THERE is a common thread running through Brexit, Trump and this week’s Italian
referendum – not a populist revolt, but a question of identity.
In a world full of uncertainties, which threaten our jobs, our future and sense of
security, we go back to very basic questions – who am I? What do I really care
about? How do I cope with the uncertain future?
This insecurity in an age of prosperity results in localism and anti-globalisation that
many elites who benefited from globalisation have not quite understood. They dump
on Trump, Putin, Duterte and Erdogan, but they forgot that these leaders got to
where they are because they listened more to the common people than the elites.
Rightly or wrongly, the silent majority remained silent until it exploded and new
leaders emerge to represent that identity aspiration.
Most of us feel good or bad by identifying with our environment. Liberals may not like
President Duterte, but he won his election because enough Filipinos hated the drugs
and violence that was corroding their daily lives. Recent migrants to cities are angry
about how cities have become sources of drugs, prostitution, violence and
unemployment for them. They yearn for the peace and quiet and sense of community
in their home villages, where people cared about each other.
Throughout Asia, politics are dominated by the rural/urban divide, and even in urban
Japan, the agricultural and rural vote matters hugely in national policies, including in
protection for rice production.
But as rural/urban migration reaches a tipping point of 50% in many Asian cities, the
identity of cities becomes crucial to their stability and prosperity. No longer can cities
treat rural migrants as outsiders. Cities are beginning to reflect as well as shape their
inhabitants’ values and outlooks. In the modern age, individuals identify with their city
more than their nation – they simply want a better place to live in.
Cities have always been the centres of culture, civilisation and science. Their
architecture, parks and green space reflect different social and cultural values and
the competition between cities generate urban pride. If we think carefully, failed
states have always been associated with failed cities. Aleppo is an example where
differences in ideology have resulted in civil war that destroyed its culture, economy
and heritage.
Paris has always been a city of romance; Hong Kong a city of entrepreneurship; New
York a city of energy. Today, Shenzhen exudes a city of technology, where the young
with creative ideas can become the new icons of innovation and “cool”. Competition
between Shenzhen is not just with Shanghai or Hong Kong, but with Silicon
Valley/San Francisco, Bengaluru or Singapore. The condition of a nation therefore is
reflected in the condition of its cities. Increasingly, people are waking up to the idea
that community is often built up in cities.
Very often, the architecture of a city reflects its communal spirit. Unesco Heritage
cities like Kyoto or Penang enjoy a revival when its citizens realise that their history is
a source of pride for preservation and conservation.
But communities are not easily built, but easily riven. Hong Kong today is deeply
divided because those who benefit from high real estate prices forget that the young
feel increasingly marginalised by their belief that they cannot afford decent housing,
feel insecure in getting good jobs and are driven by the idea that they can change the
system. You sometimes wonder what a city with huge fiscal surpluses and reserves
intends to do with such funds. Why is such wealth not used to deal with the
challenges and aspirations of the young?
The capitalist dream is that communities are strong because of the importance of
property rights. Everyone should be a property owner. But do we really own property
or are we stewards of such assets for future generations?
Each generation must realise that it cannot take such assets when they pass on. The
73 million baby boomer generation in the US, born between 1946 to 1964, created
the greatest wealth the world has ever known, but will also leave behind the largest
debt ever. Over 10,000 Americans per day are retiring, but half are still paying off
their mortgages and may not have enough retirement income. Such retirement costs
will mean more deficits and more debt – to be borne by future generations.
Hence, it is understandable why the young are frustrated and often angry – they are
inheriting not wealth, but huge debt burdens. Many young students are graduating
with crushing student loans and the daunting prospect of large mortgages if they buy
their own home. This is when they start questioning the status quo. They may not be
expressing it right, but their questions need good answers.
What is the establishment going to do? There are some who decide to give charity.
As a wise friend told me, it is important to give with warm hands (rather than dead
ones). But charity is not sustainable.
This is where those who create socially responsible corporations can change the
landscape of our communities and cities. Real estate firms should not be building
ghettos of gated communities for the affluent, but eco-systems that engage all levels
of society, with jobs for all. In many new development zones, high rise apartments are
sold like dreams for the affluent, but I seldom see the mix of spaces for healthcare,
education, old age homes and markets for all to support the whole sense of
community.
Are we surprised therefore if our cities do not create identities of community, but one
of alienation and frustration? Social responsibility begins with each of us becoming
aware that whatever we do, it is not individual interest but the social interest that is in
the long-run sustainable. Thus, social divisions begin by bridging the social gulf,
between generations. Change in all communities begin with individual change.
2016 has been a landmark year of Black Swans and shocking surprises. We have
been mostly surprised because we have found the enemy within us – it is our own
alienation and uncomfortable identity.
As the New Year approaches, time to reflect on how to re-build our sense of
community.
Tan Sri Andrew Sheng is Distinguished Fellow, Asia Global Institute, University
of Hong Kong.
A version of this article appeared in The Star Online, 10 December 2016
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