Does the appearance of government buildings reflect the nature of its occupants? The Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government obviously does not think so.
Only recently, Hong Kong officials decided to replace the low perimeter fence at the Central Government Offices (CGO) with high metal railings to prepare for Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's imminent move into the office compound.
Officials are adamant the new metal grilles are meant to strengthen CGO security and there is no reason to take it as a sign the SAR Government is becoming less open and accountable.
But just across the border in Guangzhou the city government recently knocked down the perimeter wall of its office compound and substituted it with iron railings.
Reportedly, the move was meant to give Guangzhou residents the impression that the officials there are more accessible and the administration is more transparent.
Guangzhou officials were also quoted as saying they were only following the good example set by their counterparts in Dalian.
While it is true that the Guangzhou government still considers a perimeter fence necessary, the fact that it has decided to knock down the concrete wall to improve the local government's image should give Hong Kong officials some food for thought.
