IT has probably escaped the attention of most Malaysians that the issue of Hong Kong’s protests has been close to the hearts of the Chinese here – for both the right and wrong reasons.

The protests erupted over a highly controversial extradition bill – which has since been suspended – that would allow for criminal suspects to be sent to China for trial. The bill is viewed as an intrusion of Hong Kong’s civil liberties, given that China’s judiciary is seen to be deeply flawed. Most Hong Kong folk are concerned that the motive behind the bill is to prevent political criticism against China, which would further erode Hong Kong’s judicial independence.

Such political enthusiasm by the Chinese in Malaysia was seen in the two rallies in solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, held in Kuala Lumpur on June 16. From an outsider’s point of view, these gatherings, as well as the recent developments in domestic politics, give the impression that, perhaps, the Chinese are sympathetic to the cause of the Hong Kong protesters.

However, this simplistic assumption rests on the notion that most Chinese Malaysians are strong adherents of liberal democracy. After all, the rights of the Chinese are protected by the federal constitution under a liberal, democratic structure, so it is entirely justifiable to presuppose that the community should at the very least empathise with what the Hong Kong protesters are doing. But, do they?

The “liberal democracy” we have frequently bandied about refers to a democratic system in which individual rights and freedoms are safeguarded. Apart from allowing a change of government through the ballot box, liberal democracy necessitates an independent judiciary, a free press and free speech to properly check the powers of the government. Malaysia is often labelled – and rightly so – an “illiberal democracy”, because while there exist the means to change the government, the liberal values to ensure a functioning liberal democracy have obviously eroded. The 1982 judicial crisis instigated by Dr Mahathir Mohamad remains a bane to the independence of the judiciary, and oppressive and archaic laws to arrest political dissidents and deter criticism against the government are still in place.

It was precisely the unrestrained pervasiveness of such illiberal values under the Barisan Nasional government that compelled the Chinese to flood the streets of Kuala Lumpur over Anwar Ibrahim’s second incarceration, and join the series of Bersih rallies to make known their grievances against an illiberal administration. It can be argued that the people of Hong Kong, too, are protesting against an illiberal government.

Surprisingly – and paradoxically – there exists a large number of Chinese who have seemingly forgotten the Bersih rallies they attended, and stand ready to detest, demean and belittle everything the Hong Kong protests are championing, in the name of China’s interest and sovereignty. Yet, they insist they were right to march in the name of liberal democracy, and free and fair elections during the Bersih rallies.

Any local Chinese reporting on the Hong Kong protests would be met with a litany of comments lambasting the demonstrators with obscene language. Most of these commenters would invoke arguments such as: These protesters have obviously been brainwashed and indoctrinated by the West! Police were right to act brutally against the protesters! Liberal values and actions like holding protests were introduced by the West to destabilise Hong Kong, and ultimately, China!

These baseless tropes are the same ones used by Umno politicians to scare off potential protesters. How many times have we heard that the Bersih movement was cooked up, or at least influenced, by the West to destabilise and weaken Malaysia? Nevertheless, most Chinese were steadfast in their resolve to march through Kuala Lumpur, and there were even times that the BN government relented in the face of the community’s tireless pursuit of “liberal values”.

It is also inconceivable for Chinese Malaysians to justify police brutality in the Hong Kong protests. Most Chinese here were incandescent at the authorities for firing tear gas and water cannons, and beating up participants in the first three Bersih rallies, but many among them cheered Hong Kong police for doing the very same things just a few years later.

At best, it is naive to presuppose this Chinese doublethink is confined to their contradictory beliefs relating to “liberal” values. Most Chinese were over the moon when, after exercising their right as voters in the last general election, they witnessed a change of government. However, many vociferously criticised the Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution’s fight for “true” suffrage to elect the chief executive. To most Chinese Malaysians, it seems as though liberal democracy should be practised only when a government they are highly critical of is in place, and not when it is one they favour.

Decades of illiberal democracy and race-based policies perpetrated by the BN government have alienated the Chinese to the point that they would seek “refuge” in China’s ambitious political projects and consider its success as their very own, regardless of how oppressive and undemocratic China has become. Therefore, some local Chinese are of the opinion that any attempt to undermine Beijing’s authority – which is what the Hong Kong protests are about – should be rejected.

It is Malaysia’s unequal political system that created such doublethink among the Chinese. Their liberal democracy dilemma may only be ameliorated by a new government committed to the principles of liberal democracy and weeding out race-based policies, to truly convince the Chinese that liberal democracy is a universal cause worth having faith in. – July 7, 2019.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.