Why Hong Kong should value its Chinese identity and not seek democracy at all costs

Why do so many Hongkongers not have a sense of belonging to their own nation, the People’s Republic of China?

This is a difficult question to answer. Some blame it on the lack of  patriotic education .  Others believe it is the less-than-perfect socialist political system in China, and its differences with the British colonial political system in Hong Kong, that has sparked the adamant opposition many Hongkongers now display towards mainland China.

Many feel that China should align its political system with that of its foreign counterparts. They will not refrain from protests until they have the right to vote for their own city’s leader and, ultimately, the leader of their own country.

However, it is perhaps easy to forget that even democracies exist with national boundaries. At the end of the day, Hong Kong and China belong to the same camp, and no foreign country is charged with any responsibility as to the well-being of Hong Kong.

China stands as one of the few ancient civilisations with history extending into the Stone Age. The literary, scientific, philosophical and other sociocultural elements that form the identity of what it ultimately means to be Chinese also serve to build a national pride that unifies the Chinese people.

The number of eminent Chinese ancestors that have walked upon this same land and breathed the same air are innumerable. In an age of increasing globalisation, it is perhaps easy to forget what sets us apart as uniquely Chinese.

If Hong Kong is to preserve its advantage as a melting pot of the East and the West, Hongkongers must not easily forget or forgo their shared cultural and historical roots with their compatriots up north.

Is the ballot box the solution to all of life’s problems? At the end of the day, democratic politics may not serve the true interests of the masses.

Take gun violence as an example. It has been a perennial problem in the United States. And yet, little has been done by the Republican government to increase gun control, for fear of losing the support of the National Rifle Association.

The people can sometimes even become their own worst enemies. Such are the pitfalls of democracy, with the Brexit chaos being one of the best examples.

While seeking political reform in China, it is therefore unwise to idealise, even idolise, democracy, to the point of fighting for it at all costs.

Andy Jou, North Point