PASSTIMES 2021 Winter edition

The Kindness Walk was held on 1st September 2021 by ImpactHK, a charity tackling the problem of homelessness in Hong Kong launched in 2017. This event aimed to deliver necessities to the homeless.

It is less common to see homeless people on the streets in Hong Kong - I usually encounter five homeless people at most in a day. Being skeptical about whether we could use up all the supplies, I was worried that a lot of homeless people were unable to receive our goods before the trip.

Before the walk, we had a chat with Jeff Rotmeyer, the founder and CEO of ImpactHK. He explained that small charities like ImpactHK could offer a more holistic rehabilitation programme for the homeless. Also with us was Ah Lik, a full-time assistant at ImpactHK who was once homeless. He has dedicated himself to helping more vagrants like him.

We prepared 100 sets of eggs, water and masks. At first, I was doubtful. Could we even find that many homeless on the streets? However, the walk completely changed my mind. I was shocked when we arrived at the park as I had never seen that many homeless people before. We lined up and passed the necessities to the homeless one by one, while Jeff had a chat with each of them like friends. Our supplies quickly ran out even though it was only for a single park.

At last, Jeff showed us one of the shelters that the Government built to protect the homeless. However, he told us that the homeless were unwilling to stay in them because they felt unwelcomed, as the shelters would be closed at night and they had to leave. He explained that the Government built those shelters just as an excuse. If a homeless person was injured during the typhoon, they could argue that shelters were always provided for the homeless, but the homeless refused to stay in them.

Jeff expressed that regarding the homeless as lazy or giving up on life is a fallacy. Some of them have tried to get a job and have a normal life, but maybe that doesn’t work for them, and some even enjoy their current situation. Instead of urging them into normal life, Jeff treats the vagrants as his friends and provides love and care. Therefore, I appreciate Jeff's attitude towards the homeless, treating them equally, providing them with the opportunity and necessary support to move on from their current situation refreshed and reinvigorated.

Famine 24 Highlight video

Venus Leung

As Famine 24 was cancelled last year due to COVID, it was my first time participating in a 24-fasting challenge, which has indeed been a very unforgettable experience. For millions of people, this would not be a ‘24-hour’ challenge, instead, it is a lifelong hardship. Bearing that in mind, I hope this meaningful event will continue supporting World Vision bit by bit through our modest contributions.

Famine 24 20 ~ 21 November 2021

Our long-awaited flagship event of the year – Famine 24 – made its comeback after two tough years of battling with COVID-19. Under the theme of ‘Food matters, Idea matters, Action matters’, our event aimed to deliver the message of bringing changes to the world with collective small motives and actions, while raising money for our beneficiary – World Vision UK. Participants from different universities got a taste of 24-hour fasting to experience the lives of the deprived currently suffering from severe starvation and famine. Having the difference between prosperous regions we are living in and other developing countries in mind, participants were guided through a series of immersive activities to reflect on ways to mitigate the dire situation faced by the impoverished.

The wonderful two-day event started off with an introduction from Ms Tipping and Ms Tinney, the guest speakers from World Vision. They presented to participants the current global famine situation along with recent solutions and strategies from various countries to ensure food security.

After the thought-provoking speech was our main event Life Monopoly, a 3-hour life-simulation activity to reflect on the meaning of life. Participants were initially assigned to different social status, starting income and education levels, which mirrors the discrepancies in society. With such variations, they were divided into groups travelling across various checkpoints to accomplish tasks to study, earn money, gain health and happiness.

The digital passport was one of the unique features of this year's Life Monopoly. Players signed in to a particular website with their initial status chosen at random. In completion of tasks in in checkpoints, players would scan the QR code in their system to update their status. As the activity proceeded, two incidents, namely COVID and water shortage occurred. The rate of spread of COVID was coded on the website and participants were considered “infected” if their QR code appeared red. Moreover, the details of each task, such as its difficulty and the income earned would be adjusted under these special conditions.

The dynamic Life Monopoly was followed by a relatively knowledge-intensive Public Awareness Quiz. Participants in groups competed against each other answering questions related to political and social issues in Hong Kong and across the globe. It was a tight competition and we hope participants realized the importance of staying updated with current affairs no matter where we are. Participants then engaged in building a newspaper tower and playing mini-games in search of the aim of this final activity.

Activities on the second day, prepared by the subcommittee members, centred around themes of diseases in underdeveloped nations, exploitation of farmers in developing countries, as well as the effect of injustice on people with disabilities and living in poverty. Targeted to simulate the reality of the underprivileged, these activities allowed participants to gain insight into the hardships of the deprived, thereby raising awareness about the destitution they face and reacting upon these global problems.

