Opinion: Societal blow-up may be very thing Hong Kong needs to regain mojo
Grandstanding legislators, a do-nothing government, and a failing society provide perfect recipe for such an implosion, Michael Chugani says
Beijing loyalist Elsie Leung Oi-see made only partial sense when she said we should blow up the West Kowloon terminus of the HK$80 billion express railway if the opposition won’t accept joint Hong Kong-mainland immigration clearance. Why waste money on explosives? We should instead preserve the unfinished railway as a testament to why Hong Kong has lost its mojo.
Leung mockingly suggested demolishing and rebuilding the terminus minus a joint checkpoint. That’s illogical unless we rename the express railway a slow train to China. Establishment lawmakers erred in pushing through funding for Disney’s expansion. Government officials should have let legislators bicker over the pricey Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.
A dying Disney, a high-speed railway to nowhere, and an unfinished multibillion dollar bridge could become a virtual museum to showcase ourselves as a failing society. Aren’t we always complaining about Hong Kong losing its tourism appeal?
What better way to attract curious visitors than a Disney with rusty roller coasters, an abandoned bridge once touted as the world’s longest, and an express railway with swanky but never-used trains? No doubt our dysfunctional legislature would make sure more museum relics are added if only to rival the planned Palace Museum which the opposition so abhors.
Incoming leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor should not break her back persuading the opposition to accept land creation.Current chief executive Leung Chun-ying got nowhere explaining that displacing a few hundred villagers would create enough land to house thousands. Lam should fold her arms and preside over a do-nothing government.
Do nothing as yet more families are forced into subdivided homes while legislators fight over land creation. Look the other way as the waiting list for public housing gets even longer. Stand back and watch as endless filibusters block funding for even livelihood spending such as poverty alleviation.
Grandstanding legislators who care more about scoring political points than solving livelihood issues, a do-nothing government, and a failing society make the perfect mix for a societal blow-up. In fact, the fuse has long been lit. Such an explosion, when it comes, will be far more spectacular than anything Elsie Leung has in mind for the express rail terminus.
Maybe such a blast is what we need. Maybe we need to hit rock bottom to rise again.
