Gesture politics by the administration of Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has reached a new low. Meanwhile, the implementation of policies announced long ago continues to be stymied as interest groups manipulate an increasingly politicised bureaucracy - note that the latest two deputy ministers are from the civil service, which combines timidity towards the powerful and arrogance towards the weak.
Just look at this proposal to induce households to save electricity by using low-energy light bulbs. This typically convoluted plan will, at best, have marginal impact on power consumption, and hence air pollution, but involve much bureaucracy and probably create opportunities for fiddles.
Household lighting is a minor use of power. Households account for only 25 per cent of power usage and most of that is for appliances such as televisions and air conditioning. There is one very simple way of reducing power consumption in a way that is both equitable and effective: tax it.
It may be too late, given the new scheme of control, to force the power companies to clean up their acts faster. But doubtless they can be paid to speed up their efforts and switch away from coal. The bottom line is that much could easily be done to cut power-related pollution if the government had the will to push meaningful policies instead of public relations gestures.
Unfortunately parties in the Legislative Council have, as all too often, missed the main point and gone chasing marginal issues - that there might be some conflict of interest because a Tsang relative deals in light bulbs. Indeed, one could go further and argue that this episode has shown up the inadequacy of a Legco that so often seems devoid of positive proposals, other than on constitutional issues.
Gesture politics was earlier evident with the 'no-car' day, with some bureaucrats taking public transport to work for a day to 'help' the environment. Meaningful policies would start with the government charging its employees market rates for the huge number of car park spaces at government offices. Upper level servants seem to think they deserve tycoon treatment. No wonder they are determined to spend HK$16 billion on the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, a road that will benefit few but add significantly to inner-city pollution.