Although the 24-hour fasting experience only provided bits of insights into the problem of food crisis, we believe that participants’ awareness towards hunger and poverty has been raised. While famine remains one of the most pressing issues in the world, especially in Africa, it is undoubtedly crucial for us to think and act to alleviate such an issue. As the saying goes, “every little helps”. Our individual ideas and actions may seem trivial, but their collective values matter considerably to the community and even to the entire world. Small efforts should never be underestimated, and we hope that our fellow participants would hold onto this message, turn their thoughts into actions and lend the needy a helping hand.

Participants Sharing

Marco Yu

Having fun and gaining exposure is simply an understatement to this event. Famine 24 was very well organised with different events transitioning seamlessly. The ‘Life Monopoly’ was out of this world. The app used to measure one’s health, happiness and wealth was truly remarkable. It certainly deserves a thumbs up since it elevated the game to a higher level. Moreover, the ‘Squid Game’ also caught my attention. I thought it was one of those games that only takes reference to a trendy movie. However, to my surprise, the organisers made use of the message behind the movie and gave me a second thought to the existing inequality in society. Besides, I met a lot of friends from other universities which expanded my social circle. I would definitely recommend it to my friends!

Bide Chen

Famine, a familiar yet distant term to most of us. Never have I ever imagined the 24-hour fasting could be much tougher than my anticipation.Throughout the event, starvation hit me hard - being distracted on tasks, having occasional stomach ache in sleep - the symptoms were unbearable. Being one of the hosts of the Day 2 activities, I truly felt the burnout of those who are resigned to live with hunger. This 24-hour experience was etched on my memory, reminding me of the suffering of the poor in society.

Famine is not sheer hunger. The impact lasts, and it hinders all kinds of advancement. People lose the ability to work, to learn and to prosper under ceaseless starvation. That’s why we should always be grateful that we always have multiple nutritious meals a day, satisfying our basic needs to pursuing greater goals.

Clarie Lo

As an ICPASS subcommittee in the Social Service division, I was given the opportunity to contribute to our flagship event –Famine 24, specifically the segment based on the viral Netflix series called ‘Squid Game’. My groupmate Steven and I oversaw the stepping glass game booth, in which we designed pathways for each difficulty and created different hidden rules and disabilities to convey a key theme of this activity – the hidden social injustice caused by disparities in wealth and physical conditions. The experience of planning and testing a game is very memorable, especially when large-scale campaigns involving great teamwork have been put on hold by the ongoing pandemic. Overall, I learnt a lot about famine and poverty both as an organizer and a participant of the event and I look forward to joining it again next year.

Participants Sharing

Yasmine Chan

This was a new experience for our members as we had never fasted for 24 hours and did not expect we could do it. Overall, the event went smoothly. The games in life monopoly and Squid game were exciting, and we all appreciate the creation of the app - that’s so professional. We also respected that you guys managed to solve the unexpected situation that came up at night, and thank you for letting us stay over in the places of the committees.

Anson Wong

Famine 24 is a fun and rewarding experience. I especially enjoy the PA quiz game as it provided new insight into political events as well as the culture and entertainment industry in Hong Kong and around the world. Those questions were both interesting and challenging to answer!

Events on the second day, ‘Crop-growing’ and ‘Squid game’, also enabled us to experience the life for disabled people and farmers in developing countries, while developing empathy towards them with amazing activities. As a subcommittee, preparing and setting up this flagship event facilitated my acquisition of the global famine issue while extending my social network! Famine 24 is not only a fundraising event for me, but also an opportunity to learn and enjoy with other people. It is really rewarding to participate in it.

Iris Li

This was the first PASS event I took part in and it was a really enjoyable experience. On the first day, I participated in the Life Monopoly game where I met a lot of new friends from different universities as we tried our best to earn money through different careers. It was eye-opening to witness poverty due to lack of education or poor health replicated in this simulated society. On the second day, our group held game booths based on the popular television series Squid Game with the theme of poverty and disability. Though the schedule was tight and we barely had enough time to finish all the games, I’m glad that it was successful and that the participants enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun holding the games as we worked really well together, so time flew and before I knew it, it was 24 hours and I could have a good meal!

Workhardbutplay harder .

