As a long-time resident of Hong Kong and someone who is very passionate about its future, I feel it’s important to give my views about questions that have been circulating in the past weeks. These have been very disturbing not just to myself, but also to those around the world watching events in Hong Kong and in some cases misunderstanding them. We are all very worried about Hong Kong’s future, especially our youth.
Many people ask, does the
suspension of the extradition bill mean its withdrawal? Yes, suspension really does equal withdrawal. The fact is that the bill will not be put to the Legislative Council and the administration has made it clear there is no timetable for its reintroduction. This means that at the end of the Legislative Council term in July 2020, the bill is
dead. Those people who don’t trust that this will happen must realise that, if the bill was ever brought back, the masses would once again make sure of its disappearance. For all intents and purposes, the bill is gone. In effect, it has been withdrawn.
The Hong Kong Police Force is regarded as one of the best in the world. Police officers are no different from any other Hongkongers with families and children, and they are here to protect the rule of law. The events of the last few weeks have been terrible and I think we must build back the trust and confidence we have always had in the police. They are here to protect us.
Complaints about police should be handled through existing mechanisms such as the
Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) chaired by
Anthony Neoh, who is not only a trained lawyer but also a highly respected professional in the banking and finance industry. The 20-odd members of the panel are from a wide spectrum of society, including legal, medical, education, transport and social welfare sectors. They have very diverse backgrounds and I believe a truly independent decision can come from this mechanism. If we do not use the IPCC but set up an independent inquiry into
alleged police brutality, this would be a huge loss of face for the members who have served Hong Kong so well in the past. I trust them to do the right thing for Hong Kong, as they will be watched very closely by all Hongkongers.
Protesters are also calling for the chief executive and government officials to be replaced. Again I believe this would really destabilise Hong Kong and pose even greater challenges. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has already
apologised for the way the bill was handled and the government has clearly learned a very big lesson from the events of the past few weeks. It would not make sense to start all over again with a new administration, especially at a time when Hongkongers need to work together to overcome many of the livelihood issues which we now face, from the lack of housing and the high property prices, to an ageing population and the challenge of the digital era. These are the most important things to address. This is why I think it is time to move on.
