Letters | Give Hong Kong’s millions of peaceful protesters what they deserve: democracy

Albert Cheng makes a very pertinent point: the answer to the current crisis is good management of Hong Kong (“Next year could mark ‘endgame’ for city in crisis”, July 12). The government must give Hongkongers true democracy and formulate beneficial socioeconomic policies.

These changes could better ensure the rule of law as practised in common law jurisdictions and give hope to the countless depressed Hongkongers. A sense of hopelessness has led to violence, though relatively little, fortunately, given the number of people protesting and the initial reaction of police.

There were no riots, unlike those of the 1960s, which should be well remembered by those on the frontline and those who took part at the time, some of whom are currently supporters of government. No sensible or neutral person would believe in the involvement of “external forces” in today’s protests, as was the case in the 1960s.

Unfortunately, the present leadership has been wrongly advised and is unlikely to take the imaginative and necessary step of bringing in the much-needed and knowledgeable people who were ignored in the past. Regrettably, our chief executive may go down in Hong Kong history, truly, as the “sinner for a thousand years”.