Extradition debacle proves Hong Kong’s government needs a radical shake-up to change the way it thinks and acts
- The mishandling of the extradition bill shows that the machinery for governance is all but broken. Drastic changes in officials’ mindset, as well as policies and systems, are the only way to preserve Hong Kong’s status as a vibrant and safe city
The post fell vacant in 2002 until then chief executive Leung Chun-ying refilled it with former Southern District councillor Andrew Fung Wai-kwong in 2013. Fung, however, rarely made public appearances to explain government policies, discharging his duties by writing columns or blogs under a pseudonym.
It isn’t just Carrie Lam who needs to listen. So does Hong Kong’s civil service
Since the government’s traumatic retreat on June 15, the chief executive has given the impression that she is hunkering down in her bunkers, whether to avoid more flak or to excite more antipathy. Whatever the reason, Hong Kong is seen drifting, if not overwhelmed by powerful torrents of public discontent and anger.
During the roughly 10-day period when Lam appeared to have gone into hiding, the government released two photos of her at work. The first one showed her meeting representatives of the four police staff unions — a necessary move to shore up police morale, which has been heavily battered by accusations of excessive violence.
Hong Kong police show they are still Asia’s finest
The second one showed Lam meeting representatives of the Friends of Hong Kong Association, an organisation comprising pro-Beijing bigwigs and many members of the Election Committee responsible for choosing the chief executive. This only served to aggravate public perceptions that Lam cared only about communication with her supporters from a small circle. Whoever advised her to do so is hopelessly out of touch with public perceptions.
Responses by senior officials to criticism of the extradition bill have been missing in the international media since the onset of the controversy. The gaps have been filled by Executive Council members and legislators not afraid to take on the foreign media. What kind of government declines to talk to the foreign media, given the magnitude of the international attention the bill has provoked?
Hong Kong should stop telling its disaffected youth they’re the problem
The Member Self-Recommendation Scheme for Youth, which encourages young people to put themselves forward as members of government advisory boards and committees, is a step in the right direction but its impact is limited. The “Be a Government Official for a Day” programme, for young people to shadow senior officials, is another sick joke.
It is difficult to see how young people can connect with much older senior officials by watching them cut ribbons, rub shoulders with the rich and famous, and listen to boring speeches. The government needs a radical shake-up, both in its mindset, and its policies and systems, or Hong Kong’s days as a vibrant, and above all, safe, city of Asia will be numbered.
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee is a lawmaker and chairwoman of the New People’s Party