Article - HK's Silent Majority Must Speak Up
In Hong Kong the protesters and police have reached the limit of what they can do. They have got us to this point. It is now up to us, the silent majority, to speak up and take things forward.
Where are we now?
As the world watches, we see and hear the violent language and inaction of the governing people (e.g. “the next two generations are a write off”, “crush their bones to dust”, “protesters are the enemy of the people”). We see the police attack campus gates with tear gas and arrest young people for defending freedom of speech, and we witness protesters throw Molotov cocktails and destroy property in anger while businesses close and tourists stay away.
How did we get here?
I believe three main issues have resulted in Hong Kong’s current crisis: Leadership, values, inaction:
Leadership - As identified by political research and as witnessed first-hand since 1997, public organisations have systematically replaced their competent leaders with people primarily loyal to the CCP. At the same time senior leadership teams have systematically replaced the majority of their members with pro-China people. Loyalty to China is more important than being fit for office. The result of this policy after 22 years finds leaders unable to cope, unaware of the will of the people and uninterested in acting in favour of Hong Kong over China.
Values - In Hong Kong a great deal of people put money before principle. When people ask why Hong Kong’s business leaders are silent in the current situation, it is because they profit immensely from China business and cannot afford to do anything to bring this to an end. HK people however still consider freedom of speech more important than profits.
Inaction - For too many years societal leaders have ignored the effects of the growing wealth gap and what that, which together with climate change, stresses young people today. The 1% against whom the Occupy Movement originated 5 years ago find themselves better off today that they were then. Especially those that have profited from China business. Meanwhile, housing, basic necessities and clean air are less affordable today than they were then.
What do we know about societal dialogues?
I have been fortunate to attend two seminars in two weeks aimed at bringing international experience and research to the problems Hong Kong is facing. The first was at HKU a week ago and the second yesterday at the HK Convention Centre. Here are highlights of what I learned (or was reminded of). The points are grouped using my dialogue puzzle which suggests to achieve optimal outcomes, we must get the right people to talk about the right issues, in the right way, and at the right time and space.
Right Issues
1. We need to accept where we are before determining the way forward
2. Few ever think societal conflicts can get as bad as they get
3. Citizenship and democracy are not things we need to wait to be given before engaging in dialogue
4. Dialogue must be based on fact checked knowledge.
5. Don’t assume you know what the other side wants.
6. Preconditions demanded by the other side give you hidden messages. Take a step back and structure your dialogue on why the pre-conditions are requested.
7. The aspirations of both sides are valid. Your job is to reconcile both sides’ aspirations.
Right Way
8. Violence, tear gas, dialogue etc are all instruments of change and we tend to see change through the instruments we know best. Some instruments are silent and some are violent.
9. Dialogue is a process and Hong Kong’s dialogue has hundreds of issues which can be categorised as economic, judicial, constitutional, societal etc.
10. Dialogue needs to be carefully designed
11. We should look for the hidden messages in what people say (e.g. the protesters five demands ask yourself, “why do they ask for each one?”, “what is causing them to think this way?”)
12. We have a moral obligation to dialogue and find a higher ground or common value to resolve conflict (e.g. we all want to see Hong Kong prosper)
13. Talks must be confidential, inclusive, non-violent and it must be clear what is on and off the agenda.
14. Purpose must be clearly stated and agreed before commencing. Stakeholders are invited not because they used violence but in spite of the fact they used violence.
15. The process generally starts by making contact and forming a mutual understanding of the problem then proceeding into analysis, problem solving and joint action.
16. You can expect the parties will still fight in public (or on-line) while dialogue continues quietly behind the scenes
17. Labeling is a problem so encourage people to drop all violent communication such as “the protesters are young and don’t know any better”
18. Mistrust is a real problem: there is mistrust between pro-HK and pro-China people, between people and police, between people and government (HK and China) and even between people inside government and inside the police. We need dialogue to begin to rebuild trust.
19. Peace doesn’t mean going back to the way it was before – with dialogue, repair and reform we can make HK stronger than before
20. Violence and dialogue both need momentum to be sustained
21. Sometimes we have to hear things that are difficult to hear but we must remain at the table and continue our dialogue, nonetheless. Dialogue is a space of moral imagination
Right People
22. We sometimes need to involve new people to break deadlock
23. Confucian values of conflict avoidance and respect for authority has left Hong Kong and China with little ability to dialogue about problems like those that set off Occupy five years ago and which remain today
24. Outsiders tend to negotiate solutions on behalf of insiders in conflict
25. Diversity is integral to the dialogue process because of the rainbow of strong views and deeply held beliefs
26. You tend to dialogue with your enemies but monologue with people that think like you
27. We must first acknowledge our bias and manage it before engaging effectively in dialogue
28. Fears are also an opportunity for dialogue, ask people about the fears that are driving their demands (e.g. “why must students stop protesting before government engages in dialogue?”)
