NEWS FEATURE: Hong Kong pastor wages campaign of concern for future under China

c. 1997 Religion News Service HONG KONG _ On the wall of the Rev. Kwok Nai-wang’s office in Hong Kong, a startling banner of browns, oranges and reds depicts 500 years of oppression. A gift from the German branch of the Christian anti-hunger group Bread for the World, the banner shows scenes of colonial”injustices”throughout history, […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

HONG KONG _ On the wall of the Rev. Kwok Nai-wang’s office in Hong Kong, a startling banner of browns, oranges and reds depicts 500 years of oppression. A gift from the German branch of the Christian anti-hunger group Bread for the World, the banner shows scenes of colonial”injustices”throughout history, from Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World to the imposition of apartheid in South Africa.

Kwok hopes his treasured banner isn’t also a harbinger of Hong Kong’s future under Chinese sovereignty.”We have a very powerful regime coming, even more powerful than the (British) colonial government, and that’s why Hong Kong is at risk,”says Kwok, who directs the Christian Institute, a Hong Kong think tank.


On July 1, Great Britain’s colonial rule over Hong Kong expires, and the territory will revert to the People’s Republic of China.

In the days leading up to the changeover, most religious leaders have been keeping a low profile, hoping not to create tensions with Chinese officials. The few Christian leaders speaking out have been largely enthusiastic about Hong Kong’s future as a Special Administrative Region of China.

But Kwok has been waging a visible and somewhat solitary campaign, warning his fellow citizens to take care they don’t exchange one form of colonization for another.”The struggle here is to preserve the human dignity of the little people,”he said in an interview.

After July 1, Hong Kong will be governed by a”one country, two systems”policy worked out by Great Britain and China. Under the agreement, while Hong Kong is officially part of China, the territory will have a”high degree of autonomy, except for foreign affairs and defense.”China has promised not to change Hong Kong’s political and economic way of life for at least the next 50 years.

The Basic Law, Hong Kong’s post-1997 mini-constitution, states the new government”shall not restrict the freedom of religious belief, interfere in the internal affairs of religious organizations or restrict religious activities which do not contravene the laws of the Region.” Although many church leaders in Hong Kong are pinning high hopes on these guarantees, Kwok is concerned.”In the Basic Law, you will find religious freedom, but whether you can exercise religious freedom is quite a different matter,”he said, noting that new proposals have already been introduced by the future government to scale back Hong Kong’s civil and political liberties.”In the 1983 Chinese constitution, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are guaranteed, but six years later … Chinese students exercised these constitutional rights, and they were met with machine guns and tanks in Tiananmen Square,”Kwok said, his voice cracking with feeling.

Indeed, the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre still provokes great emotion for Kwok, who is active in the pro-democracy movement. Among the theological books, crosses and religious bric-a-brac in his office, Kwok displays a small replica of the freedom statue carried by Chinese students during the Beijing demonstrations. Kwok and the Hong Kong Christian Institute have organized annual prayer services to commemorate the massacre.

An ordained minister of the Church of Christ, Kwok served from 1978 to 1988 as general secretary of the ecumenical Hong Kong Christian Council, which represents 20 mostly mainline Protestant denominations and eight parachurch organizations.


In 1988, Kwok and about 120 other Christians founded the Hong Kong Christian Institute with the stated purpose of contributing to”the social betterment of Hong Kong, especially during the crucial transitional period”leading up to the changeover.

The institute publishes a bimonthly theological journal, Reflection, and organizes seminars on church and society. In addition, the prolific Kwok cranks out numerous newspaper editorials, position papers, newsletters and books.

Kwok’s expressions of concern about the transition to Chinese sovereignty have put him at odds with many of his former colleagues who have been painting a positive picture for the future.

Kwok said he’s not so much pessimistic as”realistic”about what may happen in the territory.”If you rate human rights and give China a five, then Hong Kong would be a nine. I don’t think after the handover Hong Kong will become a five, but definitely, Hong Kong will not remain a nine,”he said.”My educated guess is that Hong Kong will be worse off, but not in the same degree as China.” (STORY MAY END HERE _ OPTIONAL MATERIAL FOLLOWS.)

The tall pastor with thinning black hair says he’s frustrated that more church leaders are not voicing concerns.”Chinese on the whole do not want to offend authorities, but even more than that, a lot of people have seen how the Chinese Communist Party works in the mainland,”he says.”People are afraid of those in power because they have seen a lot happen.” For his part, Kwok doesn’t fear retribution for his activities.”My risks are very calculated,”he said.

Yet, he has already paid one price for being vocal: he has been virtually shunned by several wings of the Christian community who fear being associated with his views.”People try not to get too close to me, but I don’t care,”he said with a shrug.”I have seen enough of the world so that status and money mean practically nothing to me.” The most hurtful thing, though, is when people accuse him of being unpatriotic.”They say I don’t love China, but this isn’t correct,”Kwok argued.


In fact, he said, it’s his love for both Hong Kong and China that compels him to speak out. “I want the 1.255 billion people in China to have a better life, but there is very little I can do in China,”he said.”There is something I can do in Hong Kong, and that’s to keep Hong Kong going so that we can transfer some of the things we learned to China. … But first, China must keep Hong Kong the way we are and not curtail our freedoms and our creativity and our initiative.” And Kwok says he will continue to write and shout that message, no matter what the consequences. “If I keep my mouth shut, then Hong Kong will have one less voice, and people will be even more quiet,”he said.”You have to have somebody like me to keep the church in Hong Kong a bit more relevant.” MJP END LAWTON

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