A petition to collect the signatures of Hong Kong residents in support of the police upholding public order in accordance with the law has achieved remarkable results. More than 300,000 people signed the petition on the first day on Saturday. Many more local residents were signing up at different locations throughout the city on Sunday.

The campaign is clear evidence most Hong Kong citizens are against the illegal "Occupy Central" movement. They want an early end to the chaos and inconvenience caused by blockade of streets and the violent acts of a small group of misguided individuals.

This is the second such campaign organized by the Alliance for Peace and Democracy (APD) since its founding this summer. The first one collected 1.5 million signatures to show the public's opposition against "Occupy Central".

This time the petition is scheduled to end on Nov 2, one week less than the previous one, but it is no less significant by any measure.

The Hong Kong Police Force has done an admirable job defending the city's rule of law against the aggressive actions of the "Occupy Central" organizers and participants - who have been using "civil disobedience" as an excuse. It is every Hong Kong resident's responsibility to help maintain public order by abiding by the law and supporting the police performing its duties.

The organizers of "Occupy Central" made it clear when they announced the campaign last year that their acts of "civil disobedience" would be illegal. Their aim is to force the central government into concessions over constitutional reform by holding hostage Hong Kong's economy and threatening the rule of law.

In the past four weeks the occupiers have caused a lot of inconvenience for many local residents and visitors alike, hurting the well-being of tens of thousands of people by a blatant infringement of other people's rights.

It is no surprise the first petition held by the APD collected more than 1.5 million signatures, which served as a mighty wake-up call to the occupiers that Hong Kong people cherish the rule of law and are opposed to the "Occupy" acts. And the second one is further proof that the majority of people support the police to take actions to stop the occupiers' illegal acts and put an end to social disorder.

Hong Kong owes its success as an international financial center and trade hub to the rule of law as much as to its citizens' commitment to upholding it. Those who intentionally create social tensions and damage public order should never expect the public to have their support, even with such fancy slogans as seeking "true democracy" and "real universal suffrage".

(HK Edition 10/27/2014 page9)