Singapore doesn’t profit from Hong Kong chaos, says minister K Shanmugam
- The law and home affairs minister says solutions will have to be found for Hongkongers’ socio-economic and political concerns
- But there is no easy way forward when people take entrenched positions and compromise is necessary, he adds
Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam said that at the most basic level, Hong Kong must deal with the law and order situation that has arisen as protesters have broken into the city’s legislature, defaced flags, held sit-ins at the airport, surrounded police stations and disrupted public transport, among other things.
The extent of the protests, involving thousands including young people as well as members of different professions and civil servants, suggests underlying causes need to be addressed as well, and these could include young Hongkongers’ material aspirations.
But he noted that some protesters also have “an ideological perspective” and would like to see a different structure of government, referring to the calls for greater democracy in electoral systems.
“Unlike socio-economic issues, ideological issues could be more difficult to deal with,” he said in an interview with This Week in Asia in Singapore on Wednesday.
“And these seem to be deeply entrenched positions. My own view … when we see this, we are worried for Hong Kong.”