The massive Welcome Fair this year took place in South Kensington campus on the 5th of October. We finally got the opportunity to bring back our inperson stall in the Junior Common Room in Sherfield Building! A lot of questions were being answered by our committees, including what we do, what our recent activities are, and even what PASS stands for. Once again, thank you all for coming and visiting our stall. It was nice to be able to meet all the new and returning students, and share our mission and commitment with students all around the world, especially with the ones who hadn’t even heard of our society before.

We would also like to take this opportunity to mention our generous sponsors including Alta foods, Biju, Simply Oriental and Vitasoy. We had designed some PA quizzes for people to know more about ICPASS and pressing issues happening in the world right now. The provided drinks and vouchers from our sponsors had attracted a huge crowd to visit our stall, so we would like to express our deep gratitude for their tremendous support. Last but not least, remember to join our membership and keep an eye out for our future events! We won’t be able to make it till now without your support!

IMPERIALOGY

Sherwood Wong

Imperialogy has been an exciting event. In the "Treasure Hunt", through the hints of the given pictures, we had to identify locations and take photos of these places. It gave me the opportunity to explore the main campus and the streets of South Kensington. Because it had only been a week since I arrived in the UK, Imperialogy helped me adapt to the environment here.

The "Big Television" game touched upon a plethora of topics related to Hong Kong and the UK, ranging from the latest trending pop stars, local HK dishes, to famous British landmarks and HK social issues. Not only did it make me reminisce about my life in my hometown where I was born and bred, but it also gave me a more consolidated understanding about the British culture.

My group managed to complete timeconstrained tasks, and we were fortunate to have won the event. Each of us was awarded a nice cup of bubble tea (thanks to our sponsor Biju!)

By and large, I spent a meaningful afternoon in Imperialogy. I was grateful to make more friends from Hong Kong at Imperial, and I look forward to joining more ICPASS events!

5U DINNER

I also unexpectedly met quite friends from Hong Kong so it was really nice catching up with them. We did win the Bingo game in the end and even ordered bubble tea and desserts to celebrate, so it

Iris Li

ICPASS x KCLPASS x LSESU HKPASS X UCLPASS X QMHKPASS

TECH-BIZ Applications TECH-BIZ TECH-BIZ

Theme

Our mentoring programme

Ourmentoringprogrammeis

(ICAAHK) andImperialCollege

alumnus. Ouralumniareexperts

Studentswillgainvaluablecareer

toconnectwiththeindustryof

Thethemeforthisyear’smentoringprogrammeis “Tech-BizApplication”. Livinginan world, employersarenotonlyseekingemployeeswithbothhardandsoftskills, butalso ofemergingtrendsandneeds. Majorevents, suchastheCovid-19pandemic, haveopened newandexpandingbusinessopportunitiesasconsumersadapttosuchchanges. Therefore individualsequippedwiththeabilitytocommunicatetheirideas, solvehardtechnical identifyemergingneedsandgeneraterespectivesolutionsaremostsoughtafterby

Inauguration Ceremony

TheImperialCollegeMentoringProgram2021

InaugurationCeremonytookplaceinhybridformon 24thofJuly, 2021.Weweredelightedtomeetour mentors/ ImperialAlumnisinperson. With45mentees fromdifferentdisciplines, therewere3breakoutsessionsof differentfocuses :

Oneofthehighlightswastohave

ProfessorPeterYKCheungfromthe

Multidisciplinary STEM Innovation, Entrepreneurship Smart-tech & Banking, Finance & Consultancy

DysonSchoolofDesignEngineeringatImperialCollegeLondonjoining usvirtuallyforthekeynoteaddress. Theexperiencesandtipsheshared wereenlighteningandthefeedbackwereceivedwaslargelypositiveas studentshavegainedcrucialcareeradvice.

heldincollaborationwithImperialCollegeAlumniAssociationofHongKong CollegeChineseSociety (ICCS). EverymenteeispairedwithanImperialCollege expertsintheirfields, rangingfrombusiness, finance, toengineeringandscience. careeradviceandhavetheopportunity oftheirownchoices.

TECH-BIZ

anever-changing alsotheawareness openedthedoorto Therefore, technicalproblems, allcompanies.

Consultancy

Recent event

Also, studentsfromImperialhavealsotakenpartinthePreUniversitySTEMstudentconferenceorganisedbytheInstituteof ElectricalandElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) HongKongSection virtuallyasstudentmentorsandjudgeson11thofDecember, 2021. STEMisincreasinglyimportantineveryaspectofourlives, especallyinfinanceandengineering. BystudyingSTEMsubjects, wecanexpandourknowledgeandstrivetoachieveSustainable DevelopmentGoals. Throughworkingwithandguidingsecondary schoolstudentsfor2months, Imperialstudentslearntalotfrom thesetalentedstudentsandprofessionalmentors.

