Complacent leaders must shed indifference to people's plight

Complacent leaders must shed indifference to people's plight

Hong Kong people appear increasingly willing to be critical of what they perceive to be incompetent or inappropriate decisions by government and have diminishing respect for the influential and moneyed elite. These trends are not, of course, confined to Hong Kong.

In both democratic and autocratic societies, an increasingly well-educated middle and lower class are becoming angry and cynical over complacency, arrogance, greed, self-interest and incompetence displayed by governments and those elites in a position to exploit others.

Unrest in a society is driven by poverty, oppression, corruption and a feeling of hopelessness in the face of government and fat cats' lack of interest in the plight of the people. An angry public response is only to be expected.

Indeed there are instances of considerable public restraint, given the extent of inequality in some societies. The current troubles in the Middle East are indicative of where such problems as these may culminate. Furthermore, despite the censorship and controls on information in some societies, the role of the traditional mass media is being usurped by centres of ideological beliefs that have no boundaries. Excesses, corruption and incompetence are thus increasingly being exposed.

Hong Kong is fortunate in that it is a wealthy society without oppression, reasonably free of corruption and possesses a well-educated and ambitious workforce. And yet the seeds of discontent exist.

Hongkongers are fortunate in so many ways. However the Gini coefficient, a measure of the wealth gap in a society, places Hong Kong in the bottom 10 per cent of the world's countries, in company with many of the corrupt and despotic regimes in Africa and South America.

A state of denial exists in government over pollution, which is tantamount to callous indifference. Middle-class salaried families (let alone the poor) find it difficult to live in dignity. Sadly, government, in its arrogance, apathy and antipathy, appears unwilling to look for solutions.

Recent incidents have shown a diminution in social cohesion. If unrest is not to continue, government and other leaders in Hong Kong must shed their complacency and indifference and address genuine concerns. Leadership must be clear-sighted and robust. Policymakers must engage the public with sincerity, honesty and candour.

Laws (even relatively trivial ones) must be implemented fairly. People must have equal opportunities. Decisions must be made altruistically and in the interests of future generations. The government must lead.

Hong Kong is an efficient, affluent, largely culturally aligned and resourceful society within which the benefits of good governance and confident leadership would be apparent almost immediately. We possess the potential to be a model society and an example to the world.

We ignore the current warning signs at our peril.

Tony Price, Tung Chung