Hong Kong’s Security Secretary wants civil servants to identify and respond to ‘soft resistance’…
In a newspaper interview published on Tuesday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said foreign interference in local affairs has become more diverse and covert as Hong Kong takes on an increasingly prominent position on the global stage.
The government says “soft resistance” involves people channels such as disinformation and the arts to divide society through public opinion and to try to cause distrust or hostility towards the authorities.
Compared to “hard resistance”, it is more difficult to guard against “soft resistance” due to its infiltrating nature, Tang added, while vowing to work on various fronts to safeguard national security.
He said the administration will release new guidelines for civil servants as soon as possible, outlining how they should fulfil their duty in safeguarding national security.
One such way, Tang said, is paying close attention to the emergence of “soft resistance” and taking proactive countermeasures.
We are still none the wiser about what ‘soft resistance’ actually is. It is nowhere, yet it is all around us. It is apparently not illegal, but it is a serious threat. It might involve the arts. It tries to ‘divide society through public opinion’. (What if ‘soft resistance’ is public opinion? What if it is simply ‘society’? What if the problem is people in charge who see the public as a threat?)
What is even less clear is what civil servants are expected to do to respond to it. If, as seems likely, much ‘soft resistance’ is in fact simple criticism of the government, maybe officials could try proactive countermeasures like listening to complaints, and acting to make sure the government does a better job, thus leading to greater public satisfaction. Just an idea. Or is suggesting such a thing ‘soft resistance’?
Or is suggesting such a thing ‘soft resistance’?
Nail, meet hammer.
I heard that someone is planning on a 3D print of a sex toy they are planning on selling, and it will be called “Soft Resistance”.
Widely publicised across the Internet, would make for some interesting questions for officials at press conferences.
@paul lewis – That would be hilarious.
There’s something even more mysterious than what “soft resistance” is (substituting “public sentiment” usually makes sense), and what civil servants are supposed to do about it (they could try *not* pissing everyone off by doing expensive stupid shit that no one wants and arresting everyone and their dog).
The central mystery is why on earth PK Tang et al think Hong Kong is “[taking] on an increasingly prominent position on the global stage”.
Have they all been at the Space Oil, or Zombie Oil or whatever they’re calling it for their next city-wide advertising drugs campaign?
They’ve already killed the economy. The middle class and the tourists are gone, the multinationals moved most of their staff to Singapore, and even the remaining locals don’t want to stay here during the weekends. Shops, malls, restaurants and bars are closing at an alarming rate. The only visible government induced-growth sectors at the moment are decidedly domestic: “secret police” and “people imprisoned without trial”.
All-in-all the city’s trajectory seems to be well on it’s way to becoming as globally prominent as Shenyang, Shijiazhuang or Hefei.
The only increasing international “prominence” HK has been getting lately is as a pariah: repressive, undemocratic, unsafe, corrupt, with an internationally sanctioned government and judiciary, no rule of law, and a hub for sanctions-breaking trade with other international pariahs like Russia, Iran and the DPRK.