For me fight not for glory; nor riches, nor honours, but for Freedom alone, which no good man gives up except with his life.

Birmingham Public Birmingham Public

Speaking Competition Speaking Competition

In all honesty, public speaking has never been my most striking strength. Having met these sophisticated minds, I realize that perhaps technical and numerical skills are not the only fields we should work on as future leaders of society.

There was a misconception that STEM students are severely disadvantaged in this event as we do not specialize in the skills required to be a presentable speaker. However, I believe that our ability to digest and rigorously explain complicated concepts makes our arguments more compelling and persuasive.

It was our pleasure to meet all these highly competent competitors from other universities. Marco and I improvised on our speech with our unanticipated synergy on the spot. Moreover, our opponents raised thought-provoking ideas on controversial topics which broadened our perspectives in current affairs. It was a fascinating yet thrilling experience.

Louis Tang

Exeter Forum Exeter Forum

On a cold Sunday morning in late November, annual flagship event held by Exeter COVID-19 Pandemic on Hong Kong's speaking event, but also my first time

After ascending the steep hill to Exeter different areas in England, like Bath

Next came the long-awaited commencement required to describe the opportunities assigned the catering industry. While restaurants and bars in Hong Kong. For the same time fostered the development some of the performances were. I realised before our turn, and so we chanted together as a team. We could therefore

Then, we moved on to the debate sessions. extent does COVID-19 Vaccination Passport assigned the identity of “university the other three groups. On the inside, outside, we had to keep the debate in three groups of people rebutting your have learnt to be more comfortable facing

Our jaws dropped as we heard the motion Song Charts Awards: My Favourite Male I enthusiastically prepared our arguments Keung To as our stance. Despite this, This session added a light touch to the

Even though our team did not win in skills, great friends, and wonderful experience forward to more enjoyable and meaningful

November, my friends and I got on the train towards Exeter to participate in the Exeter Forum, the HKPASS. Returning to in-person after two years, the theme this year was “The Implications of the Economy”. I was both nervous and excited as this was not only my first time joining a public time travelling out of London.

Exeter University, I got to meet my group mates in person. It was nice interacting with people from and Surrey, studying diverse subjects like architecture and nutrition. As a team, we prepared for

commencement of Exeter Forum. The forum started with a presentation session, in which groups were opportunities and challenges brought by the pandemic to different industries in Hong Kong. My group was While researching this topic with my group mates, I knew a lot more about the impact of COVID-19 on For instance, the pandemic has reduced profits brought by dine-in customers and tourists, but at development of food delivery services. During the actual presentation session, I was amazed by how smooth realised I had a lot to learn from the other groups. Also, I felt really anxious and nervous a few minutes “We can do it!” and gave each other high-fives. At that moment, we were not individuals, but therefore push on with our presentation despite our fears. The spirit of teamwork truly warmed my heart on sessions. In the first session, we were given the topic “Without considering political factors, to what Passport enhance the social and/or economic development of Hong Kong?” in advance. Our group was students”. Unsurprisingly, we took the stance of “to a small extent” and had to “battle” against inside, we were on an emotional rollercoaster travelling in between exhilaration and despair; on the a calm, rational, and professional manner. It was indeed a thrilling and unusual experience to have your points of view. We understood the current issues of Hong Kong at a deeper level, and hopefully, we facing such situations in the future.

motion for the second debate session -- “Is Anson Lo or Keung To more likely to receive the ‘Ultimate Male Singer 2021’ award?” The shock was soon replaced by excitement as another girl in the group and arguments and supporting evidence. Funnily enough, our group was once again singled out in choosing this, all of us had a great time as sassy roasts, claps, and laughter filled the room during the debate. the forum after the relatively serious topics and offered a cheerful ending to the whole event.

the end, we certainly did not regret joining Exeter Forum 2021 for the knowledge, public speaking experience obtained. We would like to thank Exeter HKPASS for inviting us to this event, and we look meaningful events to come.

