Herald May 2017
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IB HERALD MAY 2017 1 // OPINION OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! MARTIN YIP | 4 ON EDUCATION EVAN CHENG | 12 // INTERVIEWS A WORD FROM THE EDITOR “A SPACE FOR LIVE” MS. LESLEY CROFT Dear readers, JAMES LEE | 16 MR. NEIL HODGSON MR. CHRIS PERCY is issue is the result of a year of hard work, both from our editors and MS. JEAN LEE from our greatly talented writers. EVAN CHENG, RON MA | 21, 23, 25, 27 click to jump to page e IB Herald prides itself in providing opportunities for aspiring writers, even artists, to express themselves. is issue continues to strive towards that goal, and includes a wide array of articles. In the following pages, you MR. DAVID LEACH will nd discussions of Hong Kong’s political environment, the value of education, and the entertainment industry in Hong Kong; you will also MS. JULICE YEUNG encounter various teacher interviews, reviews of TV shows and even a MICHAEL LAU, JEFFREY LAU | 29, 32 commentary on arthouse cinema. Of course, you will also hear from our aspiring artists — or photographers. is issue marks the nal issue of my term as Layout Editor and Edi- tor-in-Chief, before I hand the publication over to a group of bright and // ART & ENTERTAINMENT promising successors. As it so happens, both the quality and quantity of articles in this issue exceed those of the previous issue; our magnum opus, SO YOU WATCH ARTHOUSE CINEMA? if you will. And of course, I am condent that the issues to come will set the bar even higher. RON MA | 34 If you have any suggestions or would like to join the team, please do not LAUGHS SANS FRONTIERS hesitate to contact us via [email protected]. Once again, thank you WILSON LAM | 40 for your kind support, and we hope you enjoy this issue. POEMS Happy reading! TON YEH | 46 Linus Lam Yan To ART (“UNTITLED”) Editor-in-Chief JAMES LEE | 48 A MOMENT IN TIME ADRIAN LEUNG | 50 GAMES EVAN CHENG | 60 2 3 During the Occupy Central movement, protesters lit up the night with the glare of smartphone screens. Studio Incendo / CC BY 2.0 Oh,the Localists have received unprecedented support in the recent election. As a third major political power, could their inclusion in the local political scene break the pro-establishment and pan-democrat duopoly? ¡¢£¤ ¥¥¡£¦¡¦ independence or self-determination, and gained places by C.Y. Leung. It was early 2015, small but monumental victories in the 2015 District when the proposal of electoral reform Council elections and the 2016 LegCo elections. in 2017 was being ercely debated Voter turnout al so broke records, suggesting in- inside and outside of the Legislative creased political awareness in society. e localists Council (LegCo). Leung was asked how he would have the promising combination of new ideas and deal with the libustering pan-democrats. He re- considerable public support, and should therefore you ll go! sponded,A “ e short answer is that you [citizens] attempt to steer Hong Kong in the direction they ’ register as voters and use your votes to vote them desire—but considerable hurdles lie ahead. out.” Leung’s call gave little traction to the cam- paign of pro-establishment camp. ey, as well as e rst hurdle is political truth—essentially the the pan-democrats, lost support and resources to boundaries of what can be done. For example, Hong Martin Yip the increasingly vocal localists, who advocated either Kong is an “inalienable part” of the People’s Repub- 4 ■ OPINION \\ // OPINION ■ 5 lic of China, which has a less favourable political system (whether democracy is a preferable system is a debate for another time): a one-party socialist government which the national Constitution calls a “people’s democratic dictatorship”. is system con- µicts with the ideals of democracy, and therefore our semi-democratic system is biased. e Beijing-con- trolled LegCo and Chief Executive election process- es ensure that our executive and judicial branches are dominated by those who adhere to the values of the Chinese Communist Party and not neces- sarily the values of Hongkongers. Despite that the pro-establishment camp has never been supported Edward Leung of Hong Kong Indigenous won over 66,000 votes in the 2016 LegCo North Territories East by-election, only behind Alvin by the majority, they are the group that we have been Yeung of the Civic Party and Holden Chow of DAB governed by. e crooked system limits the range of actions non-establishment forces can take. ey cannot join the executive branch as so many of their advocates. Even a historic meeting between student ideals di¶er from those of the government. In the leaders of the movement and top government o·- legislative branch, they are destined to always be the cials during the movement yielded no results. We are, minority, as the majority of the pro-establishment however unfortunate