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Passengers on a tram in Hong Kong on August 4, as social-distancing measures to tackle the city’s worst Covid-19 outbreak, including mandatory mask-wearing in public places and a ban on gatherings of more than two people, were extended by another week. Photo: EPA-EFE
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Letters | Hong Kong third wave: criticism is all we have for holding leaders to account

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories
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I refer to Ms Grace Pow’s suggestion to “save the criticism” over the Hong Kong government's handling of Covid-19 “for later” (“Hong Kong third wave: time to fight the common enemy, save the criticism for later,” August 4).

While Ms Pow did acknowledge that the “government has a lot of room for improvement”, she did not seem to appreciate what it took to make the government change its course on a flawed policy, choosing instead to classify it as “incessant complaints and criticism”. And when Ms Pow urged that we “leave the rest for later”, she did not mention when exactly that might be.

If people affected by the dine-in ban blunder had waited “for later” to criticise the government, many would still be having their lunch on the streets today. To the increasingly disheartened public, it also seems to have become the norm for officials to evade accountability, as “later” becomes “never”.

It also sounds condescending and uncaring to say “those in charge do not need any more finger-pointing”. It should be noted that with one flick of their fingers, top government officials can have real physical and mental impact on society. Given the city’s dysfunctional accountability system, people have no way to wake up officials apart from making loud complaints.

How did city’s scariest surge in Covid-19 cases start, and what did authorities miss?

As most people in Hong Kong are living under great pressure now – having either lost their job or been put on furlough, or fearing whether they will be the next to suffer – those with the least to worry about should show greater sympathy when facing a rightfully disgruntled public. They should show sincerity when admitting their wrongs, a quality that has been lacking for a long time.

One point where I agree with Ms Pow is that we need to stay “united”. The responsibility of uniting Hong Kong rests on our leaders, who need to calm the public by showing logic in their decision-making and resolute compassion for Hong Kong.

Charles Loy, Tsing Yi

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