How Beijing can help Hong Kong youth gain hope for the future
Youngsters today in Hong Kong seem to only see a hopeless future, unless we have full democracy. We also read in the media that these youngsters think everyone in China is brainwashed by their government. I would urge these youngsters to pause, take a step back and look at what is happening in the world.
The US just had democratic elections and see what is happening there. India is the biggest democracy in the world, and was economically way ahead of China in the 1970s. Now, it has been left far behind.
China, led by the Communist Party, seems more capitalist the any other economy in the world. This country was backward even in the 1980s. Thanks to the vision of Deng Xiaoping, China has reversed course from self-destruction to become the country it is now. It has brought millions of people out of poverty and did that the only way it could – by having a strong ruler.
I do not want to glorify China or its rulers, but they did not do a bad job. As for brainwashing, the ones who are being brainwashed the most are our young students – who were not even born at the time of the handover.
Who rules Hong Kong? Carrie Lam? No. Beijing? No. The Hong Kong tycoons? Yes.
My suggestion to the Hong Kong students is that, if you want a better future for Hong Kong, don’t fight Beijing as you will not win. Make suggestions to them that they should/could not refuse. Ask them to enforce that all Hong Kong property registrations are by personal name only: no longer should businesses be allowed to hold residential property; then make a list of all owners and have that list sent to Beijing (this will show which mainlanders have property/ black money in Hong Kong).
Ask Hong Kong to have details about all mainland citizens with any kind of investment in the SAR to be sent to Beijing; ask Beijing to have Hong Kong implement the same rules for property ownership as there is in China, where only local people can hold property unless you can show you have worked in that location and paid taxes for many years.
Ask Beijing to wash out all mainland black money from Hong Kong. As President Xi Jinping is so adamant with his “flies and tigers” campaign, he should not be able to say no.
Ask Beijing to ensure a clean government in Hong Kong where there can be no conflict of interest for lawmakers and government members. If you truly want a better future for Hong Kong, then tackle these issues.
Jeffry Kuperus, Clear Water Bay
