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Residents react to the live broadcast of the chief executive’s policy address at a session organised by the Concern for Grassroots’ Livelihood Alliance, on October 25. Disagreements with the government on the right policy measures for Hong Kong should be accepted as part of a mature society. Photo: Edmond So
Opinion
Alice Wu
Alice Wu

There can be no unity in Hong Kong if we cannot embrace disagreement

  • John Lee sowed the seeds of divide in his policy address in singling out those with ‘negativity’ – but writing them off blinds us to what plagues us as a community
  • Amid growing political apathy, for a government calling on people to unite, pushing an ‘us vs them’ rhetoric is a recipe for disaster
Alice Wu
Alice Wu
Why you can trust SCMP
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address took more than three hours and covered a lot of ground.
What caught the most attention was the HK$20,000 (US$2,555) cash bonus for each newborn – unprecedented and a nice gesture. Another headline was the easing of property cooling measures that have been in place for a decade, though this was more of an expectation than a highlight. Clearly, the government has its work cut out for it.
But what jumped out was Lee’s effort in rallying the people of Hong Kong and bringing them into the fold. From the start, he emphasised how he went among the community, with consultation sessions and district visits. He called it “a policy address for each and every one of us”. It is a line he has been repeating to the media.
There were so many policy initiatives unveiled that Simon Lee, co-director of the International Business and Chinese Enterprise programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, compared the blueprint to “a buffet dinner”.

And in terms of how wide John Lee cast the net with his policy initiatives, he did cover “everyone” and more, including foreign talent and companies that would bring in more Hong Kong residents-to-be.

Unfortunately, all the good talk about unity and solidarity, and the pep talk – the “faith” he said he had in the people of Hong Kong – was ruined by the “us vs them” rhetoric in the end. In his concluding remarks, Lee said the “negativity” harboured by some have made the good people of Hong Kong “frustrated”.

Members of League of Social Democrats protest outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong on October 25. Photo: Sam Tsang

“I thank everyone in Hong Kong who cherishes our city, our home. We will not be put off by their negativity. We will not let them erode our unity and our determination to make Hong Kong a success,” he said, sowing the seeds of divide.

Suddenly, his policy address was no longer for “everyone”. Those who are negative, and who may not yet have enough faith in our future because of the challenges we face – and there are many – are no longer “us”, but “them”.

For those young couples who feel the cash bonus and tax allowance aren’t enough to convince them not to put off child-rearing, are they being “negative”?

And here lies the danger of writing off the negative people: when we treat those who may not agree with us as the out-group, we blind ourselves to what plagues us as a community. Ignoring the root of that negativity only lets it grow, whatever the positive outcome of policies and however many key performance indicators are met. In further ostracising those who may not yet be convinced of the brighter future this administration promises, there is no unity to speak of.

03:05

Hong Kong halves buyer’s stamp duty for non-residents as part of measures to boost economy

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Like it or not, the coming district council election is a litmus test of people’s faith in his leadership. This administration has driven the “patriots vs non-patriots” divide into the heart of every district. Voter turnout will be key to whether “everyone” buys into it.
And going by what a recent survey has found, political apathy isn’t working in his favour; and the government knows this.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak has been managing expectations and brushing off the significance of voter turnout. Many factors affect whether people turn up at polling stations, she said, naming weather as a factor, and she’s right. Rain can dampen the urge to head out and vote, but so can good weather. And if we are to “face the trend”, as Lee said, of residents heading north across the border to spend their weekends, then we should expect an even lower turnout.

Mak also talked about overall satisfaction with government performance being a factor for a low turnout. That, too, may be true, but for Hong Kong, with so many unresolved issues, this will definitely not be the case.

Don’t let Hong Kong’s political apathy become a ticking time bomb

The truth of the matter is that voter turnout sends those in power an important message – when people feel their vote does not matter, and is not an agent for change, they do not participate. To write that off as “negativity” would be a grave mistake.

For a government calling on people to unite, ignoring political apathy is a recipe for disaster. Mak can spin it however she wants but at the end of the day, the government cannot have any illusions as to what a low voter turnout means.

Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA

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