24
resulted in the weakening of the family and the traditionalistic
organizations in the Chinese community. The increasing complexity
of society has incessantly generated public needs and social
problems which can only be effectively dealt with at the
governmental level. People increasingly depend on the government
not only to solve collective problems, but also their family and
personal problems, leading to continuously increasing demands on it. 25 The problem of political overload is palpable, which is
also aggravated by escalating public criticism of governmental
performance. In fact, the growing politicization of Hong Kong in
the last two decades was related to the expanding role of the
government in meeting social needs and the delivery of public
services.
The 1997 issue has produced changes in society which
exacerbate the problems stemming from modernization in Hong Kong.
A major impact of the 1997 issue on society is the abrupt
termination of the identity-building process, and the corollary
process of community formation. At the same time, social
authorities, which have never been quite strong in the first
place, have eroded.
As a society of immigrants and sojourners, the sense of
community in Hong Kong is weak from the very beginning. In 1960s,
an inchoate sense of community identification appeared, particularly among the younger generation who considered Hong
25 Lau, 'Social Change'; Lau Siu-kai and Kuan Hsin-chi, 'The Changing Political Culture of the Hong Kong Chinese,' in Joseph Y.S. Cheng (ed.), Hong Kong in Transition (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1986), pp. 26-51.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.