it may be, trapped in a vicious camp is safeguarded by this biased system. cycle of divisiveness and radicalness on one hand, and a mutual refusal to cooperate, with neither side Yau Wai-ching, center, and Sixtus “Baggio” Leung, right, e second hurdle is political climate—what sepa- having any incentive to make any compromises. It is are escorted by pan-democrats to enter the legislative chamber in Hong Kong on October 26, 2016 rates the principally plausible possibilities from the analogously the Prisoner’s Dilemma with a twist, as practical possibilities. e duopoly that was created in choices are not one-o¶ but repeatedly made, and and reinforced by a crooked political system has each side knows the other’s previous choices. Unfor- been deeply ingrained into local politics, save for rare tunately, it is the society which pays for being in the slogan remained a slogan instead of a principle, it is occasions when the Liberal Party or the Democratic wrong equilibrium—that is to say, not the optimum not one to easily justify. Consider an extreme case in Party switches allegiances. is is extended to the one—as no progress can be made with stalemates. Kosovo, where opposition legislators once resorted to general public, as the supporters of each side become It is analogously releasing teargas canisters in session for six months more united and, at times, radical to battle against However, the problem with the localists as a third straight from 2015 to 2016, aiming water and lasers the other. Radicals do exist on the pro-establishment force in parliament and hoping they will bring the Prisoner’s at government ministers. ey were opposing an side, such as Leticia Lee. At the same time, commu- change is that they are inherently against the govern- agreement which granted local Serbs greater powers. nication and nding common ground among the two ment. is turns them into a subset of the “non-es- Dilemma with a e government had to buy airport-grade body scan- sides are extremely di·cult. Recently, the Democrat- tablishment” camp, a relatively new concept which ners and ventilators just to deter their actions. Just ic Party negotiated with the Hong Kong government e¶ectively implies we return to the undesirable twist, as in choices across the strait, the legislative body of Taiwan, the and the Liaison O·ce of the Central People’s Gov- dichotomy albeit in a slightly di¶erent manner. e Legislative Yuan, has a notorious history of ghting ernment, with the result being ve extra functional key to them being able to make a di¶erence is then are not one-off but over bills. As Emily Lau, Hong Kong’s rst ever constituency seats that contribute little to the ulti- their ability to be di¶erent from the other two forces female legislator, put it, “not only does undermin- mate goal of universal su¶rage and democracy. e in a constructive way in di¶erent areas as political repeatedly made, ing parliamentary order fail to promote democracy, quest for this goal su¶ered further setbacks when entities. obstructing LegCo’s functioning stalls Hong Kong’s the Standing Committee of the National People’s and each side development.” It is unlikely and unjustied that Congress released the “831 Decision” that was seen e rst area of resistance is the parliament, such violent scenes should become frequent in LegCo, as as a screening procedure for potential Chief Execu- as libustering, which Hongkongers are painfully knows the other’s it achieves nothing more than non-violent methods tive candidates before they could enter the election. acquainted with. Since 1997, we have gone from very (barring perhaps slightly more media attention) but It signied the adamant stance of ¼½¾, and was the long speeches to throwing objects at government previous choices. gives rather worse impressions and implications. immediate cause of the Umbrella Movement. “We o·cials and physical altercations. Indeed, some lo- have reached the end of the road for communication calists speak of using force against the tyranny of the However, Lau does support non-violent acts of and compromise,” shouted the troubled democracy government (以武制暴). However, not only has this dissent, which she considers justied as they are in 6 ■ OPINION \\ // OPINION ■ 7 Leung Kwok-hung “Long Hair” (長毛). However, the Basic Law, setting an unwanted precedent which this form of opposition is losing e¶ectiveness for two allows the NPCSC to circumvent Article 159, stip- The threat against our reasons. Firstly, the government is now turning the ulating the procedures for amending the Basic Law tables. It has, at the time of writing, led to invali- which have never been undertaken: rule of law and judicial date the oath-taking of six legislators whose political stances range from pro-independence to traditional e power of amendment of this Law shall be vested independence sounds pan-democrat.