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Letters

Occupy is hurting small businesses
The Occupy Central movement must stop its protests before it paralyses Hong Kong and irrevocably hurts small and medium-sized enterprises and their employees. These SMEs will be the first to go under.
I do not wish to write about politics, but about practicality. Hong Kong is described as "Asia's world city". It needs to get back to what it is good at, business and commerce.
Much of that commercial success is down to the SMEs. Many are family run and employ other staff. According to Trade and Industry Department statistics (March 2014), there are more than 320,000 SMEs in Hong Kong employing more than 1.3 million people.
My family is one of these small businesses. After being laid off by a bank, my wife and I started a children's retail business. We have five full-time employees and three part-time staff. Rent is high and cash is tight but we are surviving and enjoy what we do. However, the massive demonstrations this year have hit our store sales.
There are fewer tourists because they are not made welcome in Hong Kong. If the political situation escalates, we may just have to close down. Nine families will lose income plus whatever impact our closure means to small logistics companies and suppliers. There must be a lot of other SMEs hanging by a thread.
I urge Hong Kong people to steer clear of radical politics and to exercise patience and self- restraint. Please talk to students, colleagues and friends who may be participating in Occupy Central and ask them to just go home. It's not about taking sides. SMEs need stability and (mainland) tourists to survive.
Mike Gamboo, Wong Chuk Hang 
 
Abuse of police officers not appropriate
My social media feeds have been in hyperdrive. The unified message from all the statements, photos and videos I have seen is that the Hong Kong police are the scum of the earth.
Where the law has been violated and there is evidence of police brutality, just and swift action should be taken.
While at the protest site in Admiralty on Sunday, I both spoke to and observed the police at length.
The only unanimous message I received from the crowd in my location was a volley of anger and personal insults of the worst kind hurled at the police by the protesters - and this was before any drastic police action had taken place.
According to several international studies, Hong Kong is considered one of the safest cities in the world to live in. I would think this may have something to do with the police.
Since I moved here four years ago, I have never been robbed nor have I heard a gunshot.
In retrospect it is very easy to criticise. But remember that the police enforce the law - they don't make the law.
If we continue to target only the police officers, there will be no winners. The correct targets are those people giving the orders, the politicians and those they answer to.
What I observed at the protest and through social media is a social contagion where one person shouts, "I hate the cops!" and many others follow.
If you disagree with your government, non-violent organised protests and simply not participating in the system you disagree with (such as not going to work or school) are possibly effective actions to take.
But hurling insults at individual police officers for hours on end and demonising them through generalised propaganda in news and social media will not help your situation or Hong Kong as a whole.
I understand there's reason for anger. I also understand this does not apply to everyone.
But as we all have to live in the same city, maybe we all can help by avoiding generalisations and showing more tolerance, respect and understanding towards each other.
Ulf Olofsson, Sai Kung 
 
Keep protests peaceful to achieve aims
In the last few days, Facebook and Instagram have been full of news about the class boycott campaign in Hong Kong known as "Boycott Classes, Continue Learning".
When I look at pictures of what is happening, I feel proud of those friends of mine who have the courage to actively support the campaign.
I have not joined it because my parents have expressed concern, but it is good that secondary school students are developing their own view and thinking critically about issues.
As a secondary student and a Hongkonger, I fear for the city's future. We must stand up for universal suffrage, despite Beijing rejecting our pleas.
When we see injustice, we need to take action, but should do so in a peaceful way.
It is good to see videos of students from different countries showing their support for the protests in Hong Kong. I hope other nations will continue to express their support.
Au Git-yee, Sham Shui Po 
 
Students are fighting for future of HK
Many people had misgivings about the class boycott by secondary school students, because they felt that these young people were not mature enough to get politically involved in this way.
Also, there were concerns that participating in these protests would adversely affect the academic performance of youngsters.
However, I would reject the view that these teenagers are clueless about what is happening in Hong Kong. They are capable of forming their own opinions and are fully aware of what they are fighting for, that is, genuine universal suffrage.
For adults, there may be a number of issues to weigh up, but these young people are simply doing what they consider to be right.
Some people say the class boycotts are pointless, but we are the future leaders of this city. If we do not stand in defence of democracy, who will help us?
Samantha Ho, Kowloon Tong 
 
Campaign is uniting city in reform push
I firmly believe that the Occupy Central movement, which was launched on Sunday, has been a success.
It is debatable whether it will lead to genuine universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
However, what we have witnessed is the determination of the protesters to show their commitment and self- discipline.
Hongkongers have an image of being indifferent, but we have seen the protesters getting support from citizens from all walks of life and secondary students wearing the yellow ribbon to show they back the class boycott.
Although there is no guarantee the central government will compromise, the campaign has already united Hong Kong people and has shown that we care deeply about our city.
Chan Yik-tat, Tseung Kwan O
 
Support for movement growing wider
The class boycott represents a clear message delivered by the students who have joined it.
The message is that they want a more democratic voting system for the elections of the chief executive and the Legislative Council.
I can understand that some people have criticised these young people, saying that, as students, they have an obligation to attend classes and that the boycott is irresponsible.
However, these critics should ask themselves why youngsters are willing to sacrifice these precious hours of study.
They are doing this because they believe they must take a stand against this government.
They know that when the protests end, they will have a lot of catching up to do and that during demonstrations they could risk being arrested. And yet they are willing to continue backing the campaign because they are determined to fight for democracy.
I admire those university lecturers who have postponed scheduled tests for their students. Some have even held lectures for the students at Tamar Park.
What I have found most impressive is that some medical students have joined the protests. This may be a controversial issue, given that they need to study hard to get a medical degree, but they feel the need at this time to show their support for the campaign.
Medical students in Hong Kong are not as politically apathetic as their predecessors in previous decades. What sense does it make only caring about a person's health, if you do not concern yourself with the state of your society?
Josh Sin, Tuen Mun 
 
Class boycott not best way to achieve change
The civil disobedience movement launched by Occupy Central has brought together people from widely different backgrounds.
They are united by their desire to see meaningful reforms for the 2017 election of the chief executive.
Since it was launched on Sunday, I have been thinking a great deal about it and what its political implications are.
Some of my classmates joined the class boycott on September 29. Although I did not agree with the response of police to the demonstration in Admiralty on Sunday, I do not think the boycott is the best way for me and my fellow students to express our opinions.
I think young people need to acquire more knowledge before getting involved in political movements.
I appreciate those people in Occupy Central who are striving for democracy, but there is a need to ensure rational discussion and I hope we will see a peaceful resolution.
Shih Man, Ma On Shan


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Occupy Central

Letters to the Editor, October 3, 2014

It's wrong to blame frontline officers. Photo: Felix Wong

Opinion

The Occupy Central movement must stop its protests before it paralyses Hong Kong and irrevocably hurts small and medium-sized enterprises and their employees.


Letters to the Editor, October 3, 2014

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Occupy Central movement must stop its protests before it paralyses Hong Kong and irrevocably hurts small and medium-sized enterprises and their employees.

The Occupy Central movement must stop its protests before it paralyses Hong Kong and irrevocably hurts small and medium-sized enterprises and their employees.