In times of crisis, the public looks to government leaders for guidance, reassurance and action, but it is crucial that people can trust them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted — sometimes brutally — the disparities in leadership ability worldwide, with some nations or territories fortunate to have competent, if not exceptional, officials, while others are burdened with politicians who have dithered or even sought to settle scores with their critics and further quash dissent.
The actions of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s (林鄭月娥) administration this year remain a prime example of failing leadership, from its unwillingness to take early action to restrict travel from China to its “business as usual” approach in arresting critics over alleged actions during last year’s pro-democracy protests. Its inability to serve the best interests of the public it governs has been demonstrated by measures large and small.
At a time when the territory is faced, like many places, with a shortage of protective gear for medical personnel — to the point where it is exploring ways to reuse hospital workers’ N95 respirators — as well as the threat of a looming food shortage after authorities in Shenzhen, China, moved to restrict truck deliveries across the border by imposing new health checks on drivers, Lam’s government is preoccupied with keeping its masters in Beijing happy by chipping away at Hong Kongers’ basic rights and freedoms.
On Thursday, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau (邱騰華) accused Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) of breaching the “one China” principle after one of its reporters on Saturday last week asked WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward whether the WHO would accept Taiwan as a member.
Yau said that RTHK’s action had breached its charter as a public service broadcaster, an accusation that the station has denied.
Also on Thursday, the Hong Kong Civil Service Bureau told lawmakers that 42 civil servants had been suspended from their jobs after being arrested for taking part in last year’s protests — even though none of them have been convicted — but claimed that the move was “not a disciplinary punishment and there is no presumption of guilt.”
It also said that it was “actively studying” whether all civil servants should be required to swear allegiance to the territory’s Basic Law, even though the law itself states that only the chief executive, principal officials, Executive Council and Legislative Council members, and judges must swear to uphold the Basic Law and allegiance to the territory’s government.
Pro-democracy advocates have complained that police are abusing new anti-epidemic rules for political purposes by targeting restaurants and cafes known for supporting the protests.
Then there was last week’s arrest of Central and Western District Council Chairwoman Cheng Lai-king on sedition charges over a Facebook post about a police officer, not to mention the arrests of Next Media founder Jimmy Lai (黎智英), Labour Party Vice Chairman Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) and former Democracy Party chairman Yeung Sum (楊森) on Feb. 28 on charges of illegal assembly for taking part in last year’s protests.
It is no wonder that an opinion poll, conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the South China Morning Post and released on Wednesday, showed that most Hong Kongers are so unhappy with their government’s response to the virus that the vast majority feel that they would only have themselves to thank if the territory succeeds in containing the virus’ spread, not Lam’s administration.
Of course, that has been the lesson of the pro-democracy protests: Hong Kongers have only themselves to rely on to defend their rights and interests, because their government is increasingly unwilling — or unable — to do it for them.
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