今 年，我們的林鄭提出開發「北部都會區」，以語不驚人死不 休說出「依盤生意一定係賺，不需要擔心成本」。這一番言論不禁讓我納

悶，到底有什麼生意是不用計較成本就知道一定會賺，也許是我們香港人智商太 低，不懂她的未卜先知，神機妙算吧。說起來，香港近年積極發展基建，興建各種大白象 工程，civil 學生真的要由衷的感謝政府。

香港近年的經濟政策由過往的小政府大市場變成以 強而有力的政府規劃經濟，由親西方到今日卑躬屈膝向 中央刷鞋，都能解釋香港的轉變。以港珠澳大橋大橋為 例，整座大橋造價高達一千億，按目前收入估計，最少

要四十年才回本，但這座屢屢出現問題的大橋的壽命是 否有四十年猶未可知。事實上，不論港珠澳大橋還是高 鐵，都只是一種以鉅額工程推高GDP和房地產的手段。 君不見內地的房地產飆升，卻又出現鬼城的現象嗎？香 港政府跟隨中央，最終只會創造出更多鬼橋，鬼鐵，讓

一眾牛鬼蛇神生活。我向來反對政府興建任何不必要的 基建，研究指出，基建的成效往往會被誇大，而香港的 情況正正印證了這句話，如高鐵的載客量只有預期的六 成。事實上，香港通往深圳已經有多種渠道，而香港亦 無法承載更多人，港人到內地所需的時間亦有限，供求 大於需求，各個基建最終淪爲政府刷鞋的工具。

「北部都會區」示意圖

香港頻頻興建基建的第二個原因就是中央希望一步步地挖走我們香港的錢。平心而論，有甚麼 計劃比得上興建基建挖錢的速度？現今的工程動輒價值千億，明日大嶼更是一個接近萬億的項目 ，把香港人數十年來的錢在十至二十年間一次過掏空，萬一又再超支，就以舉債的方式完成。然 後政府又再自吹自擂社區建設有多成功云云，以上步驟重複兩三次，就可以將香港從發達城市一 舉提升至與內地其他城市並列，實現共同富裕。不理解內地情況的人以為內地現今已極度發達， 經濟實力雄厚，買爆全球，何須香港那一點點金錢。殊不知內地早因規劃經濟而陷入債務危機， 單單高鐵已經負債五萬億，何謂無底深洞，哪怕以高鐵帶動沿線地區所帶來的收益和稅收也是遠 遠不及的。香港人有錢眾所週知，繼馬雲，馬化騰，洗米華等人之後，就輪到割留港人士的韭菜

香港出現了如此愛國的林鄭女士，頻頻為國家著想，放棄水深火熱之中的港人，卻帶著虛偽 的面具說出無愧港人的言論，自以為能得到中央青睞。可惜習主席連正眼都不望她，只是官腔 地說肯定香港政府的工作等廢話。不知固執且年年考第一的她又會如何在僅餘的時間內折磨

圖片來源：HK01

The Closure of Apple Daily is Another Nail in the Coffin for Press Freedom in Hong Kong

Introduction

24 June 2021. 11 am HKT. Weather: raining. I can still recall walking down the streets, visiting every single convenience store and newspaper stall along the way to see if there were any copies of Apple Daily’s ultimate edition. With my t-shirt soaked with rain, I walkedfromFortressHillallthewaytoWanChaiMTR station in two and a half hours. Finally, I bought five copies in Wan Chai after queuing up for a long time. Feeling accomplished and touched at the same time, this was definitely one of the most unforgettable moments in summer 2021.

The announcement of the closure ofApple Daily was met with widespread disappointment and hopelessness among pro-democracy Hong Kongers. Many Hong Kongers heavily criticized the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party for suppressing press freedom in Hong Kong. The international community has also strongly condemned the Hong Kong government for the closure of Apple Daily. This event is truly one of the most defining moments in 2021 for Hong Kong. Apple Daily was founded by Jimmy Lai on 20 June 1995. Apple Daily was named after the forbidden fruit eatenbyAdamandEve.LaistatedthatifAdamandEve did not eat the apple, there would be no evil in the world, thus no news.

The History of Apple Daily

criticized the administrations of every Chief Executives of Hong Kong over the years. It has also supported the Umbrella Revolution in 2014 and the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in 2019.Apple Daily has claimed that it received weekly hacks from Chinese-sponsored hackers due to its political stance.

Since its founding, Apple Daily has long been a staunch supporter of the pro-democracy camp. Being a listed company and one of the best-selling newspapers in Hong Kong,Apple Daily is arguably their largest and most resourceful organization. The newspaper has

Over the years, Apple Daily has reported several political and entertainment industry scandals, ranging from the Shatin to Central Link scandal to the cheating affairs between Jacqueline Wong and Andy Hui. As a result, they play a huge part in spreading public awareness of political corruption and societal problems. Some of the most sold-out editions of Apple Daily were the death of Leslie Cheung on 02/04/2003 and the raiding of their own headquarters by 200 police officers on 11/08/2020.

