The devastation caused by the massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra has left Hong Kong - a city unused to seeing major disasters - reeling in shock. Places which are popular destinations for Hong Kong tourists are among those badly affected, bringing home to the people the enormity of the disaster. As they reflect on the tragedy, Hongkongers must feel that the city is blessed. Save for the occasional severe tropical typhoon, natural disasters rarely knock at our door. Hong Kong's proximity to the mainland, which is predicted to be the rising economic powerhouse of the next decade, is seen as a blessing - giving it a competitive edge over its rivals, such as Singapore. The city's natural advantages, however, have been overshadowed by the winds of doom and gloom which have been blowing fiercely in recent years. Opinion makers say that we must not blame heaven and Earth. Instead, it is the lack of public harmony that will damage society, they fear. One high-ranking official has, for instance, mourned the fact that the discord among people over the West Kowloon cultural project has created grave uncertainty about the future of the whole project. The official pointed to the fact that the 40-hectare site is virtually the last piece of harbourfront land available for large-scale development. At a time when the property market is on the upswing, he is adamant that the government could get a better deal when negotiating with consortiums for the development rights. Endless bickering over the project, he said, would mean we lose the window of opportunity for the city to turn itself into a cultural hub. And he is not alone in warning about the potential for man-made catastrophes. Time and again since taking office, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has called on the community to put aside political squabbling and focus attention on economic development. Pro-democracy politicians have insisted that full democracy is the most viable solution to promote better governance and to form a government which is truly accountable to the people. Some prominent business leaders, however, have blamed senior civil servants for policy blunders. Ordinary people neither trust the Hong Kong government, nor the politicians, to promote the well-being of society. They believe that big business has been given special privileges under the flawed system. The widening gulf and growing mistrust between the government and the governed raise fears that infighting could cost Hong Kong dearly. With other cities catching up fast, and social and economic reforms urgently needed, the special administrative region can no longer afford endless political posturing and policy debate. This is not to suggest that political debate, rallies and demonstrations are necessarily bad. They are, after all, part and parcel of a free, pluralistic and rule-based society. A diversity of views on contentious issues such as the West Kowloon cultural hub, the Link listing and the pace of democratic development are natural and inevitable. There should be no cause for panic. But any broad-based consensus can only be achieved with thorough and genuine consultation and debate, with all the parties being open-minded and respectful of dissenting views. Confronted with the effects of the untamed force of nature, a feeling of helplessness and doom is upon us again. But hope remains, as long as people believe that we can all learn from our mistakes, and live with others in harmony to seek a solution to problems. Chris Yeung is the Post's editor-at-large
