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It's time to leave the streets
Opinion
Mike Rowse
Mike Rowse

A message for the protesters: it's time to leave the streets

Most Hongkongers are sympathetic to the cause - but take it to the halls of power

There has been a revolution in the way Hongkongers view the police force over the last 40 years.

When I first arrived here in 1972, most people either loathed or feared the police because of the extensive corruption that prevailed. Vice activities were rampant, with gambling dens everywhere, quite blatant drug divans and sordid brothels all run by or with the permission of the local constabulary. In the 1970s, it was even necessary for the government to organise a "Fight Violent Crime" campaign because the law and order situation was so precarious.

Old hands remember what happened next: in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption came into being and began to nail corrupt officials, particularly in the police. By 1977, the force had had enough and there was a mutiny, followed by an amnesty.

From that point on, the police evolved into the highly professional and clean force we see today. They earned the respect and gratitude of the entire (non-criminal) community. Whereas 40 years ago, there was a local saying that it was better for one's daughter to stand around on street corners than to join the police, for at least 30 years now, becoming a police officer has been a perfectly respectable career for both men and women.

The younger generation has, of course, no recollection of the bad old days and takes our tranquil way of life for granted.

All of which is by way of backdrop to the "umbrella movement" and its occupation of several key road junctions. I have a message for the protesters: most Hongkongers are sympathetic to your cause and we believe you are sincere in wanting the best possible political system for our future. You are right to be angry with the government, which has behaved disgracefully towards all of us and has treated the students particularly shabbily.

But what you are doing is causing serious hardship to your fellow residents. Your quarrel is not with them; it is with the government. You should stop the street protests now (it would have been best if you had called a halt after two weeks) and devise new strategies that inconvenience or embarrass the government instead.

Sooner or later, the police will be ordered to remove you using minimum necessary force. Whether that is because of a court order or a political decision does not matter. They will have to remove you.

When that moment comes, you must go quietly: remember, the police are not your enemy. They are one of the community pillars that make our city such a great place to live, that makes us so different from the mainland.

If you forget, and resist with force, then I am afraid you will forfeit the goodwill many feel for your cause and discredit the very principles for which you say you stand. That would be a very sad day. Written with love from the bottom of my heart.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: A message for the protesters: it's time to leave the streets
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