'A change in govt wouldn't end Hong Kong crisis'

'A change in govt wouldn't end Hong Kong crisis'

Raymond Mak talks to RTHK's Janice Wong

A former Path of Democracy think tank member, Raymond Mak, said on Tuesday that a change in government would not be enough to resolve the ongoing unrest in Hong Kong if a new team coming in faced the same situation and did not have the flexibility to address the issues involved.



The former student leader also said possible solutions, including an independent probe, to solve the current impasse have already been aired by both sides already. "If the government can implement all these solutions recommended by both sides, definitely there will be a breakthrough from the current situation," said Mak.



"But what we are concerned about at the moment is whether the Hong Kong government has the determination and also the flexibility to address the demands of the protesters," he said.



Mak said it is difficult for the Carrie Lam administration to resolve the issues given its low popularity. "But definitely there are somethings it can do. The first one is to closely communicate with the Beijing government on the current situation."



He said one of the main obstacles to implementing solutions to quell the unrest has been Beijing's fear about so-called foreign interference behind the protests and some of its assessments of the Hong Kong situation.



If the Hong Kong government can address the concerns of the central government, that will help in finding a solution, he said.



Mak told RTHK's Janice Wong that whether there will be an escalation of violence in the coming weeks will depend on how the situation develops, and this will partly depend on the recommendations of the IPCC's interim report, that is to be released sometime in January.