[01 Weekly Editorial] Take the wrong past as a warning and seek change in the right way

Last Wednesday (January 19), Liang Tianqi, a former spokesman for the Local Democracy Front, was released from prison after four years in prison.

He used to be a core member of the "Hong Kong independence" trend of thought, and put forward the slogan "Recover Hong Kong, revolution of our times", and can be said to be one of the initiators of "Hong Kong independence" and "courage".

After him, especially the 2019 anti-amendment movement, we saw more young people under the banner of Hong Kong independence, committing illegal and violent acts.

This is not only the young people who have gone astray, it can be said that Hong Kong has gone the wrong way.

With the resolute action of the central government, the current issue in Hong Kong is not only "stop violence and chaos", but also how to make young people "return again".

Liang Tianqi advocated "national self-determination", once advocated for Hong Kong's independence from China, and advocated "repression of violence with force", urging demonstrators to abandon the bottom line of "peace and reason" and switch to radical violence, and even threatened that Hong Kong "only There is only one revolution left."

Six years ago, shortly after the establishment of "Hong Kong 01", Liang Tianqi participated in the Legislative Council New Territories East by-election after the Mong Kok riots.

At that time, we severely criticized Liang Tianqi and directly denied his arguments and propositions. Some young colleagues resigned as a result, and the public also exaggerated the "red media" image of "Hong Kong 01".

However, what we oppose is not the young people themselves represented by Liang Tianqi, but their radical and dangerous propositions, which remains unchanged to this day.

In the social atmosphere of the year, we may not be understood, but after the turmoil of the past few years, everyone should be able to see clearly.

In prison, Liang Tianqi called on demonstrators "not to be dominated by hatred".

(Photo by Yu Junliang)

Whether the years in prison have changed Liang Tianqi, and how much he regrets his claims, we don't know for sure, but two years ago, Liang Tianqi called on protesters in prison to "not be dominated by hatred."

With him now free, society might as well give him some time to see how he performs before making a decision.

If he does change his mind and abandons the idea of ​​"Hong Kong independence" and violence, perhaps he can represent a generation's innovation and prove that although some of our young people were once carried away by blood and went astray, they can still change. Sincerely.

If a young man like Liang Tianqi who has a passion for Hong Kong can become a healthy new force in promoting social reform, he will be a prodigal son.

Young people can be taught to avoid rushing into a dead end

In 2019, over 10,000 people were arrested during the anti-amendment demonstrations. By the end of September last year, more than 2,000 people had been prosecuted.

Some of them have already been sentenced and jailed, and many more are still awaiting the judicial process and don't even know if they will eventually be prosecuted.

Some people with less serious cases may have completed their sentences, but many people are in a more severe situation than Liang Tianqi, especially those who are suspected of violating the "Hong Kong National Security Law".

For those who have tried the law in the past, we agree that they need to pay for their mistakes.

Beyond that, however, the real test of society begins, and that is how to guide them back on track.

Whether they are already serving sentences or awaiting legal proceedings, even if they have made mistakes, they are not all diehards, especially since many students and young people in this anti-amendment movement do not even know what "Hong Kong independence" is. The concept is only influenced by peers and social atmosphere and mistakenly think that violence can solve problems.

We should not forget that before the anti-amendment movement, most of the young people in Hong Kong regarded going north to Shenzhen for consumption and Taobao to "scavenge goods" as their daily activities, which shows that their hatred of the mainland is not deeply rooted.

What these people lack is the correct education and values, as well as a clear understanding of reality.

Now that the social movement is gone, those who were once dizzy have calmed down. In many cases, young people can see that they regret their past behavior.

For these young people, society should give them a chance to start over.

In 2019, over 10,000 people were arrested during the anti-amendment demonstrations, and by the end of September last year, more than 2,000 people had been prosecuted.

(Getty Images)

"Anyone who has no faults, can be changed, and goodness is great" is an old saying that everyone is familiar with. The question that the public urgently needs to think about is how to help young people who have accidentally stumbled in the political frenzy to repent and create conditions for them to recover. Newborns, instead of continuing to look at them with a "catch-and-kill" mentality.

