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Luisa Tam

Before Tsai Ing-wen’s landslide victory secured her a second presidential term in Taiwan, she publicly admitted on numerous occasions that young people were the most critical factor and spared no effort to woo the youth vote.
Despite their overwhelming support for her, there were still underlying concerns as young people are sometimes seen as unreliable voters.
Britain’s Brexit referendum in 2016 is a painful reminder of this.
Back in June 2016, the country voted to leave the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, despite the pre-referendum sentiment that seemed to lean towards maintaining the status quo, something that was supported by young people.


It has been argued that the shocking outcome was due to differential voting patterns among younger and older voters. The “leave” vote was the result of 64 per cent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 casting their ballots, compared to 90 per cent of those aged over 65.
The conclusion from Brexit was that many young people had not bothered to vote; and the situation of disparate voting patterns among different demographics is certainly not unique to Britain.

Hong Kong’s youngsters used to be seen as being politically apathetic due to their historically low turnout at past elections. But the situation has turned on its head, attributable to the impact of the ongoing anti-government movement. Case in point, there was a surge in voting, especially by young people, in the recent district council elections which saw opposition candidates take nearly 90 per cent of the seats.
Why are the young people of Hong Kong angry and deeply unhappy?
Societies the world over cannot ignore the anger of young people. And despite the fact that many might still hold negative stereotypes of youngsters, we cannot afford to write off a whole generation of the young.
We are unfortunately seeing a growing generational gap across the world and tend to view people in their 20s as less reliable, less competent, less rational, impatient, more demanding, and so on. Sadly, it is because many older people see millennials as “good-for-nothings” due to their apparent sense of entitlement.

Such generalisations are in fact harmful to the survival of our societies, which depends on our younger generations. These critics have also oversimplified the issues with young people and overlooked the transformative role they are playing in civic society and even world politics.
More and more often, we are going to see young people taking to the streets and going to the ballot box as they are becoming increasingly aware of the inadequacies of their leaders, political institutions, political parties and politicians, among other factors.
Consequently, they feel duty-bound to defend and preserve what they believe in, and vote for those who are aligned with their beliefs to safeguard their future.
Opinion: Why Greater Bay Area hard sell won’t work on young Hongkongers
Instead of trying to stop young people from taking over the steering wheel by branding them as reckless drivers; we should teach them how to drive safely. Only with this approach can we be sure that they will not crash the vehicle, killing us all in tow. And yes, I mean this both literally and figuratively.
We cannot just blame the education system or teachers and principals; we all have a role to play to help our youngsters develop their analytical power and critical thinking so they can form their values and moral principles.

Hong Kong’s future depends not only on its prosperity, but also peace and stability, all of which relies on everyone respecting the rule of law, the cornerstone of the city’s success. Equally important to our long-term success and survival are our youth and their talents, but only if they are properly harnessed for good.

Young people are changing the world, for better or worse. We need to do our job to equip them sufficiently so that besides having the skills to build and develop society, they can make the right decisions for the common good. Disengaging them from mainstream politics will only make them feel further disillusioned with government officials and politicians.
Young Hongkongers in public housing less happy than peers in private flats
On the contrary, we should try to restore their faith in society, and harness their collective power. Why not help them blaze their own trails to make a difference in society and even the world?
The future belongs to them, so help them by fostering an environment with plenty of resources and support, and giving them a voice to create a generation of more engaged and responsible citizens.
Contrary to prevailing stereotypical beliefs, if taken seriously and given a choice, young people are not that reckless to crash the car.
Not only because they care deeply about society and the world around them, it is also their lives and future that are at stake.
This is my last edition of Blowing Water. I will be back on February 1 with a different column to look at some of the cultural quirks and customs of Hong Kong, and to share them with you.
Luisa Tam is a correspondent at the Post


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Supporters of Tsai Ing-wen cheer for her election victory in Taipei. Photo: AP

Students from Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po joint school rally in Tsim Sha Tsui to support students injured during the protests and mourn the dead. 13DEC19 SCMP / Dickson Lee

epa08119771 Supporters of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen celebrate after her win in the presidential elections in Taipei, Taiwan, 11 January 2020. President Tsai from the separatist ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won a second four-year term after beating Kaohsiung city Mayor Han Kuo-yu, from Taiwan's China-friendly opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) in the presidential elections. EPA-EFE/HOW HWEE YOUNG

People wearing masks stand near the messages written by people on display on a board during a protest at a shopping mall in Sha Tin district in Hong Kong, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. The months-long pro-democracy movement has extended into 2020 with further mass demonstrations. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Protesters wave flags that read "Hong Kong Independence" during a rally in Hong Kong, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. More than a thousand people attended a Sunday rally in Hong Kong to urge people and governments abroad to support the territory's pro-democracy movement and oppose China's ruling Communist Party. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Hong Kong

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Young people are taking to the streets more often in protests across societies, making their anger heard through their votes
We should cast aside stereotyping millennials as ‘good-for-nothings’ and entitled, and reflect on how we can help them



Young people are taking to the streets more often in protests across societies, making their anger heard through votes. We should cast aside stereotyping millennials as ‘good-for-nothings’ and entitled, and see how we can help them.


Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong youth

Blowing Water

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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