Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s strikes and panic are symptoms of an ailing ‘one country, two systems’
- Beijing reacted faster to the current outbreak than to Sars, which some in the outside world see as an improvement. In Hong Kong, however, many hold the view that the WHO is downplaying the deadliness of Covid-19 to appease China
A shortage of masks, toilet paper and leadership hits Hong Kong
Even if accurate figures are ascertained, we won’t know the final mortality rate for some time. In 2003, the World Health Organisation initially reported the mortality rate of Sars to be around 3 per cent – a fluid figure the WHO later revised to 15 per cent, before settling on around 10 per cent.
In Hong Kong, many hold the view that the WHO is downplaying the deadliness of Covid-19 in order to appease China – an increasingly obtrusive presence within such international organisations.
Some on the mainland and in the outside world view this as progress, whereas many in Hong Kong tend to see a familiar pattern of crisis under a totalitarian-style system that they do not wish to live under themselves.
Hong Kong’s darkest hour: Sars and the suicide of an icon
A fundamental of the legitimacy of a government is its ability to protect its citizens: in the current outbreak, both the Hong Kong and mainland governments have lost points on that score.
In judging Beijing’s handling of affairs, it bears remembering that total power means total responsibility. As the number of cases and deaths grows, even patriotic Hongkongers might question the benefits of Communist Party rule.
If forgoing democratic freedoms fails to enhance safety and stability, who could accept authoritarian rule? Criticism in that vein is seeping out across the mainland – and it flows freely in Hong Kong.
Without a meaningful democratic outlet for their frustration, Hongkongers have little choice but to use public protests as their means of communicating displeasure. It’s ironic that a city under the authority of a dissent-quashing superpower has become the world’s leading city of protest.
Paul Letters is a novelist, journalist and historian. His latest wartime novel, The Slightest Chance, is set in and around Hong Kong. See paulletters.com