VIEWPOINTS
Political Theological Resistance in Hong Kong by Professor Lap Yan Kung
Lap Yan Kung is an associate professor teaching Christian ethics and public theology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and general secretary of the Hong Kong Christian Institute.
(AP Ph
oto/Kin
Cheung
)
On June 12, the police used disproportionate
force to clear protestors from blocking the entrance of roads leading to the Legislative Council Building in Hong Kong. The government condemned the protestors for “organising a riot,” but the reality is that the majority were peaceful protesters. More than 80 people between the ages of 15 and 66 are reported to have suffered injuries. Paradoxically, Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong government, used the mother-child metaphor to support the use of force. She said, “A mother cannot budge every time her son demands something,” adding that “If the mother continues to spoil her son and let him have his way, he will in the future blame her for not reminding him what the right thing is to do.” I have argued in my recent published paper in the journal Political Theology that the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have employed a parent-child metaphor to describe their relationship to the people, but they are reluctant to admit that they are the servants of the people, not their parents.
An umbrella left by protesters on a street shrouded by tear gas smoke used by Hong Kong riot police during a massive demonstration outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong
14 | INSiGHT
The people do not need the government to teach them; rather, the government needs guidance from the people. What is the background of the clash between the police and protestors? How are the Christian communities involved in the protests? What are the theological issues?
Background The government contends that the proposed amendments to the extradition law (hereafter: The Bill) are intended to respond to murder cases in Taiwan (there is no extradition arrangement between Hong Kong and Taiwan), but the scope of the Bill includes China. Since the Chinese government has had a poor record of human rights, the people of Hong Kong are worried that the Bill would threaten human rights in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the government will only allow 20 days for public consultation, an unusually short time for such a controversial Bill.
