Diverse and tolerant Hong Kong has always managed to unite to face challenges – and that’s what brings a weary city hope amid the continuing unrest

The past three months have been exhausting, physically and mentally, for MTR staff, police, reporters – and protesters
With the extradition bill withdrawn, now is the time to remember friends on the other side of the dispute and begin mending fences

Bernard Chan

Published: 6:00am, 13 Sep 2019

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Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the full withdrawal of the extradition bill last week. Many people in Hong Kong must now be hoping there is an end in sight to the conflict that has divided our city for three months.

I do not want to sound too optimistic. As the chief executive herself said, the withdrawal of the bill is a technical issue – the measure was already “dead”. Some opponents of the bill are insisting that the government meets other demands. But, as Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said in a recent blog post, maybe it is a first step in resolving the crisis.

I think there are reasons to hope that we may be at a turning point. I know from my personal discussions with a range of people that just about everyone is exhausted – physically and mentally.

Workers cover up some of the damage done to the outside of an MTR station exit in Mong Kok. Photo: Tory Ho

The police have been so stretched that they have consolidated some regular operating duties. The front-line police, and many support staff, have been under unimaginable stress. The same goes for many other workers – especially MTR staff.

Demonstrators must also be feeling the strain. The large numbers who have attended big peaceful rallies must now know that their marching in the summer heat has made an impact. Radicals who confront the police are surely getting tired, especially now a new school year has begun and students need to get back to their studies.

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Life has gone on as usual for most of Hong Kong, but those members of the public who are affected by transport and other disruptions could do without the inconvenience. Some retail, catering and other businesses have seen sharp falls in trade.

Last, but not least, are the media, as one journalist recently made clear to me. When I mentioned that the police are under great stress from long hours on duty, she responded, “We are tired too!” Like many reporters, she has been working for weeks with hardly a break.

The whole of Hong Kong badly needs a rest. It would also be an opportunity for people to start to heal divisions – especially on a personal level among family and friends, in schools and in workplaces.

Hong Kong has always been a diverse community – people of different nationalities and religions, and often conflicting political and other views. But it has a tradition of tolerance and mutual respect. It also has a spirit of perseverance in the face of major challenges.

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The past has shown that we can overcome challenges and come out of them united and stronger than before. Will we be able to do the same this time?

The headmaster of Diocesan Boys’ School mentioned this in his speech to mark the new school year last week. He pointed out that, while our society right now may be divided into two groups, the school is divided into eight houses, each of which has its own colour.

Volunteers clean up the Tseung Kwan O Waterfront Park after Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong on September 16, 2018. Photo: Sam Tsang

They compete with each other in sports and other events, but which always unite behind the whole school. As an example, he recalled efforts by students and staff to clean up the campus after Typhoon Mangkhut last year.

He also showed the assembly a recent picture of two former students. They had been old friends since their days at the school, and they had been having dinner together. It was a night on which serious unrest broke out in Hong Kong, and the two were both called out to work. They took the selfie before they went their separate ways.

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The surprising thing is that one was in the disciplined services, while the other is a journalist. At times like this, we might think of them as being on opposing sides in our divided community. Yet their long-lasting friendship is stronger than a political or social split running between professions and other groups.

This split has affected many families and groups of friends and colleagues. I have heard of so many parents arguing with children, and brothers and sisters not speaking to each other – it is depressing.

If the situation does start to calm down, we should look around at people we have disagreed or even argued with. Maybe we can just imagine what it will be like to put these disputes behind us one day – and reach out to them and be friends again. Hopefully, the time for that will be sooner than we currently think.

Bernard Chan is convenor of Hong Kong’s Executive Council

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