Recently, there have been reports that some young people arrested in connection with the anti-amendment bill were sentenced to be expelled from school after being convicted, or that it was difficult to find a job after being released from prison, and some were ostracized just because of their arrest; Member Zhang Xinyu was also questioned for hiring an assistant who had made extreme remarks... This kind of phenomenon is not ideal.

The society needs more and more rational voices. For example, Liang Zhenying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, emphasized on social media that there should be a reward and punishment mechanism. He believes that only those who repent should be given opportunities by the society. Legislative Council Member Tian Beichen suggested that the government take the initiative to help those young people who have remorse. People return to school, learn correct values, and share their own experiences with others; Chu Kwok-keung, member of the Legislative Council of Education, and Leung Mei-fun, member of the Election Committee, also said that schools and society should give repentant young people the opportunity to rehabilitate .

There is no room for Hong Kong to undertake violence and radical ideas again. Whenever someone challenges the bottom line of society and the principles of peace, rationality and non-violence, the government and society should stop it without hesitation, instead of being as sloppy as in the past. Palliative indulgence.

However, young people are full of energy. Once they make mistakes, society also needs to give them space for them to settle down and reflect.

If you don't give them a chance, or even just use brute force to force them into a corner, it may not be an effective way to eliminate extreme paranoid thoughts, and it may even be counterproductive, causing them to go astray again. generation after generation.

Just as the victorious countries of the First World War imposed extremely harsh punishments on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, which turned out to be the factors that stimulated Germany to enter World War II, from a pragmatic point of view, society should now take the initiative to accept those who have made mistakes. Young people, provide a space for them to renew their thinking.

Taking history as a mirror, we need to have the wisdom to severely punish wrongdoing while avoiding counter-effects and creating more enemies for society.

Reform, repair, tear development, provide hope

"Hong Kong 01" called for repairing the tear after the Occupy Central movement. After the anti-amendment movement, the society should deeply understand the importance of unity, rather than continue to tear into the yellow and blue camps.

The late CCP leader Mao Zedong once emphasized that "struggle for unity", that is, unity is the ultimate goal, and struggle is only a means. If the young people who have made mistakes are not given a chance, it is a mistake to regard the means as the goal and forget the society. What is needed is unity.

Of course, it is not very interesting to talk about unity, otherwise the US President Biden, who claims to be a moderate line, should be able to solve the serious division in American society this year.

To be truly united, we have to go back to where we started - why are young people so restless?

A series of events ranging from Occupy Central to anti-amendment demonstrations have strong political factors, but the reason why young people are so easily incited to participate in illegal and violent protests is obviously not purely a political issue.

From ancient Rome to the French Revolution, from Chen Sheng to Wu Guang to the Communist Party, the history of ancient and modern China and foreign countries tells us that the lower classes, as victims of social mechanisms, are often the most likely to accumulate dissatisfaction, and are also the most likely to vent their dissatisfaction through radical means.

Hong Kong is ostensibly one of the wealthiest cities in Asia, but it is also one of the regions with the widest disparity between the rich and the poor.

High cost of living, long working hours, low wages, lack of security in retirement, suitable housing is just a castle in the air... All these make it difficult for the lower class to settle down.

In this society with low mobility and difficulty in going upstairs, young people are more prone to restlessness and incitement.

Let me ask, if young people are satisfied with life and hopeful for the future, why should they rush to change?

(Photo by Yu Junliang)

Let me ask, if young people are satisfied with life and hopeful for the future, why should they rush to change?

Therefore, when we talk about the problems exposed in social movements in recent years, we should make a clear distinction: the fault of young people is not that they want to change, but that the root of the problem is wrong.

Politicians and the rest of society should show a correct way to deal with social problems. This is the way to solve the root cause of the tear.

Reform is essentially a race against time with social problems.

Although Hong Kong society has generally returned to calm, a series of deep-rooted problems have not been improved much, let alone solved.

Compared with 2019, although the Hong Kong government has begun to show its attitude to improve the problem of high property prices under the vigorous promotion of the central government, it has not actually done enough.

Politicians can't wait until the next social turmoil to realize the urgency of reform again. Although the term of office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her team only lasts for the second half of the year, the sooner they seek change, the better, and the new Legislative Council, which has just started to operate, must do its best. Push the government down the road of reform.

Please pay attention to the 231st issue of "Hong Kong 01" e-Weekly Newsletter published on January 23, 2022.

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