Columnist

SCMP Columnist

Alex Lo

Alex Lo is a senior writer at the South China Morning Post. He writes editorials and the daily “My Take” column on page 2.

Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam Lam made the unprecedented move to ban the Hong Kong National Party and so proved herself to be more hard core than her predecessor CY Leung. Photo: Winson Wong

Opinion

Carrie Lam is becoming Hong Kong’s most hardline leader

19 Nov 2018 - 8:01pm 3

A report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has criticised alleged mainland interference in Hong Kong and cast doubt on continuing America’s treatment of the city and the mainland as two separate customs entities. Photo: Robert Ng

Opinion

A lesson in how we undermine our own interests

18 Nov 2018 - 10:36pm 5

Now those in the pro-government bloc are talking about bringing in a national security law, Hong Kong’s mainstream opposition could offer to support it in exchange for a new electoral reform road map. Photo: AFP

Opinion

Time to use Article 23 as a bargaining chip

16 Nov 2018 - 10:07pm 7

The Transport and Housing Bureau is currently led by Frank Chan. Photo: Edward Wong

Opinion

Overburdened bureaus need restructuring

15 Nov 2018 - 10:34pm 2

In his Hong Kong Free Press piece, columnist Stephen Vines was upset about SCMP’s reporting of the confession of detained bookseller Gui Minhai. Photo: Handout

Opinion

Some people mistake egoism for bravery

14 Nov 2018 - 10:36pm 15

An officer empties the contents of a wheelie bin in the garden on the Hong Kong side of the border. Photo: Factwire

Opinion

Hong Kong border issue is merely a storm in a teacup

13 Nov 2018 - 10:13pm 6

Lawmakers can save everyone’s time by agreeing to scrap another colonial tradition – tabling a motion of thanks for the chief executive for delivering the annual policy blueprint. Photo: Nora Tam

Opinion

Time has come for the Legislative Council not to say thanks

12 Nov 2018 - 10:39pm

Carrie Lam must act now on tour group chaos

Opinion

Lam must act now on tour group chaos

12 Nov 2018 - 6:30am 16

With the colonial era gone, Hong Kong will rise and prosper again as part of the mainland. Photo: Sam Tsang

Opinion

Hong Kong has changed, but it’s not about to die

9 Nov 2018 - 10:07pm 11

US customs and border patrol agents stand guard at the US-Mexico international bridge. America has deployed the military to stop a “caravan” of exhausted Latin American asylum seekers. Photo: AFP

Opinion

The West’s hypocrisy over Hong Kong’s human rights

9 Nov 2018 - 4:42am 28

Two members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot were in Hong Kong to support LGBT rights. Photo: Nora Tam

Opinion

High time others gave Hong Kong its due on civil liberties

7 Nov 2018 - 10:37pm 7

Actress Yammie Lam. Photo: Handout

Opinion

When there is no escape from prying eyes

6 Nov 2018 - 10:38pm 3

Securities regulator should look into Cathay Pacific data leak case

Opinion

Cathay Pacific data leak should be a case for securities regulator

5 Nov 2018 - 11:07pm 2

Producer Raymond Chow shaking hands with Bruce Lee (right) during the filming of Way of the Dragon in Rome. Photo: Handout

Opinion

Raymond Chow helped shape Hong Kong’s identity

4 Nov 2018 - 10:15pm

Legendary martial arts novelist Louis Cha Leung-yung. Photo: SCMP

Opinion

Television, not the Brits, made Louis Cha a household name

2 Nov 2018 - 10:19pm 7

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has convincingly demonstrated existing laws are more than enough to crack down on secessionists and rioters. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Opinion

Beijing shows softer side as Carrie Lam takes grip

1 Nov 2018 - 10:15pm 1

Author Chandran Nair has set out to redefine the contemporary state in terms of its responsibility to the environment, and ultimately, the survival of the species. Photo: Roy Issa

Opinion

Real Hong Kong thinker seeks Asian solution to save the planet

31 Oct 2018 - 10:07pm 3

Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet. Photo: Edmond So

Opinion

Brits had their own take on press freedom

30 Oct 2018 - 10:22pm 14

Bloomberg alleges that hackers from the People’s Liberation Army planted spy chips on server motherboards produced by Chinese subcontractors for San Jose-based Super Micro Computer. Photo: AFP

Opinion

Case study in fake news for all journalism schools

29 Oct 2018 - 10:57pm 4

Antony Leung, group chairman of New Frontier, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam share the stage at the University of Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Opinion

Equality is key to a good education system

28 Oct 2018 - 11:08pm 3

Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s vision for Lantau Island is hardly original, Wu has been lobbying for it since the 1980s
Rejected by the British, the developer’s master plan included an international airport, and a bridge linking the city with Zhuhai

Opinion

Gordon Wu: a true visionary, or destroyer of worlds?

