One Man, One Vote

Children are taught from a young age to protest for the right to vote

Almost every day, thousands of Chinese protesters pour on to the streets to demand the right to vote.

Currently, only half of Hong Kong’s legislature is elected by popular vote. The head of government, the chief executive, is chosen by an 800-member election committee backed by Beijing.

This year the protesters marked the 10th anniversary of the day the Chinese government resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule.

Since then, Beijing has promised anxious Hong Kongers that they would be ruled under a different system from the mainland – including the right to assemble, protest and vote for a Chief Executive. But it is a promise that has yet to be kept.

People & Power speak to the mothers, the workers, and the youth who passionately believe they can influence government policy.

Target of Fears

60 per cent of Arab businesses in Maico have closed after being targeted by paramilitaries

Violence has raged in Colombia for more than two decades between the government and left-wing militants who have waged war in pursuit of their revolutionary vision. More recently, right-wing paramilitaries have entered the fight to bolster the Colombian government.

The paramilitaries and the left-wing militants, the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, are fighting for control of land and the highly profitable drug trade. Among the many civilians caught in the middle, are the Muslims of Maicao, a town in the northeastern corner of Colombia that became a destination for Arab immigrants fleeing war in the Middle East.

A riveting insight into an immigrant community targeted by both sides of a national conflict.

Watch One Man, One Vote here:

Watch Target of Fears here:

This episode of People & Power aired from 23 September 2007

---

To contact us click on ‘Send your feedback’ at the top of the page

Watch Al Jazeera English programmes on YouTube

Join our debates on the Your Views page