Opinion | With Beijing's help, there's a silver lining to our sufferings
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
With the LegCo election set in motion this morning, my mind is full: Will the voter turnouts be low? What about the quality of candidates, are they genuinely patriotic and competent enough to be good lawmakers? These are but a few of my concerns.
Invariably, the election date also brings back bad memories of old days when Pan-Democrat lawmakers were acting like lawbreakers, stalling the LegCo proceedings and creating chaos, day in and day out in the legislature.
In those days, many simple and decent Hongkongers made it to nearby Macao for a quiet weekend, hoping to regain their composure and keep their peace of mind. Some of them had given up on the "hopeless situation" in Hong Kong. They had resettled in Macao, or elsewhere in the neighboring cities in Guangdong Province, just to be near "home", which meant Hong Kong. I can understand their sufferings.
Hong Kong has been a society of lawlessness and carelessness, on the parts of the "haves", those who possess great wealth and political power, and the so-called civil servants are the real bureaucrats without a human face.
To understand Hong Kong's problems, simply make a visit to Sham Shui Po, or take a good look at the TV commercials, advertising housing trips in a city torn between the "haves" and the "have-nots".
Home Sweet Home, but Where's Home?
In Sham Shui Po, you can easily find street sleepers. Homelessness in Hong Kong is a frequent sight that the wealthy people living high up the hills will not get to see.
A recent survey has confirmed what many feared: that the impoverished socio-economic conditions have left hundreds of Hongkongers homeless.
Compiled by seven NGOs during an overnight headcount conducted in July, the Hong Kong Homeless Census 2021 – released in October – puts the number of people without a fixed residence at 1,532, an almost 20 per cent increase on the previous year.
The survey found that 64 per cent were sleeping in the streets, with 14 per cent living in sub-vented temporary accommodation and 22 per cent in NGO-run hostels. The main reason given for being homeless was unfordable high rents. ("Home truths" Post Magazine//December 5, 2021.)
The Central Government Offers Stability to HK
The central government offers stability to the HK Special Administrative Region in crisis after the months-long protests and rioting in the city, involving estranged young and unemployed people who have been incessantly disappointed by the local government and its bureaucracy.
The biased Chinese language newspaper Apple Daily which was owned by Jimmy Lai had also been fanning doomsday sentiment, continuously urging its readers to take to the streets. The half-a-million protesters who staged and set record were also the work of the "devil". The man and his newspaper were so pervasive that even Professor Lau Siu-kai, the government's chief advisor at the time was surprised.
Lai himself even colluded with a foreign agent, from whom he drew Dutch courage, courting government prosecution. He even made high-profiled trips to Washington to meet with his American "friends", earning for himself the nickname "traitor".
Meanwhile, the situation in the Hong Kong Legislative Council had almost always been chaotic, with the covert ring-leader Cheung Man-kwong and his hand-picked recruit "Long Hair", the overt troublemaker, turning the Legco upside down…
In short, without the Central Government's help, Hong Kong will not enjoy social stability so that we can have an orderly election this Sunday.
'Covert Foreign Agents' could Undermine Poll
Covert "foreign agents" remaining in Hong Kong could further undermine the Legislative Council Election, Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu has warned amid concerns over low voter turnout for this Sunday. Lee issued the warning on his blog as candidates fanned out across districts to drum up voter enthusiasm.
Conclusion
Overdue appreciation for the Central Government is neglected amid chaos and confusion since 2019 when the waves of protests were going on. Indeed, helping Hong Kong to restore is a thankless task.
With or without appreciation for the Central Government, the residents of Hong Kong should go to the polls on Sunday and cast their votes, which represent a new opportunity for rebuilding a healthier social and political environment for the city, which the residents happily identified as "our home".
Knowing that there are all kinds of eligible voters and election candidates out there, the future of Hong Kong will have to depend on these people, especially the young ones.
If you treasure Hong Kong as your "home", fulfill your civic duty and cast your vote! For doing so, is the right way to render Hong Kong a beautiful rendezvous.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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