Initially, I was rather proud of my country’s response to this pandemic...However, this show of solidarity in handling a crisis could not be more starkly contrasted to Malaysia’s treatment of immigrants and refugees.

To mark the finale of our ‘Hong Kong: One Year Ago Today’ initiative as well as the significance of last year’s event, we reveal to you our final Opinion piece, ‘One Year Ago Today: Hong Kong’s Extradition Bill’. Reflecting on the events of last year, the article revisits ‘the rationale, the content of the bill that started it all, as well as the reasons for its widespread opposition.’

It has often been critiqued that the Hong Kong people’s trustful calls for the US President Donald Trump to ‘save’ the city during the current climate of crisis as futile and redundant in their approach. Not only are the demonstrators being used to ‘further their own ruin’ but are simply deluded by the apparent support from the Western media, equating maximum media exposure as shows of solidarity and support.

From socio-cultural identification to the collectivisation of separatism, localism, nationalism, demands for self-autonomous rule and democracy under the same motivations of ‘Hong Kong independence,’ the article, complemented with a summary of Hong Kong’s historical past, aims to highlight the differences behind all these terms and focus on Hong Kong’s ‘core values’ and related merits.

Over the last two decades, the city has witnessed a series of social conflicts over issues such as competition for school entry quotas and milk powder scandals, most of which saw clashes between ‘New Immigrants’ and members of the local community. Closer analysis reveals that events relating to promotions of ‘One China’ have repeatedly brought about clashes in Hong Kong’s society. Whilst this identity was predetermined by its historic past, the escalation of social conflicts into the current climate of social unrest suggests that conflicting interests are no longer result of cultural differences but a contradiction with local interests and Hong Kong’s ‘core values.’

The lack of collective unity felt in Hong Kong owes massively to its historical and cultural background. Having undergone a turbulent 20th century, characterised by two regime changes in China in 1949 and 1966 respectively and later the end to British colonial rule in 1997, whilst nationalist sentiments were arguably present, they were never powerful enough to stimulate a political movement.

From initial emigration waves in 1980s and the handover of sovereignty from Britain to China in 1997 to the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the Extradition Bill Crisis of 2019, Hong Kong has had its fair share of uncertainties throughout its history and has come out on top against all odds. However, recent events, such as the implementation of the National Security Bill, greatly threatens to compromise the city’s long-standing merits.

The debates over the ‘yellow economic circle’ remains inconclusive. Due to its multifaceted nature, the extent and degree of its impact across different areas of society, the ‘yellow economic circle’ can be termed a social movement that utilises economic means to achieve political ends.

In February, the world was made aware of the spread of a novel disease plaguing China...Some people living in the West shrugged it off as fear-mongering by the media and most saw it as nothing but a faraway problem — something that did not require their immediate concern and action...Only when the disease had been declared epidemic in Italy did it become apparent to the people in the West that it could affect their people; their kin.

China’s ulterior motives disguised as ‘offerings’ of medical resources and protective equipment only to be forcibly recalled due to manufacturing faults and errors.

Out of the 2,023 Americans that participated in the Atlantic’s poll on these theories, 29% believe that the threat of the virus was being exaggerated to hurt President Trump’s chances at re-election and 31% believe that the virus was created and spread on purpose. Whilst considerably high, the survey results indicate that formation of what is known as a ‘natural ceiling in conspiracy beliefs’.

A Hindu university standing against police brutality in a Muslim university is a true reflection of what Indian society was always meant to be - compassionate and tolerant. A land with abundant Islamic influence, which gave birth to four major world religions, cannot afford to be anything but secular.