Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3029941/joshua-wong-may-hold-key-ending-protests-and-creating-bright-future
Comment/ Letters

Joshua Wong may hold the key to ending the protests and creating a bright future for Hong Kong

Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Demosisto and leader of the “umbrella movement”, arrives to testify before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, in Washington on September 17. Photo: AFP

I came to Hong Kong in 1966 and lived and served through the 1966 and 1967 riots. I have never been so concerned for Hong Kong as I am now, not even during the 2014 “umbrella movement”.

Today’s problems are just so much larger, deeper and more complex. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s reckless extradition bill exposed problems so big that they cannot be quickly or easily resolved: the enormous wealth gap in Hong Kong and our different lifestyles vis-à-vis China. The young, in particular, have their whole lives before them and see only obstacles they cannot surmount.

The immediate problem was caused by Lam’s efforts to ram through the passage of the bill, regardless of all else, in callous disregard for the Hong Kong populace. Anyone familiar with Hong Kong’s history would know that this would have been seen by many as a first step towards reinstating the dreaded Article 23.

Dialogue is now imperative, but it must be open, sincere and inclusive. The problems must be clearly defined and accepted by all parties – the Hong Kong government, Beijing, the affected Hong Kong sectors, such as the business sector, and the youth – for any progress to be made.

This dialogue platform must be permanent and should be open to any sector to request their participation and, or to submit their requests or submissions. Reporting should be open and transparent.

Meanwhile, how to stop the current unrest? For me, there is one immediate tantalising prospect: Joshua Wong Chi-fung.

Convince Wong of a sincere, inclusive, ongoing program of reform within today’s constraints and I believe he has the moral authority to call a halt to the protests.

This is the start that we in Hong Kong and all our compatriots in China want.

Brian Hardaway, Lamma Island