As a new year dawns, Hong Kong faces both internal and external challenges. Internally, the challenges relate to perceived inequities in society and, externally, they have to do with Hong Kong's relationship with Beijing. Customarily, at the end of each year, greeting cards are exchanged wishing the recipient 'A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year' or 'Season's Greetings' for non-Christians. But, regardless of religion, one perennial theme is the hope for prosperity in the coming year.
This is echoed in the traditional greetings over the Lunar New Year, when virtually everyone loudly wishes everyone else gong xi fa cai - literally 'may you become rich' - without any sense of embarrassment. It is, after all, a reflection of Chinese society's traditional poverty and the deeply felt desire to escape its tentacles.
Hence, it is significant that a survey in December by the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme found that, for the first time, more people wanted fairness in society than prosperity. In a survey of 1,017 people, 27 per cent wanted Hong Kong to be a fair society, 6 percentage points higher than the previous year, while 23 per cent wanted a corruption-free society.
Since the surveys were first launched in 1993, each year, more people had longed for prosperity than anything else. But, this time, only 22 per cent put prosperity first, a drop of 6 percentage points from the previous year.
This suggests many now feel that the main problem in Hong Kong society is not a question or prosperity or poverty but a problem of fairness. That is to say, a handful of wealthy people hold far too great a share of society's riches, while too many others are left impoverished. This perception of inequity is reflected in the frequent allegations of collusion between the government and business, particularly those in property development.
Clearly, many people feel that the rules are not fair and that the cards are stacked in favour of the rich. This is something to which the government must pay heed. Action must be taken before the situation worsens - and the poll numbers show it is worsening.