https://www.scmp.com/rss/319080/feed Dr Tik Chi Yuen is chairman of Third Side. A registered social worker who has served the community for more than 30 years, he has served as a Legislative Councillor and North District Board member. Over the years, he has been involved in a variety of public service roles, focusing on education, welfare, health care and community development policy. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com While the legal cases of young people involved in the protests of 2019 and 2020 are gradually coming to an end, these events do not indicate the resolution of deep-seated conflicts within Hong Kong society. It is crucial for the government to recognise that authentic reconciliation depends on restoring trust with our young people. At present, there is still significant mistrust of the administration among young people, underscoring the need for government-led initiatives to bridge this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3282390/how-hong-kong-can-ensure-its-youth-are-truly-heard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3282390/how-hong-kong-can-ensure-its-youth-are-truly-heard?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:30:07 +0000 The government has indicated that it is studying the legal issues surrounding ride-hailing applications. It plans to release its initial findings in July, and is expected to conduct a public consultation in the first half of 2025. It is certainly time for the government to begin embracing alternative transport options. Ride-hailing services have become a reality in Hong Kong. A media poll showed that 92.7 per cent of respondents support Uber, reflecting the public’s strong demand for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3267028/4-ways-hong-kong-can-make-ride-hailing-work-drivers-and-customers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3267028/4-ways-hong-kong-can-make-ride-hailing-work-drivers-and-customers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2024 21:30:08 +0000 Student suicides and self-harm in Hong Kong are casting a long shadow over our society – and leaving a stain on our collective conscience. Behind the cold numbers provided by the Education Bureau are desperate cries of help that appear to have gone unnoticed. Its data on primary and secondary schools show a doubling of suspected suicides over just five years – from 14 deaths in 2018, 23 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 25 each in 2021 and 2022, to 31 last year. When the loss of precious, young lives is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3258420/stressful-hong-kong-education-system-cannot-escape-blame-student-despair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3258420/stressful-hong-kong-education-system-cannot-escape-blame-student-despair?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Apr 2024 01:30:12 +0000 After the Legislative Council passed the Article 23 national security legislation, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu paid a surprise visit to the legislature later that day. In his speech, he made it clear that the city government, now unburdened by political obstacles, would go all out in turbocharging the economy and uplifting the lives of the people. In the past, government officials have blamed political opposition and filibustering in the Legislative Council for impeding effective... https://www.scmp.com/comment/hk-opinion/article/3256893/no-more-excuses-time-government-make-hongkongers-lives-better?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/hk-opinion/article/3256893/no-more-excuses-time-government-make-hongkongers-lives-better?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2024 01:30:11 +0000 Hong Kong is taking the right path in setting its sights on the international education industry. Education was already being promoted as one of six major industries back in 2009-10, when Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was chief executive. Over the years, our local universities have gained much prestige. Five are now ranked among the world’s top 100 by Times Higher Education: University of Hong Kong (HKU), Chinese University (CUHK), University of Science and Technology, Polytechnic University, and City... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3249969/attract-worlds-best-hong-kong-universities-must-remain-free-and-open?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3249969/attract-worlds-best-hong-kong-universities-must-remain-free-and-open?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jan 2024 01:30:15 +0000 After Hong Kong’s district council election, the efforts of the government and pro-establishment circles have been credited with achieving what Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called a “good” voter turnout of 27.54 per cent. But such a historically low voter turnout surely warrants introspection. Beyond an extensive promotional campaign, what else might ignite the civic spirit in future elections? And as we ponder how our new district councils will function, we should also consider their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245334/district-councils-must-re-engage-hongkongers-and-reverse-disconnect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245334/district-councils-must-re-engage-hongkongers-and-reverse-disconnect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2023 01:30:18 +0000 Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying seems to have his sights set on contesting the chief executive election next year. He has been outspoken in his criticism of the government on various issues. Meanwhile, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, our current chief executive, is also very active. She has been trying to highlight her governing ability and increase her popularity by, for example, buying the rights to broadcast the Tokyo Olympics and boosting the city’s vaccination rate. The keen competition... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140256/hong-kong-needs-governance-revamp-not-just-chief-executive-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3140256/hong-kong-needs-governance-revamp-not-just-chief-executive-change?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 00:30:13 +0000 The pan-democrats have set two preconditions in response to Hong Kong chief executive-elect Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s call for reconciliation: restart political reform, and repeal the National People’s Congress’ 2014 decision setting limits on the city’s electoral progress. Without this, they say, reconciliation is impossible. Will Hong Kong pan-democrats deign to interact with chief executive-elect Carrie Lam? Their demands – a change of tune from the recent past – are puzzling and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2085064/hong-kong-democrats-flip-flop-political-reform-raises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2085064/hong-kong-democrats-flip-flop-political-reform-raises?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2017 08:09:40 +0000 Over the past several years, disputes and confrontations have intensified in Hong Kong. Legislators claim they serve the people, but what have they achieved for them? Politicians try to show off, disregarding community betterment. The city has paid a high price for the wasted hours in the Legislative Council on seemingly endless disputes. Meanwhile, there has been interference by the central government. Data shows that Hong Kong now trails Singapore in competitiveness. We will lose out if we... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2071031/how-beijing-and-hong-kong-government-can-end-political-blame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2071031/how-beijing-and-hong-kong-government-can-end-political-blame?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Feb 2017 05:59:23 +0000 The central government has a long-term plan for Hong Kong. Recently, however, Leung Chun-ying’s decision not to seek re-election, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s apparent initial hesitation and John Tsang Chun-wah seemingly jumping the gun suggest that perhaps Beijing isn’t in full control. Nonetheless, Beijing does its best to control events, not least because it’s the chief executive election. The person elected must be acceptable to central leaders, so Beijing’s policies can be realised. John... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2062561/why-beijing-would-prefer-clear-favourite-hong-kongs-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2062561/why-beijing-would-prefer-clear-favourite-hong-kongs-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Jan 2017 09:54:18 +0000 Constitutional reform has been off the agenda in Hong Kong since last year, when the government’s proposal for the chief executive election was rejected by the Legislative Council. There has been a year of stalemate, and it is time for all sides to take courage and restart the dialogue on this important issue. Calls to relaunch political reform process are fraught with danger The National People’s Congress, the Hong Kong government, and Legco are required to advocate for democratic development... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1947229/hong-kong-must-find-courage-restart-electoral-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1947229/hong-kong-must-find-courage-restart-electoral-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2016 03:33:34 +0000 Some radical localists are promoting independence for Hong Kong. Behind this stance lies the belief that the city’s future is purely a matter for Hong Kong people and none of the Chinese government’s business. This makes me hesitate, not only because of my personal patriotic convictions that, as a Chinese, I want to see the betterment of Chinese people. It is also because Hong Kong’s destiny is deeply linked with the future of China. It is not only that most of our basic necessities come from... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1937340/denial-hong-kong-independence-calls-ignore-inextricable-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1937340/denial-hong-kong-independence-calls-ignore-inextricable-link?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Apr 2016 06:31:55 +0000 When people are marginalised, or treated as unimportant, they will usually either become hostile to such action or become antisocial. Some of our local youths, including gifted student leaders, have done exactly that to express their dissatisfaction, manifesting itself most prominently in last year’s Umbrella Movement. Young people are sources of creativity and innovation, though it’s true they can also be impatient and narrow-minded. When capable young people are given influential positions,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1880770/how-government-can-best-channel-energies-hong-kongs-restless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1880770/how-government-can-best-channel-energies-hong-kongs-restless?