Opinion | Our youth want a say in their future, not crumbs from tycoons' dinner plates
Albert Cheng says by their words and deeds, Hong Kong's old guard show they haven't really understood the yearning for equality and social justice
At 77, former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa is trying to pick up the political pieces the old-fashioned way. He has assembled his allies and former aides to launch a think tank to talk about ways to, among other missions, improve the housing and economic conditions for the young and furious.
Like Tung himself, some of those he has enlisted were either caught in controversies or bowed out in disgrace. The local Chinese press has coined a name for them - used batteries. Tung has also recruited some of the second and third generations of tycoons in town.
However, none of the democratic activists have been invited. This is not surprising; after all, Tung's Our Hong Kong Foundation has been billed by some as a vehicle to promote his former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung as the next chief executive.
Leung, 62, delivered the keynote speech at the launch of the foundation on Sunday. His speech was reminiscent of a campaign manifesto. He sees Occupy Central as a manifestation of three destabilising factors: a generation gap, conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland, and a widening wealth gap caused by low taxes and high land prices.
He said Occupy had exposed problems in social governance, economic transition and youth development. In his view, the solution lies in improving upward mobility for young people by building more affordable housing for them. Another way is to set up a government fund to supplement initiatives to support young entrepreneurs. These measures would supposedly put the frustrated young people on the track to hope and harmony.
This diagnosis is way off the mark and reflects how out of touch Leung and the other old guards are. Asking the vested business interests to plough back a little portion of their huge profits can hardly make an impact.
Nobody will dispute that the crisis is related to youth issues. Offering them better housing and careers will, of course, help ease the tension. However, the core of the so-called youth problems has transcended the immediate want of social stability and personal prosperity.