Look north for lessons in governance
I have always been a strong defender of the civil service in Hong Kong to those who berate it. Try the mainland, I usually say in response, and see what it's like there. But I'm starting to change my mind.
It really hit me when a friend said recently that he thought Hong Kong's government spent most of its time talking about how not to do something. Since the handover, Hong Kong's civil servants have been practically shielding their trays from new work, thanks to a twin assault by private-sector developers - seeking to exploit their insecurity at lacking a real mandate to govern - and pro-democracy activists wanting to expose it.
The natural reluctance to avoid bold, ambitious projects - by people whose careers are built on not making mistakes - has been compounded in Hong Kong by the government's relationship with big property developers. The recent fuss over the West Kowloon arts hub illustrates this well. The government pushed so hard for its original plan because it was the easiest one: get Lord Foster to do a grand plan, then have a big property company fund its creation and manage it, too. That the plan was eventually pulled in the face of massive opposition should not be seen as welcome humility on the part of the Tsang administration. Rather, it is yet another indicator that the fundamental nature of this government's modus operandi is self-defeating.
Still, there is much to be said for the Independent Commission Against Corruption and a free media acting as watchdogs, and so it is natural to expect Hong Kong's civil servants to be cautious when considering ambitious ventures. Such restrictions do not apply on the mainland - or so conventional thinking goes.
The reality, however, is often quite different.
Mainland government officials are indeed subject to less external scrutiny than their peers in Hong Kong. They need to worry less about the consequences of a bold venture going awry, as they are judged more on the results they deliver than the way they are delivered.
But that is not to say they can be cavalier with budgets; far from it, in fact. I have been put through painstaking processes to satisfy internal audit procedures before being paid by government clients on the mainland. And as for the fallacy that deals on the mainland are done on handshakes and bai jiu liquor, I can also attest that the same rigorous procedure is followed in drafting contracts before projects begin.
The fact that bai jiu is involved in the first place may be offensive to many in Hong Kong. But again, I can say with conviction that there are many officials I have drunk with on the mainland who would do a better job of running Hong Kong than the current lot. Where they lack the experience of international ways of doing business, they make up for it with better manners, confidence about the future, and courage and enthusiasm to tackle bold, ambitious proposals that will make a radical difference to the quality of life of people in their jurisdictions.
It is hard to ignore the nagging feeling that, in 10 years' time, Shenzhen is going to be much more fun to live in than Hong Kong. At the very least, it will have a green, spacious, tastefully designed 'cultural district' around the Civic Centre. The finishing touches are being put to it this year.
Anthony Lawrance is a Hong Kong-based publisher
