Opinion | The lost generation? After neglecting the underlying problems that led our young people to protest, it’s up to us to nurture them
- Hong Kong faces a much stiffer challenge than merely ending the protests, restoring stability and boosting the economy
- Deep-seated frustrations have radicalised thousands of young people who should be leading the city into the future
A good friend was waiting at a bus stop on Hennessy Road the other day while crowds of people milled past on their way to lunch. Listening to the chatter around him, he made an interesting observation.
All the older people were talking about the crazy rioters and how they had wreaked terrible and unnecessary destruction on public property in Hong Kong. In the cold light of day, the senseless devastation is reminiscent of a war zone.
The younger commuters were chatting about the many videoed instances of dazed demonstrators lying on the ground being kicked in the head by a reinforced police boot and the government’s lack of support for Hong Kong people.
It has been a battle between a rampaging army equipped with rocks and catapults against Asia’s finest police force. When the police bleated that they were on the “brink of total breakdown”, the rioters had won the battle.
But they won’t win the war against modern weapons of crowd control. This will not result in a victory for either side. It will merely be the end of the beginning. The government still has to solve the underlying problems – having burned the last six months.