Does Hong Kong need Democracy?

Was reading this article and I thought it was quite engaging,

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1649328/democracy-or-nothing-no-choice-better-hong-kong

Was thinking that moving into Hong Kong, is democracy that important as when I last came, I felt like there was adequate freedom, no consumption tax, everything is not that gloomy at all right? What do you all think?

The audacity to fight for democracy is Hong Kong's life blood. It is what truly seperates the city from the mainland. Many of my hong kong colleagues take pride in the citiy's colonial past. They believe that former British colonial influence has made Hong Kong a liberal, politically aware and politically vocal place. As a result, my HK colleagues view themselves as more worldly, righteous, sophisticated and 'civilised' than their mainland counterparts. In fact, this is belief is so core to their 'Hong Kong identity' that it promotes an 'anti-mainlander' sentiment, a discriminatory attitude towards mainlanders due to their dismissiveness of democratic ideals. Ironically, most mainlander still put Hong Kong people and their culture on a pedestal.

As Hong Kong is no longer the financial hub of China (this status has been replaced by Shanghai), preserving its unique political identity and conciousness has never been more important. If Hong Kong ever loses this critical edge , it will most likely vanish into obscurity and become no different from any other mainland citiy.

I think that the points made by JOHNBRUGE are very pertinent, Hong Kong has its unique identity, which if not maintained by the populous, will result in us slipping into obscurity. We are no longer the financial hub, as can be seen by the one way trade which has resulted from 'Hong Kong Shanghai stock connect (Ghost) Train', which has'nt drawn much enthusiasm from, either China, or the rest of the planet. Without a fiesty temperement Hong Kong will simply whither and degenerate into the 'has been' status, of the 'Ghost on the Coast'.

The complacent approach, as suggested by CHARLENETORT's tone, is a fairly common attribute of the SHEEPLE mentality which society tends to adopt, when things seem comfortable, such as she refers to "adequate freedom, no consumption tax". This however it draws paralells, in my mind, with primates in the captivity of a zoo, if one feeds and waters them regularly, and providesthe little tit bits and treats they desire, the majority are content with their surroundings of the metal barriers, restricting them from the opportunity which lies beyond.