October 13 2014 Monday
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Heart broken
Though born in Shanghai, I have lived in Hong Kong for over 65 years. In
all these years, I have experienced cholera outbreaks, water shortage, extreme
poverty, riots, economic downturns, SARS and other ups and downs but never have
I felt disappointed and heartbroken as I do now!
I was in Mongkok on Saturday for a medical appointment. As I exited MTR
Station, there right in front of me was the stunning scene that has been on
screen for over 10 days – tents and barricades right across Nathan Road that
used to be covered by vehicles of all kinds! Stunning because as I stood there,
I felt numb!
In the name of “democracy”, 7 million citizens have been held hostage!
If we don’t pity those shop operators paying horrendous monthly rents of
millions of dollars, then how about those commoners like taxi driver,
construction workers, truck drivers, street hawkers and plenty more who live
from hand to mouth? Their income has been brutally cut! Schools have been
closed! Parents whose young children should be in school have their work
schedule upset! Our highly respected police have to stand there to “protect”
the protesters who are blatantly breaking the law! Maybe in the name of
democracy, these are small “prices” to pay! But they have been forced into paying
for a cause they don’t agree! As to the young students who have been holding
onto their fortresses in the street, they have given up their studies which are
heavily subsidized by tax payers and they are inconveniencing those who still
go to classes as professors prefer not to teach in view of the small number of turn-up.
My heart aches as I don’t know how this is going to end. When the ransom
asked for has been pitched to be simply non-deliverable, these demonstrators
are not going to take a bow and leave the stage that easily. Their ultimate
agenda is yet to be revealed.
