Make my day

Had the 14th-century Scottish brigand, William Wallace, been standing in last month’s Legislative Council elections, it would have been an understatement to simply describe him as a pro-democracy candidate. His uncompromising views on the right of self-determination would have made him stand out from almost all his other potential LegCo colleagues. Well, that and the blue face.

As a concept, democracy has been kicking around for more than 2,000 years but its modern interpretation says more about individual national obsessions than its classical Greek definition. Hong Kong’s version of parliament-lite, with its complex mixture of appointed and elected legislators, is designed to favour the politically connected. It attracts would-be public officials more concerned with their own vested interests, illegal structures and property speculations than advancing the state of government.

And then there’s China. This month in Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party’s 18th National Congress will kick off with all the glamour and excitement of a totalitarian health and safety meeting. This transition of power affecting 1.3 billion anxious Chinese will be performed without the inconvenience of polling stations. Even Russia’s recent “election” seemed relatively fair by comparison, up to the moment when some Kremlin bureaucrat added a couple of extra zeros onto the number of votes for that Putin guy.

Western governments convinced by their own propaganda continue to forcibly export their flawed political systems to every untapped oil resource around the world. But regime change and democracy on their terms don’t necessarily add up to freedom and equality. Just ask an Afghan schoolgirl or an Iraqi shopkeeper.

Like a gruelling series of American Idol, the latest round of US presidential elections has already provided bizarre and entertaining episodes. Having given up smoking, Barack Obama seems to have begun to question his own “grass”-roots appeal. So in an attempt to reaffirm the Homer Simpson vote, the White House released the president’s recipe for homebrew beer. In retaliation, an ageing Clint Eastwood was wheeled out at the Republican Party conference to deliver an endorsement of the sober Mitt Romney ticket. But the ad libs and autocue misfired and he ended up sounding like a senile Dirty Harry talking to himself on a park bench.

Although the political argument seems to be a clear choice between common sense and nonsense, the polls show an uncomfortably close race. To become president of the United States, a candidate must be born within its sprawling borders but doesn’t necessarily need to win the popular vote – as Adams, Hayes, Harrison and Dubya all proved. Gerald Ford was never even elected. But of greater concern is that the winner is usually the guy with access to the most money.

Regardless of which political system you find yourself living under, you will be at the mercy of the whims of humourless professional politicians. But don’t take them seriously and they’ll never take your freedom. Iain Lafferty

Here at the Sai Kung Magazine office, we love receiving beautiful pictures of Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay from our readers. Each month we publish our favourite. To enter, simply email your best shots of Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay, along with a brief description, to photo@saikung.com. Happy snapping!

Clearwater Bay from High Junk Peak.