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Nov 2015 02:53:08 +0000 Relations between mainland China and Hong Kong are complicated, even frustrating. That is the reality. Accepting it and managing the conflicts from a wider perspective is our only choice if we want Hong Kong to move forward. That is why a group of friends and I have founded a new political party, the Third Side. We do not indulge a single opinion while dismissing others. This open attitude is necessary in our cosmopolitan city, where government leaders at all levels, from Beijing to the SAR, and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1862718/gentler-kinder-hong-kong-will-usher-closer-ties-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1862718/gentler-kinder-hong-kong-will-usher-closer-ties-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:51:02 +0000 To be pragmatic, we have to accept the fact that Hong Kong and mainland China are knitted together. "One country, two systems" is a prerequisite for Hong Kong to keep lives and values unchanged. It is a constitutional concept, a result of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. Given the acceptance of the Basic Law after the change of sovereignty, we must also accept that mainland China plays a part in Hong Kong. As the sovereign state, China has repeatedly issued orders, not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1854022/no-denying-hong-kongs-shared-destiny-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1854022/no-denying-hong-kongs-shared-destiny-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Aug 2015 03:15:15 +0000 To support or to reject the central government - these, it seems, are the only two political choices left in the wake of last year's pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The vicious quarrel between the two sides has depressed most citizens. What people need is a third power that tolerates dissent, and can keep our city moving forward. One solicitor told me recently that "lawmakers nowadays only know how to fight, but fail to make contributions". He is not alone in holding such a gloomy opinion... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848853/way-out-hong-kongs-polarised-politics-possible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1848853/way-out-hong-kongs-polarised-politics-possible?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2015 04:16:32 +0000 The latest official review of Hong Kong's academic structure, which recommended cutting total study time by at least 100 hours for senior secondary students, brought good news to both students and their heavily burdened teachers. The cut should ease some of their workload. Yet, the review leaves some obvious questions. For those who have only a slim chance of getting into university and prefer a vocational education, is there a third way for them? A friend's daughter, JJ, who will enter Form Six... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1838599/hong-kong-students-need-more-options-and-less-stress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1838599/hong-kong-students-need-more-options-and-less-stress?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 2015 04:35:09 +0000 A long-waited advisory report on the gradual implementation of free kindergarten schooling has finally been tabled by a government-appointed committee, arousing much heated discussion about kindergarten subsidies and voucher systems, teacher training and salary range. However, we should not allow debate about financial benefits or government responsibility to overshadow what really matters: our vision for early childhood education, and whether it needs to change. Sadly, this vital point seems to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1819276/hong-kongs-early-childhood-education-lacks-vital-element-fun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1819276/hong-kongs-early-childhood-education-lacks-vital-element-fun?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 09:55:11 +0000 Before the Umbrella Movement last year, the Democratic Party was still able to take the initiative and come up with alternative ways to improve the democratic ingredients of reform for the chief executive election. However, the party has been hijacked by extremists whose only strategy is one of combat. They have forced the party into a corner and set it on the sole path of rejection of any government proposal. Is the party becoming extreme? What is the way out? Last June, the Democrats offered a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1812127/hong-kongs-democrats-must-pull-themselves-back-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1812127/hong-kongs-democrats-must-pull-themselves-back-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2015 16:30:22 +0000 Hong Kong is fast approaching the deadline for reaching a consensus on the proposed reform of the chief executive election in 2017. Supporters and opponents of the government package have less than a month to make compromises. Yet, the fighting continues. Sincerity is required to break the deadlock, for the sake of Hong Kong's development. If both sides can take one step forward, we'd be halfway to a resolution. Beijing has confirmed that the August 31 framework won't be altered; nor will it... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1805096/dont-give-consensus-still-possible-hong-kong-electoral?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1805096/dont-give-consensus-still-possible-hong-kong-electoral?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 May 2015 04:30:30 +0000 After some two years of political disputes, the Hong Kong government has finally put forward its proposal for reform of the chief executive election in 2017, devised within the framework laid down by the National People's Congress Standing Committee. However, the package is vigorously opposed by the pan-democrats, due to restrictions on the nomination of candidates. No sooner had the initial phase of political reform discussions begun when the pan-democrats began a series of combative civil... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1792836/hong-kongs-pan-democrats-must-return-middle-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1792836/hong-kongs-pan-democrats-must-return-middle-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2015 09:05:21 +0000