G - "Hongkongers are doing whatever they can, regardless of where and who they are, with the same goal in mind."
Singaporean expat, who’s been living in Hong Kong for the past 5 years, compares the 2019 movement to the Umbrella Movement, and marvels at the amazing teamwork he’s witnessed.
“Hongkongers are doing whatever they can, regardless of where and who they are, with the same goal in mind. They’ve got it all covered. There’s even a group that collects recyclables at every protest, and another that cleans up the site after protests. It never ceases to amaze me how they can bond together so quickly and efficiently, fuelled by the anger towards injustice and the love for freedom.”
In light of recent events in Hong Kong, Singapore has also been put under the spotlight by many articles comparing the two former British colonies on how these two seemingly similar cities have varied priorities and opinions underneath the surface. As a Singaporean expat, who's been living in Hong Kong for the past 5 years, I’d like to share my experience of the protests - I hope that this can bring more of a personal perspective to the movement.
I first arrived in Hong Kong in 2014, which was the year of the Umbrella movement. Fresh off the boat, I was thrown from a country, that had almost no protests, into a country where protests are not uncommon. I was curious. So I decided to go against warnings from close friends, and pay a visit to the protest site (during the 'Occupy Central' movement). It was my first time being in a protest, and what I saw surprised me - people were reading, doing their homework, chit-chatting. Some were passing food and water to hungry protestors, and others were collecting rubbish. There was artwork exhibited, protest banners everywhere, and tiny glowing tents filled with different silhouettes. It was a surreal moment for me to witness this utopia - a peaceful community of people helping other people - that was unlike the kind of protest they'd shown on TV. To me, it was a fascinating but baffling phenomenon. And back then, I didn’t understand the perseverance behind the protest. I left with a feeling of wanting to know more. About a month after, what I saw was the protest site being destroyed within a day by violence and the firing of tear gas from the police.
Five years later, I witnessed the same kind of perseverance, but this time I took on a different attitude. Talking to Hongkongers and knowing more about Hong Kong opened my eyes to the unhappiness towards the inherent injustice that has been simmering in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover, which has now reached a boiling point. Once again, a community of people has sprouted, but this time it was leaderless. Apart from contributing as frontline/peaceful protestors, hundreds of groups were formed purely by passionate volunteers to support this movement from all sides, from creative agencies to PR companies, holding press conferences and taking part in translations.
There’s this saying in Cantonese, 'it doesn’t matter how you climb the mountain, as long as you reach the summit'. Hongkongers are doing whatever they can, regardless of where and who they are, with the same goal in mind. They’ve got it all covered. There’s even a group that collects recyclables at every protest, and another that cleans up the site after protests. It never ceases to amaze me how they can bond together so quickly and efficiently, fuelled by the anger towards injustice and the love for freedom. It was the utopia I witnessed 5 years ago, but, this time, in a revolutionary scale.
My social media posts on the movement garnered many concerned replies about my safety from my Singaporean friends, but also expressions of surprise at police brutality, collusion with triads, and the ridiculous coverups from the government. This is a side of the story which is not often covered in major news outlets in Singapore, except for online independent news websites that are not easily accessed by the older generation.
Understandably, with all major news outlets (national and international) based in Singapore, prone to censorship by the government, the truth is not as widespread as it could and should be. But I hope to try my best to get the message out as much as I can, especially to the older generation, because I truly believe that if Singaporeans knew more about what is really happening; if they can see the brutality that is being inflicted right now by the Hong Kong Police; and if they can witness what I’ve witnessed; I truly believe that their opinions would change, because to be able to see 'black and white' (morality) is fundamentally human.
As for those of us that truly understand what is going on, us who see the importance of freedoms and justice, I would like to say, on behalf of all these people with all our heart, “Heung Gong Yan Ga Yau! Singapore stands with Hong Kong.”
With love,
G.
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Journalist: JCo
Graphic: Lui