That is not true democracy.

2016/02/02 10:11:24 網誌分類: 生活

02 Feb

         Last week, I had a long phone conversation with my good friend To Kit. Most people would start a conversation by exchanging pleasantries. The expression "exchange pleasantries" means to talk politely about unimportant things. But To Kit and I seldom exchange pleasantries. We always start a conversation by going straight to weighty issues. The word "weighty" means very heavy, such as a weighty suitcase, but a weighty issue means a very important and serious issue. The unexplained case of why mainland officials are detaining bookseller Lee Po is a weighty issue. To Kit and I talked about several weighty political issues. He then told me many people are saying I have become pro-establishment, a Hong Kong expression that means I support the Hong Kong and central governments.

         Some of my other friends have also told me recently that people are saying I have become pro-establishment and no longer support democracy. I always laugh when I hear this. I tell them I voted for Barack Obama, a very liberal democrat, both times he ran for president. It is true that I no longer hold in high regard some of the people in the democracy camp. To hold someone in high regard means to respect and like that person. I think many people in the so-called democracy camp do not even understand the true meaning of democracy. If I criticize some of the things they say or do, they say I do not support democracy and have become pro-establishment. This is nonsense. True democracy means I can criticize Hong Kong's democracy camp and still support democracy.

         For example, does it mean I oppose democracy and have become pro-establishment just because I do not support endless (never-ending) filibusters in the Legislative Council? Of course not. Does it mean I have become pro-establishment if I say it was wrong for hundreds of students to stop Hong Kong University Council chairman Arthur Li Kwok-cheung from leaving last week after a council meeting? Of course not. Hong Kong's democracy camp wants people to support everything they do. People who refuse are called pro-establishment. That is not true democracy.

        * * *

         上星期，我跟好友陶傑在電話談了許久。大多人開始談話時，都會寒喧幾句（exchanging pleasantries）。習語exchanging pleasantries 的意思是有禮地寒喧，說些客套說話。但陶傑和我鮮有寒喧（exchanging pleasantries），一談就是直入嚴肅（weighty）話題。 Weighty解作很重，例如很重的行李就是a weighty suitcase。但 a weighty issue 是解沉重、很重要或嚴肅的議題。內地官員為何要扣留書商李波，至今懸而未解，這就是個weighty issue。陶傑和我談了幾個嚴肅的（weighty）政治議題。他接着告訴我，許多人在說我變成了pro-establishment——是個香港習語，意思是說我支持香港及中央政府。

         最近也有其他朋友跟我說，人們在說我變成了親建制派（pro-establishment），不再支持民主。我聽到總是一笑置之。我告訴他們，奧巴馬是個非常擁抱自由主義的民主黨員，他兩次競逐總統之位，我都將票投給他。確實，我對某些泛民陣營的人士，不再像從前一般的尊敬（hold in high regard）。To hold someone in high regard 意思是推崇備至、喜愛有加。我認為在所謂的泛民營內，許多人也並不真正明白民主的真義。若我批評他們所說或做的事，他們便說我不再支持民主，變了做親建制（pro-establishment ）。這根本是胡說八道。真正的民主是我可以批評香港的泛民派，同時仍然支持民主。

         譬如，是否純粹因為我不支持立法會那無止境（endless）的拉布，就代表我反對民主而變成親建制（pro-establishment）了呢？當然不是。若我說上星期港大校委會會議結束後，數以百計的學生阻止主席李國章離開是錯的，這又是否代表我已變成親建制（pro-establishment）了呢？當然不。香港的泛民派希望大眾要支持他們所做的任何事，拒絕的人就被稱為親建制派（pro-establishment）。那就不是真民主了。

        mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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That is not true democracy.

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