Freedom never meant to hurt livelihoods

The bad tidings many people have dreaded in recent months have arrived for real, as TVB, the biggest free television broadcaster in Hong Kong, announced on Monday it will lay off 350, or about 10 percent, of its employees as soon as this month. The company’s chief executive said the ongoing social unrest and resulting recession, as well as the global economic slowdown, are to blame for the broadcaster’s woes.

What he didn’t say is that the company is not alone. A recent survey by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association shows the sector will shed at least 6,500 jobs and see some 7,000 businesses shutting down in the next six months. Worse, the retail industry’s woes in all likelihood will soon spread to other sectors.

The retail sector employs more people in this town than any other business sector, but it is also the most susceptible to large-scale social unrest such as what has been shaking Hong Kong since June. Widespread violence and criminal vandalism are the main reasons why the number of tourists visiting the city has shrunk so sharply that hundreds of shops and eateries that depended on tourist patronage had to call it quits. They could no longer afford the rents and pay their employees at the same time.

Persistent and wanton violence has also dented consumers’ confidence and enthusiasm, aggravating the woes of the retail industry. The masterminds, organizers and rioters would have us believe this is the price we have to pay for “freedom” and “democracy”. But we all know they have been paid handsomely by Sinophobic deep pockets to hurt Hong Kong society.

Few if any people in Hong Kong are unaware that mainland visitors have been Hong Kong’s primary source of tourist revenue for over a decade and counting. They have also been the largest single source of tourist spending in the world in recent years.

That is why many people overseas do not understand how Hong Kong society could tolerate such a blatant abuse of people’s basic rights by a handful of political fanatics in the name of “freedom” and “democracy” and let them take away many people’s livelihoods. What hurts Hong Kong people even more is probably the fact that certain Western governments they have been taught to admire and respect have been supporting unlawful behavior in Hong Kong at their expense.

Fortunately, the central government remains steadfast in the faithful implementation of “one country, two systems” in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. With the Basic Law and rule of law as effective safeguards, the city has everything it needs to maintain prosperity and stability, beginning with ending violence and restoring public order. But first of all, every Hong Kong resident who truly loves the city must now stand up to the radicals and say “no” to violence.