Test for Hong Kong 'people power'

What is most important to convey to the world about the July 1 march?

Right now, people from Beijing are using all means to influence the Hong Kong people. They are saying, "Why go on the street, it isn't necessary." They say this should be a day for celebration. They say we are ready to talk, so there is no need to go out. They say the march may ... give a bad impression to the international community.

In Hong Kong, we have a strong core group ... but some of us now say you should protest with a smile. Some say it should be both a celebration and a protest. Some even say people should not come out, like the head of the Buddhists. He says there should be harmony in the community, peace, etc.

I seem to be the most hard-line, because I insist the faithful be encouraged to come out. I insist this is a protest, not a celebration, and ... we should be free to use whatever slogans are lawful.

Why is July 1 important?

We need a collective way to express our feelings, and we surely have reason to express them. Most immediate is universal suffrage. [In April] Beijing said no to suffrage in 2007 and 2008 - even before we could discuss it! I'm not sure whether direct voting is now lost for 2007 and 2008. But I am strongly convinced we should be allowed to discuss it.

There is talk of a thaw between Beijing and Hong Kong democrats.

I'm not sure we should take this risk. At this moment we can only trust facts, not words. So far, there are no facts. I think we are always in favor of a better atmosphere.... But better atmosphere does not justify renouncing our right to have a community declaration of what we feel.

It is not the right moment for negotiations with Beijing because it creates confusion and makes divisions among ourselves.

Does this rally relate to last July?

This year's march is a continuation of last year's. Last year, we succeeded in rousing a community feeling that we should defend our rights. Before that, the government push to pass [antisubversion legislation, called Article 23] was so arrogant and insensitive. People realized the law was a danger for everyone. It limited expression, the press, freedom of association. In fact, it was possible to assume that every single person would be directly affected.

The Hong Kong government recognized there was something wrong, and came out with a humble statement. But that was not enough. We reflected on the roots of the problem of bad governance. We found the root cause was a lack of democracy. So democracy is a natural consequence of last year's rally.

What about the debate over patriotism?

The central government must have been misled. They believed that Hong Kong people were unpatriotic because they [opposed] a state security law. So they ask if what we want is subversion. No. All we wanted was a good and balanced law, not a bad and unfair law. So if we are favoring subversion, you can see why Beijing wants to thwart democracy. [So] there is some misunderstanding.

You won't march. Why?

My taking part may cause a disturbance. Those who are against us may have a very large object to aim at. People may throw a potato or eggs. The Hong Kong government might have a problem. They might not mind if somebody attacked a democracy-party member. But if a religious leader was attacked they might feel more responsible. So if they see me marching, they might send police to protect me, and that would cause a disturbance.

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