Silent voices in SAR deserve equal attention
Updated: 2014-08-14 07:19
By Vera Lim(HK Edition)
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Hong Kong is becoming an increasingly polarized society, due to the "Occupy Central" movement. As the situation stands, with every new proclamation made by either side, the chance of achieving a compromise decreases. On one end, there are the supporters of the movement, aiming to achieve "genuine universal suffrage" for the election of the Chief Executive through civil disobedience. On the other, there are those who felt obligated to sign the petition against "Occupy Central", which plans to paralyze the financial heart of Hong Kong.
For the movement to achieve the momentum and effectiveness of its namesake, "Occupy Wall Street", it needs greater support than the 10,000 who have been invited to participate. Moreover, it has to cripple the cause of the people's anger - in the case of "Occupy Wall Street", Wall Street was targeted because it is home to many of the big corporations, which earned the people's wrath because of the influence they had on the US government. However, the financial hub of Central is tied more to the rest of the world than to the central government in Beijing. The big four accounting firms have already expressed their disdain for the movement. Should "Occupy Central" achieve its aims of paralyzing the business and financial center of Hong Kong, all it signifies is the likelihood of alienating the corporations that are behind the city's success as one of the key financial hubs of the world.
Those who will be suffering the effects of a successful "Occupy Central" are also mounting protests of their own. Perhaps the saddest thing about the "Occupy" movement is how it estranges the very people whose liberty it claims to safeguard. The organizers of the anti-"Occupy Central" movement have accumulated a number exceeding that of the "civil referendum" conducted by the "Occupy Central" advocates. There is also protest mounted by minibus operators, some of whom are sticking anti-"Occupy Central" flyers to their vehicles. These are the ordinary men and women whose prime objective is to fulfill the responsibilities that accompany life in a competitive society. They are also the people most likely to suffer the backlash of a successful "Occupy Central" - instead of the central government whom the movement is trying to pressure into granting their demands.
Idealism is the domain of the young and academics. Most theories on how societies should function look excellent on paper, but usually backfire spectacularly when implemented in the real world. Furthermore, in spite of the noble intentions motivating many protests worldwide, the majority (including "Occupy Wall Street") fail to achieve their goals. It may be time to listen to the opinions of those on the street, instead of either the "pan-democrats" or the pro-establishment. After all, this silent majority is silent because their preoccupations are on more pressing matters related to their livelihoods, and for groups such as the minibus operators to react as strongly as they did in opposition to "Occupy Central", it signals the need for all parties to pay attention to these silent voices.
Hong Kong needs moderates now more than ever, although it is an unpopular position to be in. The aim of all parties involved in the current political bickering should be to reunite a splintered community, instead of presenting the public with a "them-or-us" conundrum. As the situation stands, the collective happiness of society, in the form of stability, harmony, and security is at stake due to this "Occupy Central" impasse.
The author is a humanities graduate from Singapore. She is now teaching as a visiting fellow at the City University of Hong Kong.
(HK Edition 08/14/2014 page9)