MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): Deputy President, in Hong Kong, there really exist some deep-seated conflicts which have long plagued the community. Previously embroiled in the persisting political wrangling, Hong Kong had no time to address these problems at all, making them increasingly difficult to tackle. Today’s motion has given the general public a very opportunity to reflect on the root causes of the problems properly. Now that society has basically been back on track, the Government and the general public should zero in on these problems to resolve them in a united spirit.
Hong Kong’s deep-seated conflicts involve a variety of areas, but I believe at least three areas require urgent attention, namely poverty problem, lack of upward mobility opportunities for young people, and housing difficulties. These three social problems are the root causes of grievances, so if they are properly addressed, our community will be a lot happier. As I analysed a number of times before, the problems of poverty and housing difficulties in Hong Kong have plagued the community for a long time. Given the time limit, I am not going to repeat myself. I just hope that the Government will devote more efforts to resolving the problems expeditiously, and we look forward to seeing that.
As for the lack of upward mobility opportunities for young people, it has seldom been discussed in society, but its far-reaching implications can deprive society of vigour and dynamism, and also affect the long-term economic development. Just like the Western developed societies, Hong Kong has seen its economy reach a mature stage where significant expansion is no longer possible. For most young people, it is difficult to get the opportunity for promotion or a pay rise through hard work. Even for university graduates, there is no guarantee that they can secure employment, not to mention moving up to the management level. Under such circumstances, young people are simply unable to share the fruits of social prosperity, thus causing them to nurse grievances, and even have an anti-social tendency. What is worse, they can hardly afford a home, so it is conceivable why they are resentful. All these, when coupled with the incitement by those with ulterior motives, will make young people completely overwhelmed by anger, and this is one of the very causes leading to the “black-clad violence” incidents.
With that in mind, I have been advocating the development of headquarters economy over the years, hoping that more quality job opportunities will be created for young people when more foreign enterprises come to invest in Hong Kong. In recent years, I have repeatedly proposed that the Government should invite our country’s innovation and technology enterprises to come to list in Hong Kong and to relocate some of their departments here. The Government should also provide concessionary policies for enterprises in return for their recruitment of more young people. Recently, a number of vacancies for middle-ranking positions have emerged due to an increased number of people emigrating from Hong Kong. I then proposed to the Chief Executive the other day that the Government and public organizations should set a new trend in society by breaking the conventions to promote capable young people to fill the vacancies, and it should adopt measures to encourage companies in the private sector to follow suit, so as to turn the crisis arising from the wave of emigration into an opportunity for young people. In fact, when Hong Kong experienced a wave of emigration back then, many young people were given the opportunity to move up the ladder. I believe that young people in Hong Kong today are capable enough to move up the ladder, and we should give them more opportunities.
Finally, I need to point out that if Hong Kong wants to resolve such issues as deep-seated conflicts, wealth disparity, and unequal distribution of social resources, it is necessary for the Government to first examine various policies to see whether they have been biased in favour of anyone, or whether anyone has profited from the grey areas in the policies. The Government has the responsibility to make changes if the underprivileged have been put at a disadvantage under the system. In recent years, the Government has done a lot of work to make society fairer, so we must be careful about our focus which should be placed on supporting the underprivileged and giving a pull to them to narrow the gap between them and the privileged, instead of … If anyone tries to take this opportunity to deal a blow to what we call the privileged class, it will only intensify social conflicts and confrontation, bringing nothing but harm to today’s Hong Kong society which has already endured an immense amount of suffering. Since all that Hong Kong needs now, I believe, is the solidarity of all Hong Kong people, the right course to take is to bring all members of the public together in the spirit of togetherness, seeking our common ground amid different views and working in concert with one another. Thank you, Deputy President.