For protest-hit Hong Kong, the coronavirus is a medical, political and social emergency all at once

Unlike during the 2003 Sars epidemic, Hong Kong society is divided by protests and transformed by social media. There is panic and politicisation of the situation. The government must come through and lead Hong Kong though this crisis

Jing Lee

Published: 5:00pm, 8 Feb 2020

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Crises bring out the best, or, more often, the worst in people. More than seven months of anti-government protests have poisoned the social atmosphere. Violence and radical activism have become a means to an end. With the novel coronavirus epidemic sending shock waves around the world, Hong Kong is ill prepared.

The heart-warming display of solidarity, self-sacrifice and empathy for fellow human beings during the ravages of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak 17 years ago is a distant memory. For months now, Hongkongers have been struggling with one of their hardest political and moral conundrums, and the coronavirus epidemic is making matters worse.

For now, Hong Kong has turned its focus on to the novel coronavirus, but our political problems remain unresolved. To tackle the causes of the turmoil, amid an epidemic no less, new leadership practices are required.

We have been living with seasonal influenza epidemics for years. The World Health Organisation estimates that flu epidemics claim 290,000-650,000 lives annually. Because seasonal flu epidemics are not new, we regard them as normal. But in times of disruption, we may struggle to get a grip on reality. The uncertainty around the novel coronavirus has prompted some public frenzy and hysteria.

The last 30 years have fundamentally changed how we acquire and manage information, and how we use information to influence each other’s social behaviour. The social media and 24-hour news cycle have profoundly affected us, both individually and as a society.

Any major event will inevitably involve public participation, amplifying a positive feedback loop in which people reinforce their fears and lose perspective of reality, making the situation much more chaotic and unstable. Control is an illusion and uncertainty is the reality. The government must adapt to this phenomenon.

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The epidemic will end but its solutions do not include panic and the politicisation of the situation. To weather this storm, the government must recognise that this is not just a medical, but also a political and social emergency. It must not treat the crisis as one more rough patch to get through. Instead of taking a piecemeal approach, it must address this crisis proactively and holistically.

A crisis, though shrouded in disorder, has clear developmental patterns. Lowell Juilliard Carr describes the crisis cycle as involving an incubation period, followed by a precipitating event, then a dislocation of adjustment and finally a series of readjustments towards a new equilibrium.

Accordingly, the government must adopt a macro perspective, establishing management strategies, utilising proactive communication protocols and the most salient emergency responses.

The government must appeal to Hong Kong’s core values as a civil society, searching for a North Star to reorient itself and navigate through troubled waters. To achieve a constructive outcome, we must depersonalise political disagreement, and focus on actual issues.

Meanwhile, the government must also recognise that these issues themselves are more than disembodied facts and analysis. There may be other political and social considerations behind the demands.

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Therefore, it has to act politically and analytically, looking beyond the merits of each critical issue to understand the factions that have formed around it. It should gather experienced talents into a war room, and act with authority and in a timely manner.

Further, difficult topics must be discussed. Dissenters with crucial insights need to be protected from the political and social pressures that silence them. Government executives and agencies must listen to unfamiliar voices.

The future of Hong Kong is in the hands of its government, political opposition, business communities and the Hong Kong people ourselves; we must work together as a united front so we can survive and thrive.

Jing Lee is a Hong Kong-based investment banker and lawyer

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Virus is a medical, political and social emergency all in one

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