Business has a role to play in our future
It can work with the government provided the procedures are transparent and fair
"Collusion between government and business" - a term that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying once proudly claimed was no longer being used to criticise the government - became a key phrase over the past week.
First, the government turned down property mogul Lee Shau-kee's offer to donate some of his farmland to be used to build affordable flats for young people and urged him instead to work with non profit organisations. It was widely believed this was to prevent a perception that the project was the "government colluding with a developer" under another guise.
It so happened that on the same day Lee was invited to have a rare meeting with a group of news executives during which he expressed understanding of the government's rejection of his plan, and showed his support for the chief executive.
Lee strongly dismissed any suggestion that there was a hidden agenda behind his donation, adding that the government stuck to very strict, even harsh, rules in dealing with developers. He joked that senior officials did not even dare have lunch or dinner with developers any more.
A day after that, the government announced its ambitious new town building plan in the northeastern New Territories, based on a partnership between the private sector and the government. This partnership model has again drawn comments about a "collusion".
On the eve of July 1, during a meeting with media representatives, the chief executive proudly claimed: "Today in Hong Kong, the public no longer accuses the government of colluding with big business." Why Leung made that remark is understandable. The July 1 protest was approaching, and this year, one particularly strong demand for genuine universal suffrage was expected. Over the past decade, July 1 has become more than a celebration. It is also a day when the public can air their grievances and vent their anger over social injustice and certain government policies, thus Leung needed to remind the public his administration had done its best for the grassroots without favouring big business.