Between suffering and contentment, there seems not to be a third choice. After the Anti-extradition Movement broke out in 2019, Hong Kong’s democratic movement began a “showdown” with a totalitarian government. We witnessed scenes of protest, until protesters were pinned to the ground at the neck, sent to jail and forced into exile by the totalitarian government one after another. With the prospect of five years, ten years, or even the rest of their lives taken away from them, it seems that living is a crime and suffering is the only legitimate way out.

However, those who are in exile or residing in a foreign country, who have seen that their homeland has changed beyond recognition (with totalitarian rule descending on the city overnight), are also unable to get accustomed to it or pull themselves together, wondering when will those in power, who take pleasure in lies, dictatorial rule, violence, self-deception and intimidation, lose their power? When will the arrogant and megalomaniac nationalists be buried in the planned economy they have built with violence? Consumed with ecstasy and rashness, will the CCP tyranny cling on for just five or ten more years, or will it remain for decades?

True, it can be delusional to try to find hope in despair and apocalypse. Amid such political violence, it might dawn on us that hope might not be that important in a resistance movement. This, however, does not contradict what hope means to live. Between life and death, hope might hold one of the keys that inspires one to live on. It motivates us to live for the moment with the right bearing and demeanor. When it comes to hope, we must begin with a vision of crucial importance. For this reason, eight Hongkongers who live in exile or outside Hong Kong have launched the 2021 Hong Kong Charter. It is not intended to be a definite answer to the way forward, but is aimed at pointing to the need for Hongkongers to pool their strengths again on the international front after the passage of the Hong Kong National Security Law.

The Hong Kong Charter needs no initiator itself, and the initiators are insufficient to represent the entire international front of the Hong Kong democratic movement. Since 2019, our myriad brothers have made enormous contributions to the international front of the movement. However, at such a critical juncture for survival, if those diasporic, scattered Hong Kong people need a way to recalibrate, we will need a new political discussion. The charter is just a point of departure. After many exchanges of ideas, we have put aside our reluctance and decided to draft a document first as a small group of people so that this charter can be published. Then our overseas brothers and sisters, through their discussion and participation, can promote the restoration of Hong Kong together. The charter is neither an attempt to form another faction of the movement, nor do we intend to isolate ourselves from those Hongkongers in exile who are fighting with all their might on various fronts. To every brother and sister who is striving to forge ahead, we take our hats off to you, and we are by your side.

As one of the initiators of the Charter, I have thought about this over and over: Should I put my own name to the charter? With the ridiculously all-encompassing Hong kong National Security Law, will a low profile be rewarded with a safe return to Hong Kong? If I keep my silence, will it mean that I will not be taken to a police station and court and charged with the laughable crimes of “subverting state power” and “colluding with foreign forces”? If I swallow the insults and keep my mouth shut, will I be released on bail and thus spared from the humiliation of begging for mercy and the pain of separating from my family and friends whom I cherish most? For a chance of seeing those we care about again, there is perhaps a moment or two when we choose to endure.

But a willingness to surrender might be a crime too. There is no limit to the shamelessness and ambitions of a dictatorship. I, despite my considerable reservations and after much deliberations, decided to put my name to the charter in order to fulfill the ideal Hongkonger, believing that countless Hongkongers will do the same ultimately with neither reservation nor hesitation despite the difficulties. On the day of the publication of the charter, I stated that I had no intention of signing it for myself. However, for the sake of the revolution that is yet to be finished, and the common will of all, I must walk with everyone. As one of the many Hong Kong people, all I can say is this: We must see to the end of this road of revolution regardless of the lengths we will cover, until the day we can meet again in a free Hong Kong.

During the press conference that day, we mentioned that for overseas Hong Kong people, the top priority is a strategy for mutual assistance for the Hong Kong diaspora around the world. We need to focus on support for our overseas brothers and sisters and promote overseas democratic participation at the same time. Together we need to carve out a future for international advocacy. With bipartisan unity, we will not be constrained by specific political opinions or national views. We need to promote a new China policy, protect local resistance fighters and counter the hegemony of the CCP.

We mentioned that the charter is an invitation and a kind of thinking. We intend to encourage the diasporic Hong Kong communities to regroup temporarily overseas, work together for the democratic cause in Hong Kong, and protect their homeland that is undergoing momentous change. This is for the sake of themselves, their families and friends and the next generation’s safe return to Hong Kong one day. On the international front, we cannot avoid issues such as human rights and labor, environmental disasters, economic and trade agreements, and racism. But we also need new perspectives, visions and strategies, integrating the story of Hong Kong with local politics and geopolitical changes in order to retell it.

For two weeks after the Hong Kong version of the February 28 Incident, there was a suffocating atmosphere of tragedy both inside and outside Hong Kong. But the story of Hong Kong has always been more than a tragedy. It is also a story of human struggles against the odds. Although it seems that a tragedy is being staged in Hong Kong at the moment, the story of Hong Kong is and should be more than a tragedy. Hong Kong people inside and outside the city have the ability to overcome the absurd script written by the regime, rewrite the Hong Kong story, lift themselves out of the cycle of sorrow with the will of mutual help, and regain their lives and futures.

If a human revolution has the real purpose of reshaping relationships among people, it is even more imperative for us to take our joys and sorrows into our own hands. We must not hand them over to the dictator and let fear, absurdity and violence force us to relinquish our freedoms. We can neither give up our hope and confidence in others, nor can we ignore the little moments when we can face our emotional fragility squarely. And our hope and confidence are reflected in the bonds between us that we are unwilling to let go of. Even if we feel vulnerable and helpless and find our conditions difficult and suffocating, remind ourselves of our original intentions. This is the right thing to do. This is the origin of hope. At a time when violence and fear run amok, we, ourselves, must remain a complete person and preserve our integrity and character. We must not relinquish our liberty, dignity and freedom to choose before a tyranny in advance.

In the face of the preposterous Hong Kong National Security Law and state-sponsored violence, despite our overwhelming sorrows and agonizing grief, let’s proudly and unregretfully join hands with each other for the journey ahead until we reach the other end of a hundred-year tunnel of the violent colonization of Hong Kong. To be a free person, to be one who is able to face themselves and others squarely, we shall keep going unhesitatingly, shoulder to shoulder..

(Alex Chow is one of the initiators of the 2021 Hong Kong Charter.)

Click here for Chinese version

We invite you to join the conversation by submitting columns to our opinion section: [email protected]

Apple Daily reserves the right to refuse, abridge, alter or edit guest opinion columns for accuracy, length, clarity, and style, and the right to withdraw and withhold columns based on the discretion of our editorial page editors.

The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board.

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play