How the Hong Kong protests inspire Macau’s youth – and teach their government to be wary
- Youngsters from Macau are drawn to the demonstrations as their more conservative society lacks an avenue for them to express political views
- The local government has also drawn its lessons from the movement, and is avoiding controversial measures that could cause unrest
The former Portuguese enclave, an hour’s ride by ferry from Hong Kong, has always been seen as the better behaved Special Administrative Region under Chinese rule – largely because of its more conservative society.
While Macau’s youth are not as politically engaged as their counterparts in Hong Kong, a small but increasingly vocal group of youngsters are seeing the protests as a stage to express their grievances and fight for a common cause.
The political and social turmoil in Hong Kong has also made the Macau government more wary of taking measures that may cause unrest, activists and analysts say.
Wong grew up following Hong Kong politics: “My school in Macau was not particularly conservative, but it did not teach me much about politics … Hong Kong has always been my inspiration.”
He joined a pro-democracy group in Macau, and helped in a campaign for the legislative assembly in 2017. After finishing his degree last year in Hong Kong, he decided to take a job there – but little did he know this year would bring the most serious crisis the city has faced in decades.
Wong, who now works as an IT technician, has actively taken part in the protests that have shaken the former British colony over the past two months.