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Opinion | Hong Kong must heed the voices of its restless youth to secure its future
- The government’s approach of slowly bringing friendly, hand-picked youth into the policymaking process must be overhauled if it hopes for meaningful change
- Hong Kong needs an inclusive approach that reflects young people’s actual needs and gives them a reason to stay instead of seeking a better life elsewhere
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The government has pledged to engage Hong Kong’s youth. The youth policy released by Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen listed more than 160 measures to be implemented. It is important to have an accurate understanding of young people to set the right type of policies.
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It is a humbling experience to try to find out what went wrong in the past and why engaging with the government has little to no appeal to the younger generation. Our young people are very diverse, and it is impossible for a single approach to engage all of them. The government’s current mindset and approach must be overhauled to bring young people on board and improve governance.
Among the measures was a “member self-recommendation scheme for youth”, opening the floor for young people to participate in policy discussions so their ideas can feed into the policy formulation process. The scheme invited candidates to submit a video or essay to apply to become a committee member.
Upon vetting, successful candidates will be invited to join the relevant committees. Applications closed on March 15 last year, and the results will be announced in the first quarter of 2023 – nearly a whole year later. Young people are unlikely to want to wait a year to express their views to the government.
The question of quality and inclusive government lies at the heart of the recruitment approach. But instead of asking young people to submit an application, a smart government would more actively reach out to young people through different ways, especially youth who are less willing to get involved. The coverage needs to be inclusive. Better to approach them rather than wait to be approached.
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There is a disconnect in government policies for young people. How many of these policies are raised by young people rather than the government’s own wishes? The 2019 social unrest was a manifestation of the discontent some young people felt, prompting them to go on the streets and express their views.
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