Letters | Staying on in Hong Kong, with hopes of a better future for all: a father’s note

Others around me speak of migrating for a better future for their children. I am torn. This is the ‘barren rock’ my father and his generation transformed into a prosperous city. We have inherited this. Now we must pass it on

Hong Kong Basic Law

Letters

Published: 7:05am, 28 Jun 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

My dear Ying-Ying,

I write this letter with unease, having just tucked the two-year-old you into bed. Last month, Hongkongers returned to the streets to protest against the new national security law. The pro-establishment camp claims the law will restore stability. Others see it as a threat to businesses, civil liberties and our promised autonomy. Is this the death knell for “one country, two systems”?

I think of the future. You are 18 now; life in 2036 under the national security law must be rather different. Are protests legal? Do candles still light up the night of June 4? How many dissidents are in prison?

I think of you whenever I see young protesters on TV, facing the police with determination. How much despair must they be in to fight this way, despite the threat of violent arrest and imprisonment? Have we let our young people down?

Does the same future await you – not one of kindness, peace and justice but of brutality, tear gas and hate? What can we do so your generation may march on, exercising your civic duties and freedoms without fear of violence and reprisal?

Other professionals around me speak of migrating for a better future for their children. I am torn. Your mother and I, of course, want the best for you. But this is the hometown I’ve hoped to help build as a civil engineer. This is the “barren rock” my father and his generation – and many before them – transformed into a prosperous city with our unique systems, values and culture. We have inherited this. Now we must pass it on.

So I’ve decided to stay. If your father looks strong and self-assured to you, this hides deep fears within. Yet the fear of uncertainty is nothing compared to this: if we leave now, one day you’ll read about the city you left behind as a baby and ask, “Father, in 2020, did you do anything for Hong Kong and for me?” I won’t be able to look you in the eye.

08:47

A year of anti-government protests in Hong Kong

I still believe one must love, even in times of hate. I see love everywhere, in the teachers, social workers, street cleaners and others safeguarding this city. No matter how difficult circumstances are, don’t forget to love. As the fox told the Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

See with your heart, my dear, and your mother and I will support you every step of the way. Do what is right, no matter the odds.

At least we will have tried.

Your loving father

Wilson Wong, founder and chairman, Hong Kong Federation of Young Professionals

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