Letters | In Year of the Tiger, Hong Kong should seek its fortune in commerce and shun politics
- Readers interpret the meaning of the divination stick for Hong Kong, and discuss how the city’s future is tied to the nation’s 14th five-year plan for development
The No 38 divination stick is considered to be average in terms of good fortune. Twenty-five years after the handover, Hong Kong finds itself disconnected for the first time from the mainland because of the pandemic, and the local economy is at best described as sluggish.
The fortune stick’s advice is simple. It is not time to seek global fame or competitiveness rankings, but to look after the basic needs of the common people.
The third line read: “It is easier to please the god of the kitchen than heavenly beings.” While a literal translation means it is easier to come to terms with the local gods, Confucius disagreed, telling his followers 2,500 years ago that if one offended heavenly creatures, one would be soon in big trouble.
Maybe it is time to follow the wisdom of Hong Kong’s previous administrators who practised laissez faire governance and stayed above politics.
As someone once wisely said, Hong Kong is a monkey god, good at doing business, but a fragile Lin Daiyu when it comes to politics. One has to know one’s own core competencies.
Khaw Wei Kang, Macau