When I first saw the British government’s prediction that hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers would emigrate to the UK in the next several years, I found the number somewhat exaggerated. However, as the political situation worsens and friends are preparing to leave one by one. The prediction seems to make sense. In the past, many Hongkongers criticize immigrants who came to Hong Kong; now that it’s their turn to move to another country, how should they behave to be good overseas Hongkongers?

The simplest answer is, of course, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” All the wrongs Hongkongers have complained about immigrants in the past, whether it is true or not, should not be committed by the Hongkongers abroad. But judging by the numerous migration waves since the 80s, it seems we are also guilty as charged. Before the mainland Chinese immigrants flooded to Vancouver, the Hongkongers have already bumped up the local house price. All sorts of UK house buying guides suddenly appear everywhere. Without having to talk about other aspects, just house sales price can put Hongkongers on the unpopular list.

The biggest issue Hongkongers have with immigrants is that they have not integrated into Hong Kong society. When Hongkongers move abroad, how can they integrate? What academic studies and real experiences told us, things are not so clear like black and white. For example, most countries have no problem with foreign immigrants eating their own type of food after arriving in the country; when Chinese restaurants arrived in the U.S., it became a type of American food. However, if the immigrants continue with their religion and that religion is different from that of the local area, conflicts often occur. But there is no objective standard of what kind of daily habits have to be adjusted and what can be kept. It depends on time and place.

As information technology develops rapidly, it is probably no longer possible to set up a rigid delimitation on whether to integrate or not. Through the internet, we can see TV programs from anywhere and listen to pop music from different cultures. It is not difficult to maintain a cultural connection with where we were after moving away. If you want to make contact with local society, of course, you have to know a bit of the local mainstream culture. Otherwise, there will be nothing to talk about among friends.

History told us, sometimes you cannot control whether the local society accepts you. A hundred years ago, a large number of immigrants from South Europe went to the U.S. They were seen as outsiders and received endless discrimination. Later, when the U.S. economic growth continued rapidly for decades, and everyone was benefiting from it, the differences between ethnic groups slowly faded. In comparison, immigrants from Central and South America have different skin color as the mainstream white people; at the same time, the U.S. economy has entered the late stage of capitalism. So when everyone worries about losing their jobs, their acceptance of immigrants would also decrease. It has nothing to do with whether the immigrants themselves are hard-working and humble or not.

The differences in political ideas are probably harder to resolve than cultural conflicts. Most people, when doing the naturalization test, probably only try to remember all the answers to the standard questions to pass. It did little help in understanding local political culture. “The little pink” always raise some eyebrows when they still wave their 5 stars red flag, attacked, and criticized dissidents of the CCP after being naturalized in foreign countries. But Hongkongers have little experience in participating in democratic politics and must work hard learning different systems and habits. If we move abroad and still see local politics in an “empresses fighting for attention” perspective, using Hong Kong’s usual political judgments on the local political parties instead of trying to understand the political dispute from the local society’s angle, or even sharing all kinds of one-sided comments online, then we would become another radical “little pink.”

For the latest batch of immigrants, the most difficult issue is probably how to continue contributing to Hong Kong. After all, if decided to do nothing ever again, then for many, there will be no need to leave Hong Kong at all. Just live a quiet and low-profile life would be sufficient. If one finds personal freedom from abroad but does not use this opportunity to do something for Hong Kong, one might feel a sense of guilt.

I suggest everyone look at the bigger picture. We must understand this is a long battle and should not mind what type of contribution is the most effective. Every bit of effort has its use, whether it is directly related to Hong Kong or not. When people’s participation and government accountability are encouraged, then it is good for Hong Kong; when the democratic system and trust of the rule of law are being compromised, regardless of where it happens, it is bad for Hong Kong. Hong Kong is part of the world. It would be a contribution to make more friends and fewer enemies for Hong Kong.

Lastly, if any Hongkonger wants to take part in local politics, do not forget your main duty as a local public representative is to serve the local voters. Nowhere in the world has a responsibility to sacrifice for Hongkongers, and definitely do not see your usual standard as the only standard to measure local politics. In fact, if the other people are struggling to save themselves, they probably are not capable of helping you.

(Leung Kai-chi, current affairs commentator)

Click here for Chinese version

We invite you to join the conversation by submitting columns to our opinion section: [email protected]

Apple Daily reserves the right to refuse, abridge, alter or edit guest opinion columns for accuracy, length, clarity, and style, and the right to withdraw and withhold columns based on the discretion of our editorial page editors.

The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board.

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play