An opportunistic adventure

A group of political extremists made good on their threat to paralyze Hong Kong's central business district by kicking off their illegal "Occupy Central" campaign on Sunday.

They took action in the hope of coercing the central and Hong Kong SAR governments into accommodating their demands for their favored electoral mechanism. They have been pushing for a mechanism with no legal standing but with the aim of ensuring their favored candidates have a chance to grab the top political job in the SAR.

In demanding that the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) retracts its decision on Hong Kong's electoral system, made on Aug 31, organizers of this campaign are challenging the authority of the country's top legislature.

Under the "One Country Two Systems" principle and the Basic Law, the NPCSC has the ultimate authority over matters regarding the SAR's proposed constitutional reform for the election of its Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017.

"Occupy" advocates have had to resort to the pretext of "popular will" since realizing they have negligible legal and moral grounds for fighting for an electoral mechanism outside the legal framework. They are doing this with threats of taking Hong Kong's economic well-being and social stability hostage.

They claim to have the mandate of the people. But 1.5 million citizens - one-fifth of the Hong Kong populace - have unmistakably expressed their disapproval of political extremism as they signed the petition against the "Occupy" movement.

Realizing their failure to summon residents' support for their cause, the "Occupy" organizers are trying to take advantage of the students' idealism and enthusiasm for promoting democratic advancement in the city. By deliberately timing their "Occupy" action to coincide with a student rally being held outside the government headquarters on Sunday, they have in effect hijacked the will of the students who were there merely to voice their views about the proposed electoral reforms.

By knowingly putting young students in jeopardy, "Occupy" organizers demonstrate a desperate attempt to advance their political agenda, even at the expense of the safety of innocent people.

With this latest trick to manipulate the will of others, the political extremists in the city have completely exposed the opportunistic nature of their endeavors.