Mainland leaders’ proposals for judicial reform in Hong Kong may be controversial (“ Beijing calls for judicial reform in Hong Kong, focuses on patriotism”, November 17). Nevertheless, to be realistic, Hong Kong has a dire need to carry this out.

The social unrest has been a sign of loopholes in Hong Kong’s judicial system. The months of sabotage completely tarnished Hong Kong’s reputation and exposed the fatal weakness of its legal system. The violent acts in pursuit of “justice” demonstrated the lack of awareness of rule of law and the distorted interpretation of the Basic Law among many in Hong Kong.

Since Occupy Central in 2014, the younger generation has shown a misunderstanding of the rule of law. And yet the courts have failed to punish the rioters in many cases, with such tolerance arguably motivating more individuals to challenge the foundation of the legal system. Their lack of legal awareness, coupled with some judges’ alleged lack of integrity, exemplifies the way the judicial system of Hong Kong has failed to protect itself and educate the public.

The childish political drama often enacted in the Legislative and District councils is another case in point. The democratic lawmakers have been filibustering and abdicating responsibility for years without any immediate consequences. They kept getting re-elected into Legco, bringing an increasing level of disruption to the chamber and policymaking for the community. And yet, there was no one or no way to discipline them until the central authorities stepped in to invalidate the qualifications of the four leading pan-democratic lawmakers.