BELLA
Form: VI
From: Hong Kong
Location: Basement of Lindsey
Opinion:
Since I am studying in US, I barely go back home and so can’t fully understand the root of this conflict. I do, however, believe that majority of the people protesting against the government don’t fully understand what they’re protesting for.
Many student leaders exaggerate the situation in order to influence more people against the government. This type of manipulation is, in my opinion, terrible. The government also has its flaws, but I believe everyone does.
Yes, after CY Leung was elected as chief executive, he was entangled in a scandal where he was found possessing illegal land. Although this probably affected how people trusted the government, sitting in front of the government complex, going on a strike and fighting against the police is not the answer.
Maybe I have developed this opinion because I have parents who have friends working in the government. They believe that all these students are over-doing it and are not thinking realistically. I completely agree with them. How can we disassociate ourselves with China when our electricity, our resources come from the mainland? In the end, we won’t be able to survive by ourselves.
People were also protesting about democracy and when the government gave them more leeway in the voting process (able to vote for the candidates the central government choose), thought it was not enough. I’m sorry but when has a government given what the citizens specifically wanted in such a short period of time? It is impossible and unrealistic. I think the protesters should've appreciated that the central government even thought of changing the voting policies. Be grateful.
Because of this issue, I got interested in local politics. After interning for BPA, a local political party, I realized how complex the Hong Kong government is and also appreciate how much work is put into running the city. Legislative councillors have to work everyday, attend council meetings, be part of financial committees and much more. The only problem is, nobody knows how much effort each government official puts into his/her job. If more people were aware, there would probably be less protests. Be grateful.
I wish there was more awareness of this issue at St. Paul’s, but it is also a very local issue. Not many people keep up with such specific matters and I don’t expect anyone to. However, it’d be great if we did a presentation on how diverse Hong Kong is.
