In order to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, which is now the most pressing issue for the city, the special administrative region government unveiled the Universal Community Testing Programme on Aug 21 to offer free viral screening for residents. The initiative will help identify silent virus carriers and reduce the risk of community transmission. Despite the comprehensiveness of the program, it has been under attack by members of the opposition, who have made up various conspiracy theories with the aim of dissuading residents from taking the test. Therefore, it is evident that in addition to the prevailing pandemic, Hong Kong is also confronting a political scourge that makes the matter worse.
Ever since Hong Kong was beset with grim political turmoil last year, some members of the opposition camp have joined forces with external forces to expand their political clout in the city. In this process, a radical anti-Beijing political faction has emerged among the opposition. Disregarding the well-being of the general public, these radicals are hellbent on using “scorched-earth” tactics to advance their political agenda. Under the “one country, two systems” framework, there is limited room for them to pursue their political interests, thus they exploit every means, including issues related to people’s livelihoods and welfare, to take citizens hostage for the purpose of political ransom and smearing the SAR government and central government. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has just provided them with another opportunity.
Hong Kong has spent the past six months combating the novel coronavirus. In retrospect, we can see how the opposition camp deployed various tactics to stir up trouble by taking advantage of the looming public health crisis. When the pandemic first hit Hong Kong, they took advantage of the fear among the public and demanded the shutdown of all boundary checkpoints between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. For open economies like Hong Kong, a complete lockdown is unrealistic at best. Even though they were fully aware of the inconceivability of such an idea, they repeatedly used it to stoke anti-mainland sentiment and to drive a wedge between people of the two sides. Later on, they mobilized some medical workers to go on strike when an outbreak occurred — what they did was simply hijacking the much-needed medical staff in the public health system to exert pressure on the SAR government. It is obvious that the opposition camp has not made any practical suggestions that could benefit the public, but rather put their political interests before public welfare, with the aim of creating political tension that they hope would favor the opposition in the Legislative Council election, which was originally scheduled for Sunday. The public health risk also explains why the government made a tough decision to postpone the LegCo election, a move that the opposition strongly protested against because, once again, public interests are never a priority in their eyes. They have unmistakably demonstrated that they would not hesitate to ride on the pandemic or any other issues to achieve their political objectives.
They (the opposition) have unmistakably demonstrated that they would not hesitate to ride on the pandemic or any other issues to achieve their political objectives
Although the LegCo election has been postponed, the political bickering that bedevils Hong Kong will not end. The SAR government and the pro-establishment camp have to realize that any livelihood issue in Hong Kong would not be spared by politics. Even if a policy measure is designed in the most rational and pragmatic manner, it would not be spared by politics. The SAR government must try to set the tone of discussion on any new policies so that the discussions will focus on public interest. The government can more proactively make use of tools such as surveys, focus groups or big data analysis to guide public opinion and tailor policies to the actual needs of the public.
“Nipping problems in the bud” is traditional Chinese wisdom. For now the pandemic has yet to be fully contained, even if the current wave of the outbreak has been effectively dealt with, so we must be cautious of the risk of another recurrence in the future while devoting our effort to reviving the economy hit hard by the pandemic. These tasks will be great challenges for Hong Kong in the coming days. To this end, the SAR government and the constructive force in society must demonstrate their courage and political will and work together with the people. In addition to formulating sound policies, political work must be undertaken so as to win the trust of the public and smash the opposition’s plots to exploit the current public health issue.
The author is senior research officer of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
