Calling for trust in these tough times
As April showers bring a flood of woes, what's needed is a simple thing called faith
April started off on a bad note: on the first Friday of the month, the Hang Seng Index plunged some 600 points, triggered by news in East China that six people had died from the H7N9 bird flu.
A decade ago, the severe acute respiratory syndrome hit the city months after it struck the mainland in late 2002. The deadly virus claimed the lives of 299 people in Hong Kong.
In light of the bird flu spreading on the mainland, people in the city cannot help but wonder whether Hong Kong - which is as close to the mainland as the lips are to the teeth - could possibly hope to be spared from it.
Media images of countless pig carcasses drifting down the Huangpu River to Shanghai did nothing to help calm our nerves.
And what of our port dispute with the striking dockers? We are living in anxious times indeed.
Officials advise us against panic. And we trust our officials, because they have a track record of transparency and being on top of their jobs.