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Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 00:33
Never forget 'Occupy' protests' indelible cost
By Kung Chi-ping
Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 00:33 By Kung Chi-ping

Of all the issues in a society, nothing matters more than people’s livelihood. The illegal “Occupy Central” protests that took place more than four years ago left our beautiful city in such a mess that the disruptions caused to commuters, as well as the pain inflicted on the lives of Hong Kong’s 7 million residents, are still fresh in our memory.

Not only did the demonstrations cause suffering to millions of local residents, but also turned Hong Kong — one of the world’s safest cities — into a riot zone. Major business districts were relegated to chaotic hubs with traffic and capital flows severely hindered. At the height of the protests, more than 60 percent of bus routes on Hong Kong Island were affected and more than 1,000 hotel room reservations had to be canceled daily. The occupation also caused multiple countries to issue travel warnings against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The illegal movement has exposed the opposition camp’s real political agenda, which is, in order to advance their political interests, they would wreak havoc on people’s livelihood, the economy and the rule of law at all costs

From commuting to catering and retail experience, to the diversion of bus routes and the suspension of schools, the illegal movement caused evident inconvenience to ordinary citizens. A significant loss of income was also reported for retailers, taxi drivers, those in the service industry and anyone toiling for a living. Economists estimated that the stock market downturn sparked by the protests had cost Hong Kong as much as HK$350 billion ($45 billion) in direct economic losses — equivalent to an average loss of HK$50,000 per person.

Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center had also been dealt a heavy blow. The city’s six major chambers of commerce hit out at the “Occupy” movement for impairing the local economy, people’s livelihood and the investment environment. The cancellation of the opening ceremony of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect scheduled for October 2014 caused widespread concern and angst among the international financial community.

At that time, many financial heavyweights in Hong Kong stated that the financial market is the lifeline of the local economy, and the city’s status as a global financial center relies on the rule of law. They warned that “Occupy Central” would shake the financial industry’s foundation, and negatively impact investor confidence, which would exact a heavy price on Hong Kong.

I can’t see where the “justice” comes from when the likes of Benny Tai Yiu-ting repeatedly emphasized the “occupation” was a means to “achieve justice by breaking the law”. Doesn’t the so-called “justice” refer to the manifestation of a handful of people’s political stance through radical and illegal actions, which were undertaken at the cost of turning Hong Kong into a riot zone? Is it worth allowing the political ideals of a few dissidents and their supporters to infringe the rule of law and the interests of Hong Kong’s 7 million people?

In fact, many people shared their truthful thoughts with the media during the illegal protests. Some said the demonstrations should not come at a cost to people’s livelihood. Retailers and merchants complained that the paralysis of city centers had negatively affected their income.

According to the results of a poll released on Nov 19, 2014 by the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong — which generally favors the opposition camp — 83 percent of the respondents said the protestors should call off their illegal activities, while only 13 percent thought they should continue. Another 68 percent agreed that the government should take action to clear the occupied sites. 

The illegal movement has exposed the opposition camp’s real political agenda, which is, in order to advance their political interests, they would wreak havoc on people’s livelihood, the economy and the rule of law at all costs. From their opposition to the launch of the Hong Kong section of the country’s high-speed rail network, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the North East New Territories New Development Areas Project, the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, to the HKSAR Government’s land reclamation initiatives, they’re the only ones who have voiced stern opposition to projects that are widely recognized for the benefits that can be brought to our city. Their antagonism can be explained by their very motive to politicize just every social issue to advance their political agenda.

The opposition has been resorting to radical protests, filibustering in the Legislative Council and judicial reviews to contest the initiatives the government gives priority to, which are precisely the issues that people desire to resolve the most. If they succeed in impeding Hong Kong’s development, paralyzing the administration and bringing the livelihood of people to a standstill, they can then leverage public grievances to canvass more votes.

Wang Zhimin — director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR — pointed out recently that peace and stability underlies development. Without the two prerequisites, improving livelihood will become empty talk. The results of the two LegCo by-elections held last year testify to how the opposition camp had managed to stir up public anger by politicizing and opposing every initiative put forward by the government.

As the opposition camp is suffering from dwindling approval ratings, it’s high time they reflected on who they’re really opposed to.

This is an excerpt translation of an article published earlier in Ta Kung Pao.

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