Everyone knows that the youth development initiatives of the SAR government have always been far from satisfactory. Recently, there has been a series of “great works” fully demonstrating the “sincerity” of the government. First of all, Carrie Lam attempted to sweep young people away into the Greater Bay Area, out of sight, out of mind. Then there was the shocking remark made by Caspar Tsui, who was previously a member of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), claiming that it is not necessary to close the gap between the government and the younger generation.

Different places around the world vary in their definition of the age of youths. However, the fact that Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung who was appointed as Chairman of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) has already reached a ripe old age certainly puts him several decades beyond the “youth” bracket. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, England’s Manchester City Council has committed to adopting a new youth shadow executive made up entirely of young people. The eight members of the Shadow Executive will each partner with an executive member of the council to help shape and challenge the decisions and policies of the city council. The youngest member of the Shadow Executive, Daniel Baffoe, is only 13 years old. The age difference between Baffoe and Cheung, who is eligible to use an Elder Octopus, is fivefold. It is self-evident as to where the thinking of the youth is more relevant.

The brand new Shadow Executive was formed in Manchester in August this year. There is a clear division of roles among the eight members including the leader, health and social care, children and families, culture, leisure and skills, environment, highways and planning, budget and digital transformation, housing and regeneration, and neighborhoods. The group of eight has been formed from existing members of the Manchester Youth Council, which is the voice for young people between the ages of 11 and 18. Those who are elected have the opportunity to represent young people in the U.K. on a local, regional and national level in the youth parliament, and to make sure the voice of young people is heard throughout.

The Institute of Party History and Literature Research of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) published an article by Professor Zhou Changxian of the School of Politics and International Relations at Lanzhou University a few years ago. In the article, Zhou expressed his high approval of the establishment and function of the youth parliament in the U.K. He even suggested that China needed to “borrow” similar practices to foster civic awareness.

Hong Kong’s approach is the polar opposite. A youth poll conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) found that the consensus of more than half of those young people surveyed believed that the YDC is merely a decorative “flower vase.” The poll also showed that youths believed the government does not value the political participation of young people. Echoing Caspar Tsui’s indifferent attitude, the findings are not surprising. Moreover, the formation of the YDC does not go beyond “self-nomination, selection, or appointment,” and has nothing to do with “elections.” In addition, most of its members are second-generation politicians and businessmen, and representatives of pro-establishment political groups. The real difficulties faced by Hong Kong young people can be said to be a “parallel universe” for them. It is undoubtedly a fantasy to rely on this group of people who are so well-off to propose policies that benefit the youth of Hong Kong.

Young people have been the hardest hit by the political tidal wave triggered by the extradition law amendment bill. Not only have they been subjected to extreme suppression for expressing their political demands, but many of those who aspired in public affairs have even been sent to prison, or have gone into exile. However, most of their demands have nothing to do with self-interest, not the economic hypocrisy of “first-time home buying” or “livelihoods” as the government often puts it, but the future of our city. Sadly, the many sacrifices made since have not received the slightest response from the SAR government. The situation has even intensified with the government meting out harsh punishments to silence all young people and eliminate all opposition.

“The world is yours, as well as ours, but in the last analysis, it is yours.” This is a famous quote from Mao Zedong. Other countries offer concessions to Hong Kong’s young talents to help them escape from the claws of the regime, and at the same time, to attract elites for the benefit of their own social development. On the other hand, Carrie Lam and others have tried their best to push the young talents out of Hong Kong. They are indeed a bunch of unparalleled lackeys governing the city.

(Koo Shu-Wai is a freelance writer.)

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