People holding opposing views, and that includes young radicals, are a healthy sign and necessary to any vibrant society
ELIZABETH WONG
UPDATED : Thursday, 17 March, 2016, 4:11pm
Hong Kong Indigenous candidate Edward Leung Tin-kei was a surprise package in the New Territories East by-election. Photo AP
People here have the right to express opinions without fear of government retaliation, provided, of course, such expression is within the common legal limitations.
Thanks to this freedom of speech, which is also a social barometer to measure change, we are able to see things as they really are.
Take last month’s New Territories East by-election, for example.
They look elegant and speak eloquent Cantonese with heroic overtones
Judging from the candidates running in the by-election, we know society is changing, even as we take a snapshot of the political rifts and cultural shifts that exist today.
These candidates are not only younger than their predecessors but are also more open about their political propensity.
They look elegant and speak eloquent Cantonese with heroic overtones. Together, they present a picture of a new generation of politicians, epitomising at once the wide spectrum of political leanings, ranging from conservatism, to those who hug the middle ground, and to radicalism, which includes a call for autonomy or independence, “without a bottom line”.
Sociologists tell us that our attitudes, convictions and identities are often influenced, if not shaped, by other individuals with similar experiences from a shared history and background.
Many young politicians, born and bred here, have shared history and experiences in the post-colonial years.
While not all young people are radicals, young radicals attract like-minded supporters, mostly young, who are intrigued by the daring that defies authority; and by the courage that challenges conventional realities.
They could be dangerously wrong; yet, youth mitigates its own follies.
A sign of the times – but chaos in the Legislative Council is just another example of our evolving political system. Photo: Dickson Lee
So it should come as no surprise to anyone that eligible young people, even radicals, who are interested in entering the political arena by standing for election, stand a good chance of being elected, even though it sounds ironic that radicals who wish to demolish the system should also wish to join it.
There is no better testament to the city’s political rifts and cultural shifts than last week’s fiascos and fracas over the blocking and unblocking of the controversial supplementary provision for the Express Rail project.
The Groucho Marx type of antics used in filibustering is innovative. And the Speedy Gonzalez type of snap-voting by a show of hands, and not by a sleight of hand, is imaginative.
Contrary to popular misconception, I think opposing views are a healthy sign of the swings and balances, points and counterpoints, necessary to any vibrant society.
Still, rifts and shifts, by definition, are rifting and shifting all the time in a continuum of change.
Elizabeth Wong Chi-lien was secretary for health and welfare from 1990 to 1994 and a lawmaker from 1995 to 1997
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1926396/snapshot-political-rifts-and-cultural-shifts-hong-kong-here-and-now
