Hong Kong is a mega corporation in need of a clear vision from John Lee

This is not about patriotism, re-education or marching in lockstep with the mother country. It is about practicality
Hong Kong’s bright future depends on understanding what lies ahead and seeing that vision well laid out. If you can see it, you can work for it

Vijay Verghese

Published: 3:30pm, 25 Oct 2023

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We are obsessed with the future. No one more so than politicians. After all, that is what dream merchants sell. A “brighter future” is bandied about by think tanks, schools, healthcare professionals and the administration. It is de rigueur, yet few define it.

As the National Day fireworks cast a glow over Victoria Harbour, the city was again awash with warm and fuzzy talk of a “better future”. So what exactly is this future? And how do we get there?

As tech guru Alan Kay put it: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

Freewheeling Hong Kong arguably has an edge, not entirely blunted, and has proven it can act with speed. The city is a well-oiled mega corporation run by a chief executive, not a ballot-buffeted prime minister, and this is both its Achilles’ heel and strength. An electoral fig leaf cannot give the chief executive the credibility the West seeks, yet, as John Lee Ka-chiu has shown, his position and personality are geared towards action.

What is lacking is youthful optimism and energy. The city has seemingly settled into a Slough of Despond. The future has become a fast dissipating dream for many.

Surveys point to an alarming rise in student depression. A youth mental health study revealed in May that close to 20 per cent of respondents had suicidal thoughts. Last year, the Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service said it found that almost half of the secondary students surveyed showed signs of depression, with 36 per cent being moderate to severe.

Sunset on Hong Kong Island on December 6, 2017. The future has become a fast dissipating dream for many. Photo: EPA-EFE

While student stress was compounded by the Covid-19 experience, much of Hong Kong’s teen angst has to do with a bleak view. It is a malaise that can spread.

How does one envision the future? Most companies have a charter with enshrined goals. This is not idle symbolism. As a mega corporation, Hong Kong needs to come up with a clear vision to guide endeavour towards a common end.

This is not about patriotism, re-education or marching in lockstep with the mother country. It is about practicality. Above all, it is a reshaping of the city’s identity. Who are Hongkongers and what does their city stand for? What are their values?

The yellow-blue ideological divide needs urgent bridging, not with boycotts, bribes or blinkers, but with practical steps. Hong Kong’s strength will lie in its coming together. For the city to make its great leap forward, it needs all engines running. It would be foolish to pretend it could ignore a large part of its economy or youthful talent – some in the process of emigrating. If handled in the right spirit, the youth development blueprint, unveiled late last year, can allay some fears.

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Hong Kong cannot become obsessed with the mainland’s shifting preoccupations. The hinterland is there as a safety net. Hong Kong is part of China and must join the projects that offer economic benefits. Or to offer solidarity. But it must look beyond.

The city’s international character sets it apart and offers Beijing unique value. It is a trusted broker with its own highly regarded common law, well-developed commercial case law, and strong intellectual property protection. This is a recipe for international investment flows, a recharged economy and laissez-faire trade.

John Lee’s policy address will need to deliver hope, above all else

Hong Kong has been an independent member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade since 1986 and the World Trade Organization since 1995. It does not win by emulating Shanghai. It does so by finding its true unfettered self; in so doing, it also shields China from political headwinds.

This self-styled “world city” must firmly elevate and support English in education, business and government to maintain an effective global interface. This is not a random imposition. Article 9 of the Basic Law states that “English may also be used as an official language”. Fluency in Mandarin and Cantonese is a given.

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Cantonese or Mandarin? A debate in Hong Kong education since 2008

While several departments and consultative committees have their own vision, many of these views-from-a-silo are not interlocked within a coherent blueprint. Hong Kong needs a well-articulated master plan for economic and human development, with clear goals, close inter-agency coordination and better communication with its citizens and long-term residents.

Hong Kong’s bright future is dependent on understanding what lies ahead and seeing that vision well laid out. It is as vital for depressed students as for harried executives and financial investors. If you can see a future, you can play the long game and motor confidently towards it.

Vijay Verghese is a Hong Kong-based journalist and editor of AsianConversations.com and SmartTravelAsia.com