27 Oct 2018 - 5:05pm 10

Joseph Zen doesn’t want to spread religion by peaceful or legal means. He prefers persecution and suffering for mainland Catholics. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Opinion

Retired Hong Kong bishop preaches message of hate

26 Oct 2018 - 10:36pm 46

The personal data of 9.4 million Cathay Pacific passengers was leaked, presumably hacked by cybercriminals. Photo: Fung Chang

Opinion

Cathay breach shows need for city to land disclosure laws

26 Oct 2018 - 11:15am 8

The Hong Kong government has already earmarked seed funds for business start-ups to relocate to the “Greater Bay Area”. Photo: Roy Issa

Opinion

It’s time to move on the ‘Greater Bay Area’ dream

24 Oct 2018 - 10:20pm 7

Former lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan. Photo: Felix Wong

Opinion

Voters face dilemma with candidate bans

23 Oct 2018 - 10:38pm 11

The real issue is whether Hong Kong’s latest mega reclamation plan should go ahead in the first place, not whether we are willing to throw a trillion dollars at it. Photo: AFP

Opinion

Lantau project not just a question of money

22 Oct 2018 - 10:13pm 13

Opinion

Online attacks come with the territory

22 Oct 2018 - 6:03am 1

Protesters demonstrate against a large-scale land reclamation off eastern Lantau island to build artificial islands in Hong Kong. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

Forget about this grandiose islands plan

19 Oct 2018 - 10:46pm 11

The problem with the failed land sale is not that the reserve price was too high. Rather, long-time bullish market sentiments have turned recently and the bidders got cold feet. Photo: Roy Issa

Opinion

Right decision made on Peak site

18 Oct 2018 - 10:15pm 2

When it comes to human rights, it would be hard to find a more odious hypocrite than Nikki Haley. Photo: EPA-EFE

Opinion

Nikki Haley is an odious hypocrite on rights

17 Oct 2018 - 10:20pm 27

A father gives water to his malnourished daughter at a feeding centre in a hospital in Hodeida, Yemen. Photo: AP

Opinion

Yemen victim of bloody brothers in arms

16 Oct 2018 - 10:23pm 7

Pope Paul VI and El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero pictures are seen during a Mass for their canonisation at the Vatican on October 14. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

Martyr in heart of darkness still offers hope

15 Oct 2018 - 10:19pm 4

Former lawmaker Lau Siu-lai speaks at a protest with Lee Cheuk-yan (right) looking on. Photo: Roy Issa

Opinion

Method to the by-election vindictiveness

14 Oct 2018 - 10:19pm 3

What do you do when you have an unwelcome guest in your home? You send him packing. That’s what Hong Kong did with Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet. Photo: Edmond So

Opinion

Victor Mallet made himself unwelcome in Hong Kong

13 Oct 2018 - 1:04am 94

For years, the government had failed to address chronic traffic jams in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, largely caused by overuse of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. Photo: Nora Tam

Opinion

Sense and sensibility welcome from Carrie Lam

11 Oct 2018 - 10:17pm 3

Massive reclamation east of Lantau Island is going ahead now the rich and powerful have spoken, but the government ignores the rest of society at its peril. Photo: Stanley Shin

Opinion

Spread the money around or get those water cannons ready

13 Oct 2018 - 9:02am 6

The White House under Donald Trump has selectively banned domestic reporters from press briefings and other events. Photo: AP

Opinion

When mass murderers denounce petty thieves

9 Oct 2018 - 10:47pm 36

Even Nuseir Yassin, a popular Arab-Israeli travel video blogger, who creates daily clips about cities and places around the world, can’t escape derision for saying nice things about the MTR. Photo: Winson Wong

Opinion

Outsider looking in has it right about Hong Kong

8 Oct 2018 - 10:18pm 7

What did Foreign Correspondents’ Club acting head Victor Mallet and his supporters expect would happen when he invited a Hong Kong separatist to make the case for independence in a speech?

Opinion

No surprise reporter’s visa was refused

7 Oct 2018 - 11:00pm 63

Should anyone be surprised the two countries were ready to blow off the Chinese at the insistence of the Americans?

Opinion

For Canada and Mexico, throwing China under bus was no-brainer

8 Oct 2018 - 3:15pm 44

Andy Lau may have spent most of his life avoiding controversy, but he’s found it now with his support for the proposed East Lantau Metropolis. Photo: SCMP

Opinion

Heavenly king in hell of a reclamation row

5 Oct 2018 - 10:32pm 3

Studies conducted by Arizona State University psychologist Suniya Luthar and in Norway find that children of rich families have a higher incidence of depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Photo: Reuters

Opinion

Life’s no beach for children nowadays

4 Oct 2018 - 10:06pm 3

The MTR used to run a tight ship, but it is now losing public confidence, at least when it comes to managing large-scale infrastructure projects. Photo: Sam Tsang

Opinion

Public confidence handicapped by fear

3 Oct 2018 - 10:31pm 3

Despite superficial “decolonisation”, our top officials, mostly career civil servants, are still relying on long-standing policies set by the Brits, only making them worse. Photo: Dickson Lee

Opinion

It’s time to tear down the borders with mainland China

2 Oct 2018 - 10:31pm 100

There is an inverse relationship between the wealth of the government and the poverty of large swathes of the population. Photo: Edward Wong

Opinion

Whatever the true numbers, poverty is a blight on Hong Kong

1 Oct 2018 - 10:18pm 6

Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital in Aberdeen. Photo: David Wong

Opinion

No will to tackle city’s private hospitals

30 Sep 2018 - 10:27pm 3

It’s not true that the city doesn’t have enough doctors. It’s the public hospital system that keeps losing specialists to the private sector. Photo: Fung Chang

Opinion

Doctors in public sector need better treatment

28 Sep 2018 - 10:49pm 3