An angry Hong Kong is giving rise to rabble-rousers, and it is time the government paid heed

Populism and demagogues have become fashionable words. After all, populism has reshaped politics, from the Philippines to the US; demagogues like Rodrigo Duterte and Donald Trump have won a lot of votes.

Populism and demagoguery are also alive and well in Hong Kong. People who are clueless in the ways of the world won seats in our latest Legislative Council election. They gained popularity not by proposing any brilliant ideas to solve society’s ills, but by arousing negative emotions, passions and prejudices against mainlanders and the central government.

I grew up in the colonial days in Hong Kong, when someone with little or no achievement in life would have no chance of becoming a legislator. Legco then was filled by pillars of society, the grey-haired, rich and famous, powerful and influential. I imagine the speeches there were eloquent and sophisticated, and people were civil and respectful.

Things changed after the handover in 1997. After the first banana was thrown, and, recently, neophyte legislators mischievously mispronounced China as “Cheena” during the swearing-in, all decorum vanished. Many legislators seem to have nothing to offer, but disrupt Legco sessions with childish and outrageous behaviour and filibustering tactics.

Vulgar Legco rebels must be suffering from deep self-hatred

Impressionable young people watching these legislators must think, “I can do that kind of work, and the pay is not bad, either.” Anyone with the time, energy and ambition to become a politico can win an election in Hong Kong by reaching out to a sizable constituency of disillusioned fellow citizens, and play to their pet peeves – such as an unpopular leader, “mainlandisation”, or communism. Equipped with silly antics, inflammatory remarks, and catchy sound bites, these rabble-rousers incite public fury, while attaining their 15 minutes of fame.