If at all the financial secretary can be called audacious, it is for rolling out austerity measures amid the pandemic.

After years of promising to diversify the economy and improve liveability, the government must put its money where its mouth is – especially as Hong Kong faces its biggest disruption in decades.

The debate on selection of the chief executive has turned vicious, with several of the camp’s ‘deep blue’ faction training their guns on former Legco president Jasper Tsang.

The pro-establishment camp’s move to legislate against the obstructionist tactics of the now absent opposition risks muffling debate and deliberation. They should also worry about rule changes that may put them at a disadvantage later.

Hong Kong’s targeted lockdowns have brought to light neglected pockets where the poor suffer inhumane living conditions, and we must not look away. It is because of our collective nonchalance that the city has become increasingly unliveable.

There are legitimate grievances behind the seemingly outlandish words, actions and beliefs of the Trump supporters who laid siege to the Capitol. Whether in the US or Hong Kong, stalled mobility and inequality have serious consequences.

While well-intended, paying people to get the Covid-19 vaccine is risky and sends the message that the civic duty to protect oneself and others is up for sale. Overcoming public uncertainty requires a huge effort to explain the science, clarify information that can be misinterpreted and debunk misinformation.

In response to Covid-19, the Education Bureau is relying on a strategy of suspending in-person classes without addressing the worries of already stressed students, teachers and parents.

With the city’s splintered opposition camp posing little threat to her rule, the chief executive should devote her energies to solving the problem of the hour – overcoming Covid-19 to protect public health and people’s livelihoods.

In the depths of the pandemic, Hongkongers’ generosity gave this city hope. Here’s to a better year, which we can begin by being mindful of others’ needs and honing our habits of giving.

Perhaps the festival can inspire us to begin to confront our shared vulnerability, not only to Covid-19, but also to the social and political contagion that has been spreading among us for years.

A new political party in Hong Kong is seeking a better deal with Beijing: an extension of the city’s freedoms by 50 years. Can it succeed where the traditional pro-establishment camp has failed?

From her privileged vantage point, excused from domestic duties, Lam probably has no idea women’s challenges were largely overlooked in her policy address. Yet leaving women behind will do little to help Hong Kong’s economic recovery.

In an address lasting more than two hours, Lam presented policy ideas showing just how far Hong Kong has fallen: the government is scrambling to control the spread of the Covid-19 fourth wave.

A study of the first two waves of infection found that entertainment venues, not schools, accounted for a wider spread of disease, with the latest spike also linked to dance clubs. The government’s decision to close kindergartens over the common cold reflects its misplaced priorities.

The oath-taking saga of 2016 ultimately triggered the need for Beijing to step in with an interpretation of the Basic Law. When civility is thrown out, the gloves come off. That’s how we arrived at the toxic politics of today.

Official declarations of ‘zero tolerance’ of bullying ring hollow without policy backup. Hong Kong needs anti-bullying legislation that requires mandatory reporting of such incidents by schools and government institutions.

The absentee voting proposal calls into question the limits of ‘one country, two systems’, and the complexities go far beyond mere technicalities like how to validate voter identification.

The celebration of the special economic zone’s 40th anniversary has renewed concerns that Hong Kong is losing out to its neighbour. But is fear and loathing the right response?

While women have come a long way in academic achievements, they are still held back by traditional biases. Surveys show the public is aware of the additional barriers women face in public life, yet proposals to counter those barriers often amount to mere platitudes.

The chief executive should spare Hong Kong grand visions or platitudes about the Greater Bay Area, and focus on spelling out how the government will pick up the pieces of a devastated economy.

Opposition lawmakers who stay on must prove themselves even more effective without resorting to the tactics of those who chose to depart. They should also find a viable candidate for the office of chief executive, one who they can nominate and back.

With a recent study showing that the city’s two supermarket chains marked up prices before discounting them, their promises of giving to the needy after receiving government subsidies rings hollow. The Competition Commission and Consumer Council must step in.

Instead of getting a handle on the pandemic and fighting Covid-19 together, some leaders are making bad decisions. It’s appalling that leading nations have refused to join a global effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine.

We should stop being so overly competitive that we break our children and risk mental health problems. Teaching kindness and consideration instead would increase resilience – and the chance of happiness.

Beijing’s position has been consistent since Deng Xiaoping made it clear that Hong Kong would not follow the Western model: Hong Kong’s political system is executive-led, as laid out in the Basic Law.

The public has been diagnosed with ‘anti-epidemic fatigue’ by officials. If they really understood what that meant, they would know why Hongkongers aren’t rushing to join the mass-testing programme for Covid-19.

Infection numbers are falling but pandemic fatigue remains a risk. The government’s leadership is crucial – its recovery battle plan must be centred on people’s needs and demands.

By issuing a concise resolution extending Legco’s term by a year without barring any lawmakers, Beijing sidestepped pan-democrat outrage and left the pro-establishment camp to fight its own battles.

Nearly three-quarters of Hongkongers show depressive symptoms, a significant rise over last year. In addition to introducing mental health metrics into policymaking, each one of us must boost our mental health literacy and stop stigmatising mental illness.