29. We know civil society needs to be represented at the table for societal peacebuilding as well as anyone who can block progress (so they don’t block progress)
30. Groups must decide who will represent them, others cannot decide this on their behalf
Right Space and Time
31. Cease fires create a space for dialogue. Until there is a cease fire and people feel it is safe the leaders will remain in hiding. Leaders in government, police and protesters have all basically remained silent through six months of protests
32. A safe space for peace building dialogue almost always means outside the country in conflict.
33. Violence is on the streets AND on-line. 72% of the population of Hong Kong (5.4 million people) are active users of social media. 56% of students spend over 5 hours a day on-line while 32% spend over 9 hours on-line
34. Different sides of the dispute in HK tend to be using different social media. There is a lot of bullying on-line of people who state opinions different than the majority view. Dialogue isn’t happening on-line
We are the silent majority
It is easy to spot the protesters and police but where is the silent majority of people who want to bring an end to the violence, resume work/school, and commence dialogue to repair relationships and reform the governance of Hong Kong? The silent majority was evident at the Hong Kong Convention Centre November 16th when 500 people assembled to dialogue about dialogue and how it can resolve the conflict in Hong Kong. The silent majority needs to end their silence, to speak up and begin to act. The silent majority is asking me “what can I do?”
What can we do?
My work in negotiation created my bestseller Dialogue Gap in 2012. In this book (the Chinese edition was banned in China) I described our declining ability to dialogue in person seemingly due to our growing use of on-line communication. I predicted then that this would lead to more conflict. Seven years later things have got considerably worse. 30 countries, including Hong Kong, are in significant turmoil as I write this.
My followers are asking “what can I do to help in the current HK situation?”. Specifically, I would like you to do three things:
1. Stop violent communication (e.g. labeling the protesters or the chief executive as one thing or another) and find compassion for people on the other side. Violent communication can include remaining silent when people want to know which side you are on. Tell them you side with dialogue.
2. Become an advocate for dialogue and call for a truce to create space for dialogue. Dialogue does not mean universal suffrage it means every view is listened to and reconciliation is worked out. Ask others to do the same.
3. Network at your level to build connections and share key messages with key people who can help repair and reform our society (see three levels of peace building below).
Advocate at your level of peace building
At the top are senior leaders on each side and at the bottom are the people suffer the most in societal conflicts. In the middle are the people who typically take orders from the top and translate these into actions for the people at the bottom (e.g. “shoot tear gas until they can’t breathe” and “keep the roads open at all cost”.)
At each level there are connectors or dialogue leaders who can network up, down and across society to dialogue with people on both sides of a dispute to advocate the following:
1. a cease fire or a peace offering (e.g. accept an independent investigation of the accidents arising from the police and protester actions).
2. dialogue to repair and reform societal needs.
3. Remind people who only believe in violence that Gandhi and conflict studies since Gandhi’s time prove non-violent resistance is more successful at creating change than violence.
4. Continuously build our social capital by bonding with people like us and bridging with people who don’t think like us.
5. Help people listen to each other and listen better than before (e.g. ask why they speak and act as they do?)
6. Recognise inaction doesn’t mean people agree or disagree. People weren’t born to be one colour or another (e.g. yellow or blue).
7. Look beyond the words of the disputing parties and inquire about their intent and their fears
8. Talk to leaders between the top and middle layers who can engage with both top and middle leaders on both sides.
Silent Majority Awake
Apart from emerging from silence, networking and advocating for a truce and dialogue, you might also want to join like-minded people in one of the following ways:
Sponsor our half-day I Love Hong Kong Dialogue inside your workplace or favourite NGO. This half day session is offered free (only materials and expenses will be charged) and introduces people to dialogue skills and methods while engaging to answer: How might we ensure a bright future for Hong Kong?
Attend our three-day Star Negotiator Workshop to take a deep dive into Dialogue, Negotiation and Emotion Management as applied to situations you (and others) face at work, at home and in the community. Star Negotiators Workshops have run in over 600 organisations and 60 countries worldwide. You can attend a public workshop or bring this workshop inside your organisation to focus the learning specifically onto your commercial, strategic and organisational issues.
Join the silent majority as they awake to advocate for dialogue by joining our Potential Dialogue Institute or another of the many organisations with whom we are united to bring positive change to Hong Kong.
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