A grave unrest is brewing in Hong Kong, and it's no surprise. Almost 15 years after the British left Hong Kong, its people still can't directly elect their leaders. This is the basic crux of the problem which has frustrated Hong Kong residents for more than a decade.

On March 4th, thousands of pro-democracy campaigners took to the streets of Hong Kong to rally their cause. Apart from venting their anger on the absence of any roadmap on universal suffrage, they were also protesting against the current Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

Mr. Tsang has been in the line of fire over a scandal that has caught a lot of attention lately. He is accused of supporting local business tycoons and accepting favors from them. Mr. Tsang, due to retire this June, is also facing corruption charges and is under investigation.

Although Mr. Tsang is not far from completing his term, things do not look too optimistic for the people of Hong Kong. The main contenders for the post of the chief executive are C.Y. Leung and Henry Tang, both of whom have been in the news for the wrong reasons. In the mud slinging of the campaign a lot has been divulged about the two.

Tang, for instance, has apologized for an illegally built basement housing all the luxuries in his house. He's also admitted to adultery and added that he built the basement because his wife demanded it. The other factor that goes against Tang is that he's been a Beijing loyalist and is super-wealthy. It is widely believed that due to his affluent background, Tang will not be able to relate to the needs of the common man.

Leung has not escaped controversy either. What's most worrisome about him is that he's too close to the puppeteers in Beijing, who indirectly govern Hong Kong. The fear is that if Leung comes to power, he would play into mainland China's hands and that would be the end of freedom in Hong Kong. That apart, Leung is said to have links with organized crime.

So, the point is that the people of Hong Kong are not ready to accept either Tang or Leung. Not that the masses have any say in the matter. The Chief Executive will be "elected", but not by the people of Hong Kong, but by a 1,200 member committee. This committee consists of the rich and the politically connected, especially pro-Beijing loyalists.

Universal suffrage is the other sore point. Hong Kong is supposed to have proper democratic elections starting from 2017, but there is no sign of any work being done in that direction yet. In the last decade, umpteen protests have taken place to get the government to act on the matter. To little avail.

The 1,200 member election committee is all set to vote for Hong Kong's next chief executive on March 25. It's the day when thousands of people are going to take to the streets in protest against not being given a choice. They plan to make their discontent extremely clear.

A crisis looms. Discontent and the show of it is not something China likes to deal with. But, Hong Kong follows a one-country-two-systems method, at least oficially, so China cannot overtly crackdown on its people. Or, so the people of Hong Kong like to believe.