Editorial | How to honour our heroes in tough times

The recognition of the “meritorious performance” by individual police officers in handling the protests has inevitably reopened old wounds that are still upsetting many in our deeply divided society. There are those who think the police were between a rock and hard place because of political disputes fuelled by policy failures, and that they deserve commendation for maintaining law and order under exceptional circumstances. But others take issue with their enforcement actions and blame the police for aggravating the crisis.

This is not the first time the awards have been called into question. Apart from commending outstanding community figures, retiring officials and outgoing politicians, the honours given to some top aides and allies of the chief executive often renew the perception that such awards are political rewards. Some recipients are undoubtedly deserving of an award, but there are other unsung heroes in society who are equally worthy of recognition. The government must be more mindful of the perception to the choice of recipients if the annual honours list is to maintain its credibility and relevance to the people.