[轉貼] Why do the people in the former British colony miss the British rule?

claire165

Why do the people in the former British colony miss the British rule?
Chris has once been the citizen of the Great British Empire. He lives in Hong Kong, the last piece of land of the Great British Empire in Asia. After Hong Kong had been handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997, he started his fight for the right of being a British citizen. 'I won't cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, til we build our Jerusalem in England green and pleasant land.' said Chris, quoting the poem by William Blake, a famous English poet.

Chris is not alone though. In the world, alongside with him are myriads of people from the former British colonies, who missed the colonial era. They are from different countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, India and Myanmar. Why do the people miss the British rule? Why the BNO has been the magnet for the former British citizens?

Actually, their hopes are understandable. The British Empire has brought a lot of benefits to the people in their colonies, for example, the idea of jury, free tax zone, free education, common law, a good judiciary system...you name it! For example, in Hong Kong, the judiciary is independent from the government. Therefore, if a government official of even the president has done something illegal, he/she can be immediately arrested and sent to the court. Corruption can be prevented. All the people are equal under the law.

When we compare Hong Kong with the PRC, we can see that Hong Kong is absolutely different from the big cities in China. In Hong Kong, the people can live in a stable and prosperous society under the British rule. You can criticize the government if it does something wrong. However, you can see that there is no freedom in China. If you say something bad to the Communist Party of China, you will be killed by the secret police. You should obey to the party no matter it does anything wrong.

Also, as internationalization spread faster than ever, English has become more important. If you have a poor English proficiency, you can't get a good job.  Because of the British rule, the people living in the British colonies can have a chance to learn English. In most of the former British colonies such as Singapore, South Africa, India and Hong Kong, English is still the official language. Many government documents are written in English. Every citizen has to learn English when they enter the kindergarten. Therefore, they have more chance to expose to English. As a result, the people from the former British colonies usually can have a good command in English. This can increase the competitiveness especially in the era of globalization.

Last but not least, the British people have contributed a lot to their colonies. Singapore was just a small village in Malaysia. However, after Sir Stamford Raffles declared that Singapore had been the colony of the Great British Empire, there were great changes in Singapore. For example, the British people have built a lot of infrastructures in Singapore. The British governors have transformed Singapore from a small village into a big city. Imagine that if the British people hadn't ruled Singapore, would Singapore have had a chance to become one of the most important international trading centre in the world?

Given the above reasons, it is not surprising to know that why the people from the former British colonies miss the British rule. The British people not only spread their culture to their colonies, but also give them a chance to make a difference.