Jimmy Lai

Photo taken from HKFP

Hong Kong citizens holding Apple Daily’s ultimate edition on 24th June, 2021

Photo taken from blockcast.it

Photo taken from SCMP

The First Raid

One year ago, on 10August 2020, the headquarters of Apple Daily and its parent company Next Digital were raided by 200 police officers from the Hong Kong Police Force. Jimmy Lai and the four senior management staff were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud, while Chow was also with the suspicion of collusion with foreign forces under the National Security Law. The two sons of Lai were arrested also under the suspicion of collusion with foreign forces. Ryan Law Wai-kwong, the editor-in-Chief of Apple Daily, asked the police officers to show the search warrant issued by the court in a video widely shared over the Internet.

Apple Daily supporters called for buying the edition the next day to show collective support to the company. Thenewspaperprinted350,000copiesthenextday,and laterincreasedthenumberto550,000intheearlymorning of the day, which is significantly higher than the usual 70,000 copies. The edition was sold out in many newspaper stalls and convenience stalls the next day. This event was met with immense criticism of the Hong Kong government and the Chinese Communist Party in other western countries. BBC has even named the first raiding ofApple Daily as one of the most defining moments inAsia in 2020.

The Second Raid and the Fall of Apple Daily

One year later, in the morning of 17 June 2021, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force arrested five Next Digital executives for conspiracy to colluding with foreign forces under the National Security Law. Around 500 police officers and National Security Department officers raided the Apple Daily headquarters, blocking off the building and all exits.At least 44 computers, documents, and news materials were taken away by the police.

With a total of HKD 18 million of assets by the police and lack of leadership and staff, the board of Apple Daily decided not to continue operations on 22 June 2021. Next Digital closed on 23 June 2021.At the midnight of 24 June 2021, the official website of Apple Daily and its social media accounts were all deleted.The final edition ofApple Daily was published at the midnight of 24 June 2021. One million copies were printed, which was the highest number of copies printed in one day in the history ofApple Daily.

In the morning of 24 June 2021, profoundly long queues at newspaper stalls were observed in every street of Hong Kong. Many pro-democracy Hong Kongers expressed their heartfelt disappointment and sadness over the closure of Apple Daily. Some even said firmly that if Apple Daily only sold plain white paper, they would still buy it. They started queuing up at various newspaper stalls in the midnight to buy several copies of Apple Daily. Moreover, supporters of Apple Daily went to their Tseung Kwan O headquarters at night on 23 June 2021, chanting slogans from the pro-democracy movement to express their love and support forApple Daily.

Photo taken from BBC

Photo taken from Apple Daily

Apple Daily stopped operations on 22 June, 2021

What the Closure of Apple Daily Means For Press Freedom in Hong Kong

The closure of Apple Daily has caused President Joe Biden to issue a statement, stating that it was a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and that National Security Law that penalizes free speech. Other influential political figures and organisations around the world, such as UK foreign minister Dominic Raab, the European Union, and Amnesty International all strongly condemned the Hong Kong Government and Beijing for suppressing opposing voices and press freedom. One would never think that the closure of a local newspaper would trigger such a global reaction. Dare I say, I bet if TVB closed, no government officials would even care. The strong, intense response from all other countries has instilled some faith in me that humanity is still present in a lot of people and we Hong Kongers are not alone.

So what will happen to Hong Kong now that Apple Daily is gone? I believe that for now, Stand News will be the main source of news for the pro-democracy Hong Kongers. But if the government can make a listed company shut down within one week’s time, anything can happen.

The closure ofApple Daily signifies that from now on, only pro-Beijing media is allowed in Hong Kong. One wrong word said? It’s all game over. No reporters or

authors would dare to criticize the government for the sake of their own safety and fear of being jailed. Pro-Beijing media now dominates mainstream media and opposing voices have no choice but to go underground. All media channels that remain are all pro-CCP except for a handful ones like Stand News and Citizen News. With only one single mainstream opinion in the media, the government will never understand the opinions of the citizens who oppose their policies.They only listen to what they want to hear and will never be able to truly address the needs of all stakeholders in society. This leads to a government of low credibility and low public acceptance.

Moreover, the closure ofApple Daily implies that social evils may hardly be reported again. As mentioned previously, Apple Daily had reported several political scandals over the years, spreading public awareness about the government’s wrongdoings. Without an anti-government newspaper, governmental corruption and social evils, which pro-China outlets will never report, will go unnoticed and will only be taken to the graves of the wrongdoers. Hong Kong will only sink like the Titanic.

