Hong Kong voters headed to the polls Sunday, with the city's pro-democracy parties scrambling to avoid heavy losses and several high-profile politicians facing potential defeat.
Maintaining a pro-democracy view in Hong Kong can't be easy with the many levers of economic power that China can pull to make people tire of democracy and just give in to Peking's demands for conformity and obedience. One can only hope that this attitude isn't widespread:
"The maintenance of the stability of Hong Kong and the city's continued development is the most important thing," said Dick Yeung, who voted for former security secretary Regina Ip, standing as a pro-Beijing independent.
"There is already enough freedom in Hong Kong and enough democracy," said the 52-year-old pearl merchant.
But in the long run, I suspect that tiny Hong Kong will be swamped by the grinding will of the mainland. That's the problem when you are part of China. Even freedoms granted reluctantly by the center are never meant to last.
If the voters of Hong Kong falter even once, and seem to reject democracy, the communists in Peking will take the opportunity to sweep democracy away forever.
