It's the little things that count - and it's because they're not getting done that I've lost faith in the government. I finally came to this long-creeping conclusion at the weekend while checking whether steps in the Zoological and Botanical Gardens that I had slipped on three months ago had been made safe. Two letters and a phone call from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department had assured me that this would be the case. As I appraised the work that had been done, it was obvious that cost, not concern for safety, was involved.
I had assumed the opposite. Our government is among the world's wealthiest and spares no expense with its grandiose projects. Senior civil servants are well qualified and receive good salaries and benefits. Slippery and broken granite steps at the main entrance to an attraction that draws millions of visitors a year, many of them tourists, should be a cinch; the best solution using high-quality materials would presumably be in the offing.
No such luck, unless what I observed was the first phase of a refurbishment. Broken edges had been filled in with concrete, but the well-worn surfaces were still dangerous. The non-slip treads that I had expected to see hadn't been affixed, nor had there been any attempt to resurface the stone with material that provided better traction. I had fallen on a rainy day, slipping off one broken edge and skimming along the next slick step before crashing onto my right buttock; I am sure I hadn't been the first person to do this and, given the response, won't be the last.
The doctor who several hours after my fall had uttered an impressed 'wah' on seeing my bruising gave me four days' sick leave. When I was able to sit comfortably, I wrote a letter of complaint to the department and included photos of the state of the steps and of my injuries. Its reaction was impressive: a letter within a week acknowledging receipt and a phone call shortly after from a deputy director expressing concern about my welfare, wishing me a speedy recovery and promising an expansive reply. That came five weeks later, assuring that repairs would be carried out within a month. Warning signs would be put out when there was rain or cleaning work.
All governments know the importance of protecting citizens - it's their foremost duty. But protection is about much more than police, fire and health services, and keeping away threats. Buildings have to be constructed and maintained so that they don't fall down, roads and other infrastructure kept in a safe condition and trees and other natural features regularly inspected so that they don't pose a threat to life and limb. The financial and manpower resources our government has should make Hong Kong the safest city in the world. From accidents this year as serious as a tenement building collapsing, killing four people, to a falling tree branch taking the life of a cyclist and a three-bus pile-up hurting dozens of passengers, to my comparatively insignificant slipping on a step in a park, it's obvious that authorities have got their priorities wrong.
Protection is about being proactive. Laws and procedures need to be regularly reviewed; doing so only after a tragedy is incompetent. Governance involves taking all measures to stave off every eventuality, no matter how remote it may seem. In a city like ours, where outside perceptions can affect the financial and tourism sectors, making sure that this happens is essential.