Conclusion

What lies in the future of Hong Kong now that Apple Daily has vanished? For now, it is not the end of the world since we still have a handful of pro-democracy outlets which we can read the news from. But it is indeed the sad truth that without a staunch and powerful company in the pro-democracy camp, we have lost in this round. The support for this movement has been utterly undermined. Press freedom is at stake in Hong Kong. As loyal, freedom-loving Hong Konger, we can only exercise resilience and hope that things would go in our favor.

President Joe Biden

Photo taken from HKFP

Photo taken from The Daily Express

Photo taken by Kin Cheung

* This article was written before the shut-down of Stand News and Citizen News. While this may make parts of this article out-of-date, we believe that these developments further reinforce the fact that freedom of the press is on its last leg in Hong Kong.

triotism triotism

triotism enhanced: triotism enhanced:

Patriotism enhanced: reform of the liberal Hong Kong New Senior (NSS) System

Such sudden and radical changes in the education system have not been completed with much consultation with schools and students and gained little support from the public. The government failed to acknowledge the general opinion of the education system and insisted on such changes. This, in turn, will bring many implications towards pupils in Hong Kong and create a censored and not up-to-standard education system.

But with the change into the Citizenship and Social Development Subject, it has lost its characteristic aim to provide all-rounded perspectives on issues to students. Instead, it focuses on how Hong Kong and China are linked together, and how important it is to appreciate and respect the ‘motherland’. It has transformed into a semi-national education subject to cultivate patriotism and restrict the freedom to understand issues around the world. Our students are now taught to understand the responsibility of a Chinese and create a sense of national identity, such patriotic changes of the curriculum will essentially deteriorate student’s ability to think critically, and to understand the logic behind opposite viewpoints.

Liberal Studies has been considered as a starting point for political enlightenment for teenagers, introducing them to political issues and different perspectives on different social issues. As a student who had studied LS for 3 years in my senior secondary, I believe that liberal studies provided us with the background knowledge and information to think critically on social issues, backing up our arguments with evidence, whichever side we are on. This subject stimulates and helps with our thinking process and logical deductions, this is anything but political propaganda or a tool to make us radical. The ability to analyze current situations and issues, good and bad, could only be learned through the context of LS subject in the NSS system. Without a doubt, liberal studies provided a balanced context of the whole world with viewpoints from many stakeholders, making us politically literate and nurturing our analytical mindset. It did not put us into a certain opinion but allowed us to see and express more of our own.

What differs Hong Kong from many Chinese cities is our people’s mindset to critically analyze issues and policies and our willingness to voice out our opinion. If the education system has changed so that students are nurtured with single-sided arguments and patriotism only, alongside with the restrictions of freedom put on Hong Kong’s society, the future Hong Kong would not be a Hong Kong I am familiar with. For now, what we could do to prevent this from happening is to keep the critical thinking mindset in us intact and pass it on to future generations.

Photo taken from HK01

The Co-op: Democratizing Work

For the sake of convenience, I will be referring to general cooperatives as “co-ops” and the Co-operative group and brand as “Co-op” with a capital C.

If I ask you where to get groceries (or £3 meal deals) in London, the Co-op may not be the first place to come to your mind. While the retailer may not stand out in a large busy city like London, it is a much bigger player in other parts of the UK. Co-op Food is ranked the 6th largest food retailer in the country by market share, which is higher than Lidl and Waitrose. This statistic on its own is not anything remarkable, what makes the Co-op special is that it is run differently from its competitors. As the name suggests, Co-op Food is a cooperative, a business that is owned by every member of the business.

What are cooperatives?

According to the Statement on the Cooperative Identity by the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), a cooperative (or co-op) is an autono mous association of per sons united voluntarily to meet their common eco nomic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-con trolled enterprise. Early co-ops were a response to the consequences of the Industrial Revolution, includ ing rapid social changes, skyrocketing food prices and the lack of working-class representation in politics.The modern co-op movement started in the northern English city of Roch dale in 1844 when the Rochdale Soci-

Pioneers was founded and the Rochdale Principles were formalized. The Rochdale Principles have been adapted and modernized in the Statement of the Cooperative Identity into seven principles:

