Polite protest, for real?

Can a polite protest work? It sounds unreal, doesn’t it?

It has been weeks since protesters in Hong Kong paralysed parts of the city. Apart from the remarkable solidarity shown by the protesters, the majority of whom are students, another highlight of the protest has been the orderly and polite conduct of the protesters.

Their disciplined behaviour is common to some extent because there have been non-violent protests in the past which were proven to be effective –  for example, the prominent non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

But how so in the case of Hong Kong?

Photos of young protesters in Hong Kong leaving thank-you notes for the police, setting up recycling bins, cleaning up the streets and holding ad hoc classrooms on the streets have gone viral.

Such polite behaviour during demonstrations generates discussion because protests are normally considered disruptive.

There are doubts as to whether these students have the ability to sustain a rational movement because young blood is always regarded as impulsive. But it is precisely because of such stereotypes that the students feel the need to be organised and structured.

In the eyes of many outsiders, Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city, not a place that people perceive as “political”.

To organise an occupation such as this, which has lasted for weeks, is never easy. There are many challenges such as how to mobilise the crowd, how to boost people’s morale and such.

Since the protests began on September 22, student activists have demonstrated in several areas of the city. Their official demands include the resignation of incumbent chief executive CY Leung and, more importantly, are calling for Beijing to allow public domination of candidates for the chief executive post.

At this stage, Beijing does not show any sign of giving in. For this reason alone, the protest might have no choice but to concede and to shift its strategy towards sustaining momentum and building long-term pressure on their government and Beijing.

Like many recent uprisings, Hong Kong’s protest movement has seized the world’s attention through its decentralised character.

The protesters maintain a high team spirit through various ways, including singing, to the extent that their cause is marked by an astounding self-discipline. Moreover, the non-violent civil disobedience that they currently practise has shown much of their high moral ground even at moments of intense provocation.

Protesters have tried their best to keep the demonstration site organised, for a simple reason: they do not want to give the authorities any chance to intervene.

This mass self-discipline has set a good example. The level of self-discipline these young people show is remarkable.

Several days before the Occupy Central campaign was set to begin, a document titled, “Manual of Disobedience” was published online. The manual presented the movement’s tactics and repertoires, the rules and principles for nonviolent protests, the legal codes that may be violated, and most importantly, the procedure to follow should someone be arrested.

The manual also called on protesters to avoid any forms of violence. As its name, "Occupy Central with Love and Peace" suggested, I quote,

“Civil disobedience is to win over hatred with love. The participants should face sufferings with dignified attitude, so as to summon the conscience of the suppressors and to minimise the hatred underlying the acts of suppression. More importantly, non-violence will win over the empathy of bystanders, and expose the complete lack of legitimacy of the institutional violence applied to us by the suppressor. The self-sacrifice can arouse the awakening of the public.”

Now, the question is: how might their almost overstated politeness be of use for them to achieve their demands from Beijing?

Most of the time, organisers are not prepared to handle the crowds that sometimes turn irrational. It is a huge challenge to maintain calm and cohesion. Any small act of disorder could become an excuse for the government to crack down.

At present, it looks like the protesters have managed to maintain a united front.

One of the key strengths of this protest is that it is so decentralised, you cannot defeat them simply by arresting their leaders. Although such decentralisation could also serve as a weakness due to confusion as the situation quickly develops, at present, it has worked well.

Mass demonstrations are often characterised by violence. But what is currently happening in Hong Kong is different. Whether such polite protests could actually lead to any substantive changes in government policies is yet to be proven in the current political landscape. However, such behaviour has shown that there is a growing trend whereby the student power has slowly become a major catalyst in political movements with their innovative and more matured tactics. – October 13, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.