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Companies must help defuse Hong Kong’s crisis, and do what the government can’t
- Like the wildfires in Australia, the political flames in Hong Kong burn hotter with each outbreak. Given that the government shows no intention of heeding the public’s voices, corporate Hong Kong must get to work on community engagement
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“How will it end?” It’s the most common question I get from friends abroad who want to know about Hong Kong.
Last November, it looked like protests might end with the big bang of a crackdown. Ironically, given our government’s distrust of democracy, the district council elections provided a kind of firebreak that stopped an escalation of violence. But those who somehow think the protests have been reduced to a whimper are likely to be disappointed. There is no end in sight to Hong Kong’s upheaval.
We can look back now and see that the demonstrations of 2003 and the Occupy movement of 2014 were mild warnings before the firestorm of 2019. Like the wildfires in Australia, the political flames in Hong Kong burn hotter and longer with each outbreak. If the underlying causes of Hong Kong’s summer of discontent are not addressed, then the fires will probably break out again. That is true even if – perhaps especially if – thousands of protesters are jailed, as appears to be the government’s current strategy.
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I hope that the worst of the violence and disruption is behind us. But hope is not a strategy, especially not for businesses. What can companies do to ensure that they aren’t caught in the next conflagration? How can they do this in a way that is respectful to those who don’t agree and that is in keeping with Hong Kong’s long-standing commitment to tolerance and civility? Genuine community engagement is key.
We need to accept that Hong Kong is in the midst of a deep-rooted civil conflict of the sort that lasts decades. November’s district council elections, where pro-democrats trounced pro-government forces, were a referendum on the protests and on the government’s performance. In most countries, the government would have fallen after such a dismal performance at the ballot box.
The Basic Law proclaims that universal suffrage is the “ultimate aim” in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and chief executive elections. It is now clear, after nearly 23 years, that there is no intention to keep this promise or heed the voices of the majority of Hongkongers. Coupled with the perception that China is smothering Hong Kong’s freedoms, there is no escape from a drawn-out civil conflict.
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