1. Voluntary and Open Membership

2. Democratic Member Control

3. Member Economic Participation

4. Autonomy and Independence

5. Education, Training, and Information for members

6. Cooperation among Cooperatives

7. Concern for Community

The Cooperative

The Rochdale Cooperative largest , nesses co-operative pendent the party by retail

the Co-op try, provider. and Anyone and share voting

pate Meetings Group has by all eligible

Cooperative Group

Rochdale Society would eventually evolve into the Cooperative Group (Co-op Group), the society that owns largest food retailers and funeral providers in the coun , they are also a major insurance and legal services

Co-op Food business. Aside from being one of theprovider. Owning the “Co-op” cloverleaf brand, businesses and businesses use such brand to help promote the message. Suchorganizationsincludeinde-

and representatives from independent co-ops. These people act as representatives for grassroots members within the Group. There is also a 15-member Council Senate elected from and by the Members’ Council, which acts as a link between the members’ Council and the Board. The Members’ Council also elects the Council President, which is supported by two Vice Presidents, with one overseeing business performance and the other overseeing ethics. Members also nominate 4 directors to the 12-strong board of Directors among themselves.

Do co-ops work?

The Co-op Group has shown that there exists a more democratic way of running a business within the current market system. There are 3 million co-ops around the world employing more than 10% of the world’s population. Advocates for co-ops would say that co-ops put the interests of their members above profits, and thus do not make as many risky decisions that private firms would make just to maximize earnings. The fact that grassroots members have a say in the co-op means that there is more local expertise within the decision-making process, which allows the co-op to be better run. In a world where business owners are allowed to make bad decisions and leave their employees and customers to bear the consequences, co-ops have a level of transparency and accountability that privately-owned businesses cannot offer.

Co-operative party, the fourth largest political

nesses owned by the Group and other organizations co-operative pendent co-op businesses, regional co-op societies and the Co-operative political party partyinParliamentwith25seats.

Anyone

can become a member of the Co-op Group

by buying a £1 share. retail membership, members may also receive a

many “democratic points” they have earned that year More committed members are also allowed to partici in the decision-making process by attending and Meetings (AGMs) as well as participating in elections. has a 100-person Members’ eligible members, made up of members, employees

Aside from exclusive discounts and store benefits you may expect from any other share of the Co-op group’s profits depending on how year. particithe on business decisions during their Annual General The Council which is elected eligible

Problems with co-ops

Most co-ops, including the Co-op Group, are consumer co-ops, where the membership is also open to every customer of the business. In the case of the Co-op group, members earn “democratic points” by making eligible purchases in Co-op businesses, and to be eligible to vote, members must meet one of five criteria, one of them being spending £250 in Co-op Food within the last 12 months. This means the voting member base's interests may not necessarily align with the interests of the employees, and conflicts may arise from such a difference. Imagine if Foodpanda was structured as a consumer co-op and they decided to cut delivery fees similarly to how it happened in real life, the middle-class consumer base, who would see the cut as slightly cheaper meals for them, would never vote alongside the working-class workforce, who would see it as losing part of their livelihood.

What about workers’ co-ops?

Workers’ co-ops, where the employees own the business, also exist albeit in much smaller numbers. This does not mean that they do not work, however. The largest employee-owned business in the UK is the John Lewis Partnership, the third largest non-trading company in the UK by sales and owner of the John Lewis & Partners department stores and Waitrose & Partners supermarkets. Its shares are held by a trust on behalf of its employees (or “partners” as the company calls them) and would give out annual bonuses to each employee depending on their salary. However, their consumer base tends to be more affluent upper-middle-class people and thus their market share is much smaller than that of the Co-op Group. Their bonuses varied between 5% and 20% historically but dropped to 2% in 2020. It has also been confirmed that no bonuses will be given out in 2021 in light of the pandemic.

Outside of the UK, there are also many workers’ co-ops in places like France and Spain.

Why are we talking about this in the first place?

We as Hong Kongers have awakened to the increasingly uphill fight for a democratic state, yet, as typical members of the middle class, we have overlooked the fight for a democratic workplace. The disbandment of civic groups like the Professional Teachers’ Union and the Confederation of Trade Unions of course signifies the government’s increasing intolerance of dissenting political voices, we also have to recognize that thousands of working people have lost representation in their fight for better working conditions and worker’s rights. There are many other examples of successful co-ops around the world includingAustralia and Japan, and there are no co-ops in Hong Kong as far as I know. Hopefully, this sparks your curiosity in seeing how other places provide a democratic platform for their workers and help us, as future members of the workforce wherever we will be, build a better working environment for ourselves.

Photo of Scotmid coop (Scotland’s first ever supermarket)