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Letters | What Hong Kong needs to solve seemingly intractable problems – from housing to tourism
- Readers discuss the government’s approach to major issues facing the city, and the large number of buildings that do not comply with inspection notices
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Photographs, after heavy rainfall, of officials pointing at damaged areas suggest that they are highly engaged in doing something. Photographs of officials in dilapidated buildings suggest the same thing. And press conferences where a team of officials stands in front of a banner announcing “Happy Hong Kong” or some other campaign suggest that something very important and impactful is being announced.
Unfortunately, the Woody Allen saying, “80 per cent of success is showing up”, does not apply to public administration.
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Hong Kong requires some profound improvements, from addressing the issue of unaffordable housing to expanding the economic base beyond financial services and real estate to new industries to regaining its edge as an exciting tourist destination after China’s changes to the tax on luxury goods detracted from Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a shopping centre for mainland tourists.
Last week, the visiting chairman of global pharmaceutical giant GSK pointed out that Hong Kong needs a proper strategy to become a biomedical hub, and that individual measures by themselves won’t make this happen.
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I could not help but think of our government’s approach to solving the housing problem, which seems piecemeal – transitional housing here, light public housing there, the Northern Metropolis and Lantau reclamation to bear fruit in 20 years.
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