Opinion | To ensure Hong Kong’s economic prosperity, young people must be allowed the freedom to pursue personal well-being

To older Hongkongers used to sacrificing personal liberty for economic advancement, young protesters are wrecking the economy

But for youths, prosperity is merely a means to pursue personal happiness, without which wealth is meaningless

Reading Time:3 minutes

Protesters and students stand together to form a human chain, calling for Hong Kong’s chief executive to meet all the demands made by anti-government protesters, at Chinese University on September 6. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 5:00am, 12 Sep 2019Updated: 5:32am, 12 Sep 2019

According to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, economic prosperity is not an end in itself; it is no more than one means to the end of enriching people’s lives. When personal well-being is excluded, the future darkens and economic decline soon follows. As Hong Kong’s economic future is all about its youngsters, their quest for well-being must be considered.

As Hong Kong is a financial hub, many people in the city work extremely hard to support its economic performance. And on multiple occasions during the protests triggered by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, the government has said Hong Kong’s economy is suffering, and this is leading to a deterioration in social well-being.

This resonates with those who helped to build this economically vibrant city. They are especially critical of young protesters because, to them, quality of life hinges on economic prosperity.

Although the extradition bill has been withdrawn, Hongkongers’ fear of the Communist Party regime continues to intensify. This drives youngsters to crusade for personal well-being. But the ongoing contentious protests both weaken the economy and create a divergence in the understanding of “quality of life”. These different views – the pursuit of economic prosperity versus personal well-being – divide Hong Kong.

GDP, a common measure of economic performance, is an estimated sum of the final goods and services produced and traded in a market. But high GDP does not always translate into high GDP per person. For example, China’s GDP per capita ranked 65th in 2018, according to the World Bank, while Hong Kong’s was 10th.

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