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Leung Kwok-hungLeung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), also known as Long Hair (長毛) (born March 27, 1956) is a Hong Kong political activist, and as of 2004, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) representing New Territories East. He is best known for his long, shoulder length hair and nearly always wearing a T-shirt with the image of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Leung said he will not cut his hair until the government of People's Republic of China apologize about the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Leung is a self-proclaimed Trotskyite and a member of April Fifth Action, a radical socialist group. Leung contested but lost in both the 2000 LegCo elections and 2003 District Council elections. He considered the latter battle in 2003 a victory from the number of votes he got in a district which traditionally supports pro-Beijing fascist candidates. Leung ran again in the LegCo Election 2004 and succeeded in winning a seat in LegCo with 65,000 votes, a 200% increase in votes compared with his previous LegCo run. Leung's key campaigns include universal suffrage and working- and under-classes welfare. His political agenda include introduction of a livable minimum wage and a comprehensive social security system, restoration of workers' right to collective bargaining, and setting a tax on business speculation. He has been briefly in jail several times for offenses such as shouting from the LegCo's public viewing gallery and burning Chinese national flag. Although he expressed his fondness of Che Guevara and the ideals of revolutionary Marxism, Leung has yet to indicate a 'proletariat' revolution agenda on his election platforms, and many of his ideas and proposals would be readily accepted by most mainstream left (social) liberal and social democratic parties. Long Hair's Career as a Legislator For the swearing-in ceremony of the Hong Kong Legislative Council on October 6, 2004, Leung's fellow members arrived in business attire. Long Hair, in contrast, wore a T-shirt with Tiananmen Square on the front and Che Guevara on the back. When he was called to come forward and take the oath, he raised his left fist, encircled with a black wristband, a memorial to those who died in the 1989 protests. Leung had planned to alter his oath of office, but a Hong Kong judge said such a step would make it impossible for him to serve. Instead, Leung added his own messages to the standard oath. He demanded vindication for those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. He called for the release of political prisoners and an end to one-party rule on the Mainland. Leung shouted at the ceremony: "Long live democracy! Long live the people!" He was then sworn in as a council member. Observers watched closely the reaction from the Mainland government, as Leung's statements touched upon a politically sensitive issue that is often in considered taboo in official public settings. In the aftermath of the Article 23 political storm and debate over freedom of expression, many were concerned about possible Mainland reaction to the incident. However, the Mainland government did not respond in any dramatic fashion. Leung's populist and unorthodox style contrasts with the usually restrained atmosphere of LegCo. Rita Fan, the pro-Mainland LegCo chairperson, seemed more concerned that Leung was improperly dressed for LegCo meetings than any of his political opinions. One legislator commented that "Legco has to get used to Leung, and he has to get used to Legco." External links - http://www.longhair.hk/ (official homepage)
- http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/2000/1208/cover.hk_icon.html
- http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/news/33369.php
- http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501030714/story.html (Picture)
- http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/13/opinion/edrandolph.html
Kwok-hung, Leung
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