Stop politicising every social issue

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Young Post Reporter |
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Recently, Hongkongers have been keeping a closer eye on our government. There has been strong opposition against the proposed national education curriculum and development proposals for the northeastern New Territories. These are two examples of the public's anti-government stance.

One can see this opposition in a positive light, since many of us care more about social issues following the national education controversy. The anti-national education movement, largely led by students, was successful, at least in terms of raising public awareness. Such social participation is essential if our society is to become a real democracy.

However, there has been a lot of irrational criticism on social media, including a belief that the government is working for the benefit of Beijing rather than Hong Kong citizens.

People often ignore the bigger picture. For example, there was a photo on the internet of the national flag flying at half-mast at the University of Hong Kong after the Lamma ferry disaster. Lots of critical comments were posted suggesting Beijing's interference in HKU's affairs. But the public ignored the fact that the Hong Kong flag and the university flag were also flown at half-mast. This shows how such incidents, including the failure to cancel the National Day fireworks after the tragedy, are being politicised, while ignoring the government's efficient handling of the disaster.

Hongkongers must be more rational and stop politicising every issue. We should be smart enough to analyse an issue and make the right decision.

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