Bauhinias for the boys, nothing for the critics
The Hong Kong government is lavish with the honours it dishes out each year; there were almost 300 Bauhinia awards this year. The overwhelming majority of recipients are on the government's own payroll or are time-servers on committees here and in Beijing. But, more recently, a clutch of awards has gone to those who contributed to the chief executive's election campaign.
Yet, in this plethora of awards, there is no space for anyone outside the golden circle of government supporters. This is how the Tsang and Tung administrations have demonstrated that, far from serving the people, they have chosen to focus on those closest to themselves.
These musings were prompted by the recent announcement of a Ramon Magsaysay Award to Chung To, the head and founder of the Chi Heng Foundation, which helps mainland children orphaned by Aids. Mr To, a Hongkonger, has not received recognition for his work from the Hong Kong government but is being recognised with the Magsaysay Award, often described as Asia's Nobel Prize.
It seems unlikely that Mr To was overlooked because of distaste for his work. But what he does is far from fashionable and does not find its way on to the 'A' list of charities frequented by the grand people who can expect to be on the official radar. On the contrary, the Chi Heng Foundation highlights a reality that Chinese officials, and therefore their poodles in Hong Kong, would prefer to ignore. This is that China faces a serious Aids problem.
If Mr To were looking for Hong Kong honours, which I am sure he is not, he would be far better deployed giving money to the chief executive's re-election campaign, to one of the 'safe' local charities such as the Community Chest or even to the local cancer fund, fighting a far less controversial disease - albeit in an entirely worthy cause.
This year, David Li Kwok-po, who headed Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's re-election campaign, was given the highest of the government awards, the Grand Bauhinia Medal. In past years, awards have been dished out to leading members of pro-government parties. There has only ever been one given to a pro-democracy politician - Frederick Fung Kin-kee, a so-called 'moderate' democrat who was granted the third-tier Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) last year.
Governments throughout the world favour their own supporters while recognising that those with opposing views need to be included. But not in Hong Kong. It is quite remarkable the degree to which campaigners for a better Hong Kong have been totally ignored for their work on behalf of the community - almost always undertaken without financial reward and often by digging deeply into their own pockets. Thus, for example Winston Chu Ka-sun, who has played a central role in fighting to preserve Hong Kong's iconic harbour, has been ignored while Lee Chack-fan received an SBS for his work 'in steering community efforts towards building a consensus in improving and enhancing the harbourfront of Victoria Harbour'.
Christine Loh Kung-wai, another notable campaigner on the harbour and a host of other community issues, has been shunned by the government although honoured a number of times overseas.
Basically, it works like this: those who toe the official line, join the payroll and keep their mouths shut get honours; while anyone who works selflessly for the community but criticises officialdom is seen as not worthy of recognition. David Webb, for example, who has done so much to work for improved corporate governance in a city dominated by business, is ignored while Paul Chow Man-yiu, who draws an impressive salary as chief executive of the stock exchange, was given an SBS for his work in the financial services sector.
Naturally, these awards should not be taken too seriously. But they do faithfully reflect the administration's mindset, especially as to who matters in Hong Kong.
Stephen Vines is a Hong Kong-based journalist and entrepreneur
