HONG KONG – On September 7, some “disabled games” took place far beyond the Beijing Paralympics. That’s when Hong Kong held its Legislative Council elections. This “world city” has a farcical and fixed political system to keep real power away from the masses.

The pan-democratic camp, those politicians who pursue meaningful political progress, won the election 19-11 based on the results in geographical constituencies where all the adult permanent residents can vote. That sounds fair.

But alas, notorious “small-circle” elections fill another 30 seats for “functional constituencies”, the rotten realms of special-interest groups. These posts appeal to the “patriotic” shoe-shiners so keen to please Hong Kong’s hapless chief executive and the central government. Nearly half the functional-constituency winners had no opponents.

So the pan-democrats, who properly should be forming a government, are outnumbered 37-23 in the distorted Legco. Powerless to elect leaders, Hong Kong’s people can select only a few dissenting voices. Such putrid politics, contrary to accountability and fair play, create a serious disability for the entire city.

Meanwhile in Beijing, officials used the Paralympics to depict China as a compassionate nation trying to improve the lives of its many millions of disabled people. But how many Chinese citizens become disabled thanks to brutal mistreatment by the police or military? How many Tibetans suffer crippling injuries at the hands of Chinese occupiers? How many peaceful protesters were disabled in the 1989 Beijing Massacre? In fact, isn’t everyone without free elections and freedoms of speech, assembly and the media disabled too?

As a human-rights violator, China lacks legitimacy to champion the disabled. By inflicting disabilities, it’s too much part of the problem.





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