City must search for common ground

It is hard to imagine that a bill on the transfer of fugitives could spark Hong Kong’s biggest turmoil under Chinese rule. One hundred days have passed since the first mass protest signalled the start of the extradition bill movement and the city is still struggling to tackle the ensuing political rift, social unrest, economic slowdown and, above all, unprecedented crisis in governance.

The way forward is anything but clear, and deep reflection is needed to bring this dark chapter to an end. Worryingly, both sides seem to accept the increased level of violence between them. While the behaviour of individual police officers has been questioned, the truth is that increased violence has made law enforcement more difficult. Even more worrying is an apparent rise in people’s tolerance of hostility, which may push Hong Kong to the brink of lawlessness and has to be avoided at all costs.

Obviously, it takes more than dialogue and engagement to restore stability and trust. The creation of a ‘‘Dialogue Office’’ must not be just a new layer of bureaucracy for the benefit of public relations. People need to be heard and their grievances addressed. More importantly, there needs to be solutions to many long-standing problems that have contributed to the crisis.

Beijing has given Hong Kong room to tackle matters on its own. The onus is not only on the government, but also on society as a whole.