Article June 30, 1997 Issue

Seeking peaceful transition: Hong Kong and South Africa

by Kim Shippey

This week we interview two close observers of the political transitions in Hong Kong and South Africa—Lynde McCormick, who has just spent two years working as an anchor/editor for NBC Television in Hong Kong and is now Business Editor of The Christian Science Monitor in Boston; and South African journalist Francois Wolfaardt, with whom we spoke during a visit to Johannesburg in April.

"It's not hard to understand the anxiety and tension among residents of Hong Kong as the territory shifts allegiance on June 30 from the British Crown to China," said Mr. McCormick. "Hong Kong's government has been largely democratic. China's government is largely authoritarian. Hong Kong's government tolerates dissent. China's has a history of intolerance. And although Hong Kong will officially be termed a Special Administrative Region, with its own government, distinct from Beijing's, there is little doubt that Hong Kong's six and a half million residents will lose at least some of their civil rights.

"Citizens of democracies believe they have the right to choose some version of good government by voting," continued Mr. McCormick, "but many people in the world seem to have government thrust upon them—sometimes to their benefit, sometimes not. For example, not far from Hong Kong is the island of Singapore, whose government provides limited political freedom, but delivers an extremely successful economy and peaceful environment."

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June 30, 1997
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