Post-Crisis: In the Mood for Democracy

Abstract

The predominant discourse of Hong Kong (HK) national identity in 2010 was “well- governed”. This national identity was understood and engaged with differently among elites and masses. Bolstered by an ideology of economic neoliberalism, government elites tended to appraise their administration positively. The people, on the other hand, viewed the current government largely as a failure, and had begun to put their faith in a challenger ideology or discourse—“democratic”. The concepts of democracy and suffrage, combined with a vitriolic attack on authoritarian China and its ruling party, dominated mass consciousness. A democratic identity simultaneously criticized the shortcomings of HK’s administration in the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Tsunami and the city’s lack of democratic development.