Why Hong Kong schools provide an ideal platform for discussion of independence, and other contentious issues

The more prohibition there is of “independence” talk in Hong Kong, the more widely the idea is likely to spread and the more dangerous it becomes. The “cultural revolution” attitude to ridding the city of talk about localism and self-determination has great potential to backfire and result in even further division between citizens.

A more rational attitude is needed to encourage the community not to be afraid of new ideas, to enter into respectful but nevertheless spirited debate and to resolve issues not by the heavy hand of bureaucracy and government but through deliberation and open discussion.

The problem with prohibiting discussion of controversial issues in general is that such ideas are then never scrutinised and are likely to take on an appeal that they may not otherwise have. This is particularly true when it comes to the variants of localism currently circulating in the city. It can refer to local identity, self-determination or independence and, at its worst, to a populism that creates and builds on people’s fears.

For example, recently, localist supporters promoted a public television viewing of an Olympic badminton match between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese players in order to jeer at the China players and cheer the Hong Kong team. This is populism at its worst. It is similar to the anti-immigration discourse that characterised much of the UK’s Brexit debate and the anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim discourse that is at the forefront of Republican Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Different brands of localism need to be distinguished and some need to be extinguished because they do not reflect a true democratic spirit. Racism and social discrimination have no place in a democratic society and those supporting such social practices need to be called out not as “localists” but as “populists” seeking to spread hatred and fear.

‘Students can discuss anything under guidance of teachers’: Hong Kong education minister breaks silence on independence talk on campus

Teachers who should be able to expose this kind of weakness in the current localist discourse have recently been reminded that their role is not to “preach” independence in their classrooms. Of course, this is correct, and why the group of school principals responsible for this warning felt it was necessary is not clear.