland China

“All That Glitters Is Not Gold” is a poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. It is a verified truism meaning that not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be so. The phrase is appicable to people, places, or things & political systems that promise to be more than they really are. The expression, in various forms, originated in or before the 12th century and may date back to Aesop. In William Shakespeare‘s play “The Merchant of Venice”, a line therein employs the word “glisters,” a 17th-century synonym for “glitters” which renders this saying its popularity.

Gold in its raw form appears dull and does not glitter. Panning for gold often results in finding pyrite, aka fool’s gold, which reflects substantially more light than does authentic gold.

Western democracy is not the be-all & end-all of the government system. For all its faults & follies, US – self-acclaimed as the champion of democracy – is intimidating others to follow suit.

Western Democracy, as practised in the West particularly in the US, isn’t as precious as deemed to be. It is shattering, chaotic, unequally representative, manipulated by the rich & powerful, controlled by big corporations and manned by diplomats & politicians with fork tongues. Lies & hidden agenda are evident everywhere. Instead of spreading peace & goodwill, western democracy is spreading war & destruction. Compare what the Chinese government is planning & doing in building, developing & sharing globally as against the intimidation & forces of destruction unleashed by the US.

Western democracy does not guarantee fairness & justice irrespective of colour, class or creed. US is probably the most corrupt nation in the world and in more & bigger ways than any others. Relatively, US has more poor & impoverished people than China. Read “How China lifted 500 million people out of extreme poverty” at http://skollworldforum.org/2014/03/13/china-lifted-500-million-people-extreme-poverty/.

This number of 500 million lifted out of poverty is greater than the total population of US! This speaks volume for the Chinese Communist government . . . an incredible performance with none to compare. This is but only one aspect of China’s achievements.

If the protesting Chinese students in Hong Kong (Occupy Central or Umbrella Movement) are seeking to find gold at the end of the end of the western rainbow, they will be much disillusioned. Right now Hong Kong Chinese may be craving for democracy without realising the pros & cons of the system. They may not even catch sight of the rainbow, let alone seeking for it.

Internationally, there has been a growing understanding that the Chinese government has never been a monolith, but since Deng Xiaoping’s era Chinese government officials are receptive & open to outside ideas that are well tested & proven relevant to China’s specific circumstances & needs. It’s logical to adapt, adjust & adopt in accordance to your own circumstances & requirements.

China is practising a unique brand of democracy, born out of needs & historical circumstances. The Mainland Chinese are no “monkies/monkeys” simply aping the West. They have the benefits of hindsight and the wisdom of some 5,000 years of civilisation. In fact, no visitor to China can today find any sign of communism.

China is blooming, growing & prospering. It does so all within only one whole generation – a feat unsurpassed by any other country, not UK nor US. With prevailing peace, stability & harmony, further growth & progress can be achieved.

China has come a long way. This is just the beginning. The best is yet to come. More than 100 million people still remain in dire poverty in rural areas. China is rendering its vast resources to change the face of China & the world and no doubt Hong Kong is not forgotten.

Hong Kong Chinese would be wise to close all its umbrellas, pack up & go back to their books & class/lecture rooms and be prepared to stand proud as Chinese. China has a more secured & protective umbrella for the Hong Kong Chinese. Ultimately, “ask not what China can do for you, but what you do for China.” In so doing, you’d be carving your name in China’s history.

“Democracy” should be rightly spelt as “Demo-crazy”.

UPDATE

as on  4 November 2014

Hong Kong residents collected 

1, 835, 793 signatures

AGAINST THE PROTESTORS

Source: CCTV