Your Extradition Case
FADE IN:
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
PETER and his WIFE are at the dining table.
PETER
Do you want me to
drive you to court
tomorrow?
WIFE
I prefer to take the MTR,
The civil unrest may
delay me.
INT. SITTING ROOM - DAY
Watching Hong Kong TV news, Peter sees waves of protesters blocking public roads near Admiralty with crowd control barriers.
PETER (V.O.)
How to get something
done successfully?
FLASHBACK
INT. LECTURE THEATER, HKUST - DAY (2000)
A PROFESSOR (30s) talks to a few dozens of matured STUDENTS. Peter (46) is among them.
PROFESSOR
The Harvard model is
that there're three
necessary elements:
Value, Capacity &
Support.
The professor draws three overlapping circles denoting Value, Capacity and Support on a drawing board.
PETER (V.O.)
Conceptually, that must
be right. We all have
our dreams and our
reasonable ability. But
without support which can
be situational and relational,
our dreams will never
come true.
Students are digesting the circles.
PROFESSOR
That's the general situation.
In some instances, just
Capacity + Value, or
Capacity + Support will do.
Students seem to want an example.
PROFESSOR (Cont'd)
Eg parental Govts can
have Capacity to pass
laws they believe are
right (Value) but without
societal Support.
Some students are bewildered.
PROFESSOR (Cont'd)
Sometimes, it's necessary
to push something for the long-term public good.
The public might never
appreciate the core values.
Any comments on the
Harvard model?
Peter raises his hand and speaks.
PETER
The conceptual framework
is good for analysis, but its
practical application is moot.
The professor nods.
END FLASHBACK
Peter checks an incoming message. We see: Demand her resignation... forward the message...let's make international news.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd)
Are they against extradition
or any person in authority?
But if there're Capacity +
Support, it can still be done,
whether the cause (Value)
is right or not.
INT. STUDY - DAY
BBC breaking news. We see civil unrest in the streets and hear the anchor referring to: Hong Kong Business District... Hong Kong protesters... arguments in the streets...Hong Kong Police...tear gas...rubber bullets...worse than Beijing...
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Seldom does Hong Kong
have such news value.
Totally negative though.
A Hong Kong MAN#1 (60s) speaks on BBC.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) The other day, I was
surprised to read that
during the Occupy Central
period, the number of
visitors to Hong Kong
from mainland China
increased...to see how
bad Hong Kong can be?
A Hong Kong MAN#2 (40s) speaks on BBC.
PETER (V.O.)
If I was accountable for
Hong Kong's stability and
prosperity, I wouldn't allow
any similar repeat.
Governance is about
control.
A Hong Kong WOMAN#1 (70s) speaks on BBC.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Governments want to
control the governed.
In a democracy, the
governed also want
to control the government.
A Hong Kong WOMAN#2 (30s) speaks on BBC.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd)
Capacity includes might.
Might is demonstrated
via law and order, as
well as civil disobedience
and disorder.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
What's worrying is about
the propensity of Hongkongers
to use violence...lawyers
would refrain from it.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
Do 1 in 7 Hongkongers
are potential criminal
suspects who fear to be
extradited to the mainland?
INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT
It's 11:30 pm. Peter and his wife are having dinner.
PETER
How did your extradition
case go in court today?
FADE OUT. The End