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June 4 vigil in Hong Kong
Opinion

Student boycott of Hong Kong’s June 4 vigil shows the need for meaningful dialogue in society

Alice Wu says the decision by Chinese University students not to take part in the annual commemoration offers Hong Kong a chance to reflect on meaningful dialogue with its youth, and for leaders to realise that challenging is not opposing

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Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, former president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong students’ union, and host Emil Lau at an academic symposium on the June 4 incident, at the University of Hong Kong on June 4. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Alice Wu
The Chinese University of Hong Kong students’ union took quite a beating over its decision not to take part in the annual June 4 vigil at Victoria Park. While other groups organised their own memorial events, the union drew fire for declaring that “the commemoration has come to an end”. It later said it had no issue with people commemorating the event, only with its format.
We must not, however, lose sight of why and how the student union arrived at these conclusions, even if we do not agree. The students questioned whether the annual vigil had become more of a ritual than a meaningful event, and whether it has morphed into something else.

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We can disagree and debate, but accusing them of being “cold-blooded” or “lazy” doesn’t help. This is an opportunity for the organiser to explain why it has carried on with these ritualistic elements, and communicate not only to the young, but to all, the reasons for going through the same motions year after year. In short, it must provide the meaning behind the “rites” that have developed.

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Clearly, the union felt that those meanings are now lost on some people. If we can’t question or are not allowed to reconsider the meaning of the vigil, then it really does become just ceremonial.

Watch: Why student leaders are boycotting June 4 vigil

Others have voiced frustrations over it before. They, too, challenge the notion that there is only one way to commemorate. We would like to believe that we teach students to question everything, to think independently and critically, outside the box. In that sense, their questions over the format, intent and purpose of the vigil are natural, and should even be encouraged.
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