Government must build paths for real engagement

The time has come to start thinking beyond the present crisis in Hong Kong, as it is now crystal clear that we cannot simply go back to where we were.

Right now, the anti-democrats are doing most of the talking about the future but are doing so in irresponsible terms, warning of the long-term damage likely to be inflicted by the umbrella movement. This alarmist talk is dangerous; not least because it might be self-fulfilling, most tragically if a decision is taken to violently suppress the movement. Demonising those who dare to protest makes it easier to justify a bloody response, and it precludes the dialogue that is required to defuse the situation.

Were a real dialogue to take place, the anti-democrats might be able to appreciate the quality of their interlocutors. Anyone who has bothered to talk to the protesters knows that most of them keenly appreciate Hong Kong's realities. They realise that democracy will not be achieved any time soon and that challenging the might of the Chinese state is an unequal battle. Yet this is not producing fatalism but an understanding that they are involved in a long-term struggle demanding sacrifice.

While they are thinking about what this entails, they are bombarded by suggestions that demonstrate a poverty of understanding. The younger generation is urged to simply return to their studies and wait until they are older before engaging in politics. Some suggest they should get involved in political parties, while others say they should spend their time focusing on pragmatic day-to-day issues and abandon idealism.

In other words, they are being urged to either shut up or look to older models of achieving change that have produced precisely the frustration that led to the current protests.

The diehard anti-democrats simply refuse to appreciate the value of the creativity and civic-mindedness of a generation who have been dismissed elsewhere in this newspaper as mere children. These "children" are displaying an enormous wealth of talent and have demonstrated impressive levels of maturity that explain why they have so much support from all levels of society.