Perspectives on Hong Kong's current political crisis

The most important thing the protests in Hong Kong have shown is the COMPLETE lack of leadership from the government.

For weeks, our Chief Executive was nowhere to be seen, yet this is the time the city needs a true leader to restore calm, even at a time the public wants her out.

Carrie Lam: you need to address the public NOW (you’re already far too late in my view). And don’t read off a speech someone wrote for you. Speak as a leader and show a genuine willingness to listen, and not just blame 2 million people that took to the streets peacefully to disagree with you for the current political turmoil in Hong Kong.

I don’t condone any of the violence or destructive behaviour in recent days, and I think some of the protesters are a bit excessive (and reckless) in their approach (which will ultimately hurt the economy and people’s livelihoods, which I know nobody wants), but it’s hard to not empathise with citizens living under a mismanaged, incompetent, and overpaid government that completely ignores them. As the CE, that doesn’t mean you need to (or should) give in to every single demand made by the people, but if you don’t even show your face or signal a desire to have a more open dialogue to those you govern, you can’t be surprised at the result.

The ongoing protests are also much more than just a fight for democracy. Local Hong Kongers, particularly the youth, are rightfully frustrated that the government has done absolutely nothing for them.

Instead of building better schools, hospitals, and more affordable public housing (note: the government is currently sitting on nearly HKD 2 trillion in fiscal reserves...so it can afford to do a few things), it spends USD 20 billion building a moronic bridge to Macau that nobody uses, launches advertisements on TV about completely and utterly useless garbage that looks like it was put together by primary school children, and provides an old age allowance (the equivalent of a pension) of HKD 1,345 per month (what are you supposed to do with that?), which is not even means tested (in other words, billionaires over 70 also receive this money). It also hired a “think tank” who had the genius idea to build an artificial island just off Lantau at the cost of a small country’s GDP rather than just start with much more tenable solutions in the short-term.

Meanwhile, graduates (and HK people more generally) have ZERO hope of ever owning their own coffin home (note: the graduate salary at a Big 4 accounting firm in a prestigious ‘advisory’ team is HKD 14.500 per month). As such, young adults these days don’t even have a place to screw (and they certainly can’t afford to rent a room), let alone be left in some peace and quiet. No wonder they’re taking to the streets en masse at night...it’s more free space than they have ever had!

And, as a brief reminder of property prices in Hong Kong, the ratio of the median property price to the median household income is currently ~21x, the highest in the world by a mile. This means a household needs to save every penny of their income for at least 10.5 years (in other words, not actually eating, drinking, breathing, or paying a single cent in tax) to put a DEPOSIT on a 300-400 sq ft apartment (gross area...net is probably 280 sq ft) under the city’s current mortgage restrictions, excluding stamp duties and agents fees (which would add another 1-2 years) and renovations (add another 1-2 years for that cost as well).

The fact is, these kids (rightfully) feel like they have no hope; and with that comes absolutely nothing to lose.

For all of its flaws, I absolutely love Hong Kong. It’s the place of my birth and my home, and one of the best cities in the world. It’s sad watching things turn to absolute crap, and I do feel very sorry for the police and emergency services right now who are under a lot of pressure, but enough is enough. The government needs to get its act together and start communicating with - and listening to - the public.

Carrie Lam: you are not our “mother” (who needs to discipline your children), as you recently likened yourself to. You are an elected government official who is supposed to represent the people of Hong Kong, yet you have shown yourself to be so out of touch with reality. I don’t not think the intent of your government’s actions are the problem here; it’s really a failure of execution and communication.

You took the job, which isn’t an easy one, but now is the time you need to really step up and do it...and you may find the people more willing to play ball.

The fact is, I believe most people in this city would prefer you step up than step down. I know I would.

#hongkong #protests #democracy #hk #government #politics