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Opinion | Over six months of protests, Hong Kong’s leaders may have been ‘too simple, too naive’
- The deep divisions in society since the Occupy movement in 2014 have only hardened over the recent protests
- The government must modify or introduce new legislation to streamline police responses to various levels of violence and introduce a code of conduct for the media
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The troubles in Hong Kong are rooted in the failure to successfully prosecute the South Korean farmers who brought the city to a standstill when it hosted the World Trade Organisation ministerial conferences in 2005. Of the more than 1,000 activists arrested, only 14 were ever charged and none were convicted. The soft-handed approach undermined the authority of the Hong Kong police.
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In the aftermath of the failed WTO prosecutions, Hong Kong activists became more radical in the lead-up to the 2014 “umbrella movement”. The first major response to Occupy on September 28 involved a small group of unprepared riot officers hoping to clear Harcourt Road, who were outnumbered by a massive crowd of protesters.
Despite occupying Hong Kong for 79 days, only a handful of protesters were imprisoned but it still galled activists and created deep divisions within society. The government should have used this time to heal wounds, but instead chose to ignore the problems and aggressively pursue pro-democracy activists.
Over the past six months while many hoped for a bold announcement in one of the many news conferences, we have been watching a government in shock as Hong Kong slides into social and economic chaos. The once much-respected police force has been demonised in the international media.
The critical demarcation between Hong Kong and China have been blurred by conspiracy theorists alleging People’s Liberation Army interference and worsened by clumsy state media defending the Hong Kong leadership and rule of law.
Even if the current wave of violence stops, it will take several years for the government and police to win back the trust of the people. Hongkongers are generally sceptical and it will be difficult for the administration to change a mindset that has been solidified by terabytes of unchallenged anti-government social media content.
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