Hong Kong is way past its prime, whether it is headed by a democratic government or not. But things aren't grim. We still have China. If they are not so brainwashed and conditioned to hate on China, they would have seen the opportunities in China like the rest of the world do. Unfortunately, while the world are happily making money in/with China, our youth are stuck in a Cold War mentality that is beyond reason and logic. They fiercely defend their proud Cantonese heritage, and refuse to learn anything about China, discounting them as "brainwash education". Reluctant to work in China or aboard, they are firmly stuck in Hong Kong, choosing to complain about the lack of opportunities instead.
This is the main reason why I'm not siding with the directions of OC. Hong Kong has no future if they keep isolating themselves from the mainland. Our only hope of maintaining some economic prosperity in the long run is through deeper economic integration with the mainland. An integration like that will inevitably require closer political and cultural ties, which many youths in HK are now desperately trying to avoid. To me this is a sign that they have completely lost their confidence as a generation because of HK's decline. They fear they will lose their job, lose their lifestyle, lose their culture, even their language, because they are now facing equal competition from the north, more equal than ever.
I have a sense that democracy, "universal suffrage", and all the conspiracy theories about CCP was more of a symbol in the collective consciousness that reflected this deeply unsettling fear. This was evident by how they reacted to social issues. When faced with challenges during this relationship shift with the mainland (e.g. tourism, immigration, housing), they seek to alienate and antagonize much more than they seek to adapt and resolve. I don't think it was wrong for them to seek more political powers per se, because people are suffering and they have very good reasons to demand change. Unfortunately, they don't have the right idea about how to change, they didn't get that change should start from within, from how they will see a bigger picture of HK's future, from how they must first gain the inner strength and open attitude to face a whole new level of competition.
Economic transitions for a city over its prime are always tough, but universal suffrage don't necessarily prevent universal suffering. In fact I believe it could make things worse if the city continue to be politically polarized, as an electoral battle with an unrestricted spectrum of nominees could fuel even more internal split. Beijing also has a legitimate concern that a completely unrestricted election in a polarized and historically anti-CCP atmosphere could result in a leader that doesn't truly pledge allegiance to the PRC. This leader may not have the mutual trust to work with the central government (not as a puppet, but at least as a local government official), and that will definitely hamper HK's economic recovery, if not the region's political stability. General election was an important tool that could be and have been used for good, but unlike many people in HK I never believed it was the universal and ultimate answer to true democracy.
