For the Rights of Hong Kong, Britain Needs to Determine China's Breach of the Hong Kong Agreement

In standing up for the rights of the people of Hong Kong, Great Britain needs to determine and explicitly express, China's breach of the 1984 agreement it partnered that rendered the destiny of Hong Kongers unto the powers of Beijing. Anything short of a clear finding by the British Westminster Committee charged with such duties, would shepherd the lambs of democratic reforms unto the slaughter of the Beijing authoritarians, thus killing any hopes of true democratic reforms to the people of Hong Kong.

Two weeks of street demonstrations in Hong Kong by students and pro-democracy advocates seeking promised democratic reforms is indicative of the expressed aspirations by many Hong Kongers. Attacks by thugs, police and non-idealists upon the demonstrators with pepper spray and beatings, is indicative of authoritarian response to dissent. That China has ruled out universal suffrage to the electorate in Hong Kong in the 2014 election for the local chief executive post, clearly demonstrates a breach to allow greater autonomy to the former British colony. Hong Kongers are demanding China honors the agreement for greater democracy in the city.

Against a background that the British Foreign Affairs Committee has launched an ongoing investigation into the causes of the protests in Hong Kong, Prime Minister David Cameron has declared that Britain should stand up for the rights of the people in Hong Kong. As reported by Reuters, PM Cameron in answer to a question posed in the British Parliament, stressed the importance of democracy Britain attached to the 1984 agreement with China. "It is important that democracy involves real choices," PM Cameron said. China wants to limit the candidates list in the 2017 election to people selected by a Beijing loyalists committee instead of reserving the selection of candidates to the choices of the full Hong Kong electorate.

But the agreement Britain made with China in 1984 "...talks about rights and freedoms including those of person, of speech, of the Press, of assembly, of association, of travel, of movement, and, indeed, of strike", the British Prime Minister reminded Parliament. He added: "These are important freedoms jointly guaranteed through that joint declaration and it's that which, most of all, we should stand up for."

Kudos to the British Prime Minister. And in standing for the rights of the people of Hong Kong, Prime Minister Cameron must now spur the Westminster Committee to rule on  China's actions per that 1984 agreement so as to accord the destiny of the people of Hong Kong a possible judicial review in lieu of 50- years of restriction and dictation from communists.

[FOR EMPHASIS, THIS BLOG HAS BEEN WILLINGLY AND KNOWINGLY REPUBLISHED ON ASIA TODAY]