I was asked recently what is worth preserving about Hong Kong. Given all the angst and political noise over the last couple of years, for a time I felt the answer to this question out of reach. But, sensing back into what makes Hong Kong so special, and why I love the place so much, the answer is obvious: freedom - with self-responsibility.

Hong Kong is economically the freest place in the world, based on the Fraser Institute's Index of Economic Freedom. In 2014 we scored 90.1, just ahead of Singapore at 89.4. This is not some irrelevant academic number. You can actually sense and taste freedom in Hong Kong. When I arrived here in the early 1980s the special nature of the place was palpable. It didn't matter where you came from, or what you had done in the past. In Hong Kong you could reinvent yourself. You could become who you wanted to be, if that was your choice.

If you were willing to do something new, and give it your all, you were welcome. You could arrive in Hong Kong with a bag full of money, and lose it all. You could arrive here with only the clothes on your back, and go on to make a fortune.

In Hong Kong you have the freedom not to contribute in any way, and to go hungry as a result. And equally, you have the freedom to discover a match between your gifts and the needs of others, create a business or service, and profit from your gift.

You have the freedom to keep the majority of your hard-won gains, due to the light-handed and reasonable touch of Hong Kong's Inland Revenue Department.

You have the freedom to read what you want, to surf a completely open internet, and to build relationships with anybody that you choose.

You have the freedom to speak whatever language you like, and to be misunderstood if you choose not to learn the language of other people in your community.

You are free to just be. Live where and how you want. You can mingle if you like, or keep to yourself. Whatever your choice, it will be respected by those around you.

You have the freedom to say what you think, just as others have the freedom to ignore you and go about their daily lives.

As a citizen of the territory you have the freedom to complain all you want, and to wait around to be saved by government and politicians. But you're equally free to simply solve these problems yourself, or through cooperation with other people.

As a civil servant or government representative you're free to publicly denounce "radical" views that come from marginalized individuals rather than simply ignore them. Citizens of this territory may well agree with your viewpoint, but they will vehemently oppose any attempt to force that viewpoint on others.

There are people in the world who would prefer to impose command and control on Hong Kong. The insidious infiltration of doctrines like FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), under false fears of terrorism and money laundering, is but one example.

There are those who cannot accept the idea that others have views different to their own, and that they can still be friends, or trade, or cooperate, and everybody benefits as a result. People who cannot understand this core value of Hong Kong insist that only their view is the right one. In the Hong Kong that I have known for decades, people ignored politics and politicians. They would just get on and find ways to solve their problems, taking responsibility for their own lives. Today, however, with the promise to "make all things right" for all people (an impossibility), local politicians themselves are destroying Hong Kong people's sense of personal responsibility for their own lives, thereby weakening the territory.

Let us remember, Hong Kong works because it is free. And this freedom is the flip-side of self-responsibility. With this freedom Hong Kong may well just muddle along. And, it may well surprise the world once again with achievements not yet imaginable.

(HK Edition 09/27/2016 page10)