By: Azhar Azam
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)" https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-11-14/What-does-HKSAR-need-from-its-people--LAB3wJu43m/index.html and republished by "China Daily" https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201911/22/WS5dd73f4da310cf3e35579405.html
Hong Kong was one of the world’s safest cities in the world but over the past few months, the foreign-backed social unrest combined with vandalism to the public properties and infrastructure networks has fatally tainted the territory’s image for being a safe city and an important international trade and financial hub.
The ceaseless strife in the Chinese autonomous region has dropped its ranking in the Safe Cities Index from #9 in 2017 to #20 in 2019, plunged GDP by 2.9% in Q3-2019, intensely affected visitors’ arrival, and enormously stifled retail sales and other economic numbers.
Lower the GDP, higher the “economic fever”, so the debilitated growth would hit the wallets of the Hong Kong people in the form of slackened average income. The turbulence would also put a squeeze on new employment opportunities besides slicing existing jobs.
Lurching economic numbers and deteriorating peace conditions are not inhibiting rioters to mend their radical actions. Tolerance seems to have dispelled as the newest footage showed that some of radicals doused inflammable liquid on a pro-peace activist and set him on fire.
It was unfortunate that Chinese President Xi Jingping last week’s call to quell the violence in accordance with law was responded with such a gruesome incident by the rioters, which shook the world and enumerated that the violent protests are inching towards terrorism.
The horrendous incident also flaunted that the radicals have nothing to do with welfare and prosperity of the region’s people and were not campaigning for the so-called “pro-democratic” rights in the region and were pursuing to destabilize and spark havoc to gain international traction.
Candidly, violent protestors should have dispersed immediately after Chief Executive Carrie Lam had shelved the extradition treaty and China had also endorsed its support, respect, and understanding. But since the rioters’ western masters barred them to go back homes, the brutish strikers continued to wreak mayhem in the city.
Violent protestors should feel blessed that their chief executive and the parental Chinese government have shown incredible tolerance and has not yet opted to employ harsh measures such as clampdown, curfew, and large-scale detainments, which are routinely undertaken by the global governments to crush the goaded disarray.
However if the violence continues to burgeon in Hong Kong and the radicals are disinclined to quit their vehement and vandalistic acts, the worsening circumstances could anytime spillover Lam’s forbearance and could induce her to forego the course of her maximum restraint and devise a more strict action plan to ensure peace and stability.
In addition, since the rioters are indisposed to overturn their defiance and engage in a dialogue with Lam administration, the region is threatening to be pushed into such an ultimate turmoil where no one would be able to rheostat the serious consequences..
Therefore, in the face of the continued violence and economic turmoil, the Hong Kong government and residents need to come to light and step up their efforts to denounce and dissuade the violent protests that have reeled their city into chaos and its economy towards “technical recession.”
While it is the fundamental duty of any government to restore peace and stability in its controlled region, it is also the responsibility of the citizens to back and aid their administration to cope with extremism and violence.
Appreciatively, a large number of ordinary Hong Kongers want peace and stability and are fed up of the disruptive activities being carried out by the rioters. The recent online petition, which called for an end to violence and was signed by more than 1.1 million Hong Kong residents, is testimony that a large number of Hong Kongers had strong faith in their government and the basic principle of “One Country, Two Systems.”
Lam administration should take a note from the ordinary Hong Kongers sentiments and increasingly synchronize the people to defuse the volatile situation in the city as no other than they themselves could better help the region to recover from desolation.
The Hong Kong authorities should further focus to forge government-public fusions and exert united and concerted efforts to pull out their region from uncertainty and unrest and prevent the city from becoming another casualty of the “great game.”
*This is one of my opinion pieces (unedited) that first appeared at "China Global Television Network (CGTN)" https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-11-14/What-does-HKSAR-need-from-its-people--LAB3wJu43m/index.html and republished by "China Daily" https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201911/22/WS5dd73f4da310cf3e35579405.html
Hong Kong was one of the world’s safest cities in the world but over the past few months, the foreign-backed social unrest combined with vandalism to the public properties and infrastructure networks has fatally tainted the territory’s image for being a safe city and an important international trade and financial hub.
The ceaseless strife in the Chinese autonomous region has dropped its ranking in the Safe Cities Index from #9 in 2017 to #20 in 2019, plunged GDP by 2.9% in Q3-2019, intensely affected visitors’ arrival, and enormously stifled retail sales and other economic numbers.
Lower the GDP, higher the “economic fever”, so the debilitated growth would hit the wallets of the Hong Kong people in the form of slackened average income. The turbulence would also put a squeeze on new employment opportunities besides slicing existing jobs.
Lurching economic numbers and deteriorating peace conditions are not inhibiting rioters to mend their radical actions. Tolerance seems to have dispelled as the newest footage showed that some of radicals doused inflammable liquid on a pro-peace activist and set him on fire.
It was unfortunate that Chinese President Xi Jingping last week’s call to quell the violence in accordance with law was responded with such a gruesome incident by the rioters, which shook the world and enumerated that the violent protests are inching towards terrorism.
The horrendous incident also flaunted that the radicals have nothing to do with welfare and prosperity of the region’s people and were not campaigning for the so-called “pro-democratic” rights in the region and were pursuing to destabilize and spark havoc to gain international traction.
Candidly, violent protestors should have dispersed immediately after Chief Executive Carrie Lam had shelved the extradition treaty and China had also endorsed its support, respect, and understanding. But since the rioters’ western masters barred them to go back homes, the brutish strikers continued to wreak mayhem in the city.
Violent protestors should feel blessed that their chief executive and the parental Chinese government have shown incredible tolerance and has not yet opted to employ harsh measures such as clampdown, curfew, and large-scale detainments, which are routinely undertaken by the global governments to crush the goaded disarray.
However if the violence continues to burgeon in Hong Kong and the radicals are disinclined to quit their vehement and vandalistic acts, the worsening circumstances could anytime spillover Lam’s forbearance and could induce her to forego the course of her maximum restraint and devise a more strict action plan to ensure peace and stability.
In addition, since the rioters are indisposed to overturn their defiance and engage in a dialogue with Lam administration, the region is threatening to be pushed into such an ultimate turmoil where no one would be able to rheostat the serious consequences..
Therefore, in the face of the continued violence and economic turmoil, the Hong Kong government and residents need to come to light and step up their efforts to denounce and dissuade the violent protests that have reeled their city into chaos and its economy towards “technical recession.”
While it is the fundamental duty of any government to restore peace and stability in its controlled region, it is also the responsibility of the citizens to back and aid their administration to cope with extremism and violence.
Appreciatively, a large number of ordinary Hong Kongers want peace and stability and are fed up of the disruptive activities being carried out by the rioters. The recent online petition, which called for an end to violence and was signed by more than 1.1 million Hong Kong residents, is testimony that a large number of Hong Kongers had strong faith in their government and the basic principle of “One Country, Two Systems.”
Lam administration should take a note from the ordinary Hong Kongers sentiments and increasingly synchronize the people to defuse the volatile situation in the city as no other than they themselves could better help the region to recover from desolation.
The Hong Kong authorities should further focus to forge government-public fusions and exert united and concerted efforts to pull out their region from uncertainty and unrest and prevent the city from becoming another casualty of the “great game.”