In less than one month, Hong Kong has witnessed both a case of infringement of press freedom and another of political interference in academic independence. Ostensibly unrelated, the two events have had a huge impact on Hong Kong's international image and reputation. They have also extensively tarnished what China thinks is a gleaming example of a "one country, two systems" model.
The first incident involved Kuok Hock-nien (
Kuok lambasted Lam for writing that "Hong Kong's businessmen are such idiots and morons that their only way of business survival is to become running-dogs for the Chinese Central Government."
Hong Kong's media and political circles were shocked by Kuok's letter, given that his son is now the newspaper's chairman and that father and son are very much in a position to influence the paper's policy -- and even fire people who do not follow it.
Kuok's act seemed to be an open declaration that he has completely sold out to Beijing.
Since the 1997 handover, Hong Kong's media has largely tried to appease China with "self-discipline" and "Beijing-friendly" journalistic strategy.
Three years after the handover, they have now gone as far as spanking their own children in public for Beijing's benefit.
How can anyone expect fair and objective news reports from a Hong Kong media that has become so degenerate? How can a Hong Kong without press freedom be expected to maintain its competitive edge in the market it enjoyed under British rule?
The "one country, two systems" experiment has left Hong Kong without any self-determination. It's nothing more than a dog deliberately wagging its tail to encourage its master, Beijing, to throw it a few more scraps.
While the shock waves from Kuok's letter were still reverberating, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (
A scholar conducting public opinion polls at the University of Hong Kong had accused Tung of putting pressure on him through a third person. The scholar's revelation of that third person's identity last Friday led to a major uproar throughout Hong Kong's journalistic, academic and political circles.
Such interference in academic independence and freedom has dealt an unprecedented blow to Hong Kong's international image. Many believe it could be the preamble to a bigger political tempest.
The two events are similar in what they reveal about the ongoing self-censorship in Hong Kong's media and academic circles. They also reveal the predilection they have developed for cozying up to the powers that be and selling their editorial souls for the sake of gaining more resources.
It is absurd but true: Hong Kongers are vying with each other in toadying up to the Chinese Communist Party and pro-communist powers in Hong Kong.
Why should people living in a free, pluralistic world pander to members of a decaying communist regime? Is it just a symptom of the "one country, two systems" poison?
Beijing has always hoped that its experiment with "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong would provide a successful model for Taiwan to follow.
But after these two incidents, we must call on the authorities in Beijing to stop kidding themselves and others. Hong Kong's intellectuals and businessmen have publicly plumbed such depths of depravity during the last three years that Beijing must ask itself a simple question -- does it really want to see Taiwan follow suit?
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