OpinionHong Kong’s worst Christmas since 1941 should spark more than platitudes from Carrie Lam

The fog seems to be lifting over at Upper Albert Road with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor seeming to have realised that her government needs to do more than just release the same stale statement condemning violence day after day as it has done over the last six months.

During the Christmas break, the government finally released new content, targeting Britain-based charity Hong Kong Watch for being “fake, utterly irresponsible and grossly unfair”. But it remains clueless as to how to curb the violence and get Hong Kong back on track.

The Lam administration seems unaware that delegating its job to the police has left the reputation of Asia’s finest in tatters, reflected in the distressing results of a recent survey commissioned by the Post. The police has borne the brunt of increasingly violent protests and a largely hostile society combined with a government hell bent on sitting on its hands.

With violent clashes still common, the survey found an alarming 73 per cent of respondents from across the political spectrum had lost trust in the police.

Although Chinese President Xi Jinping has used every opportunity to express the central government’s endorsement of the chief executive, several things are worth noting. First, Beijing’s repeated message hasn’t inspired Lam and her government to step up on the action front. For all intents and purposes, the government remains one of just talk and no action.