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Letters | Hong Kong protests are the predictable outcome of the city’s yawning wealth gap
- Oxfam’s 2018 report on the dangers of social inequality in Hong Kong and its proposed solutions should be required reading for the government and protesters alike
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Why you can trust SCMP
While one can sympathise with the legitimate concerns of most the population in Hong Kong, there cannot be any place for violence and, in particular, speaking as a retired burns surgeon, petrol bombs – they are as evil as acid assaults. The police are being put in an invidious position and those who want to see Hong Kong survive must give them their full support.
Let there be no doubt, however, that this social unrest was absolutely predictable. The extradition bill was a diversion or excuse; the reality is that social inequality is getting worse year on year. It was just a year ago that the Post highlighted the 60-page report by the aid agency Oxfam outlining the dangers of the increasing wealth gap in Hong Kong.
The report proposed multiple steps the government could take to address the problems. There are so many “experts” and opinions taking up media space but the solutions are already there. I would strongly encourage some responsible members of the government to read the report.
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I think some of the protesters could also learn a lot, in particular, about how to better articulate their concerns with facts, numbers and evidence.
The cover picture of the report says it all. Rolex in the background, dire poverty in the foreground and schoolchildren in between.
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