Presumed connection between power, money greatest 'contradiction' in city

This past weekend I was at an internal forum with various people discussing the Hong Kong economic and political scene. A question was raised over what exactly is the greatest "contradiction" - by which is meant the greatest source of strife that is bogging down Hong Kong's progress. Various answers were raised. One participant said it was the wealth gap; one said it was the "hate the Communist Party of China" mentality; one said it was dissatisfaction with the progress in political reform. Most people agree that there are cracks in the education system so that many young people have failed to know the difference in today's China and the China before Deng Xiaoping's reforms. I agree that all the above certainly play a part in the antagonism toward the government, and the polarization of Hong Kong society. But I suggested that the greatest contradiction is the presumed connection between power and money.

In recent years I have noticed use of the term quangui (power-endowed rich) for the privileged class in Hong Kong. Whether people complain about the special administrative region government or the central government, there is a presumption that power has been biased toward serving the interest of the rich first. One reason why many people wanted political reform is that they believe with political reform, the perceived monopoly of the rich over power can be cracked, so power can be opened up to benefit more Hong Kong people.

It is important to recognize that this perception is widespread and that it is important to change this perception. It is this perception that has created such distrust over the SAR government and over the CPC.

Of course, the SAR government can point out the many initiatives taken in recent years to alleviate the plight of the poor, and that most of these initiatives hurt the interests of the rich. The statutory minimum wage is a case in point. The Low-income Working Family Allowance is another. The new regulations introduced in recent years over property sales by developers is yet another. But all these were considered to be the minimal amount the government delivers in order to pacify the opposition. They were introduced, so it is thought, only as a strategic ploy to fool the public. Notwithstanding the major crackdown on corruption launched by President Xi Jinping, critics opted for the narrative that it was self-serving and was directed at rounding up political opponents.

To the extent that real changes are happening and that people on the Chinese mainland are enjoying the benefits of an enlightened government that takes the interests of the people at heart, most mainland residents today do not believe the narrative of a self-serving CPC. This is why, whereas only 48 percent of mainland residents were found satisfied with the direction the country was heading in 2002, by 2014 this went up to 87 percent according to the Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center did not provide more updated figures, but in July this year an Ipsos Public Affairs survey found China is the most optimistic country in the world, with 87 percent of people believing their country is on the right track.

The SAR government probably will become more popular over time if it were as effective as the central government in serving people within its jurisdiction. Unfortunately its performance has been held down by the filibuster and the opposition rhetoric. Changing the impression of the power-money connection has proven very difficult. But it remains the key to improving the SAR government's performance.

Actually, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has been making headway in this direction. She proposed an easy-to-administer non-means-tested scheme of public transport subsidy based on the amount spent on one's Octopus card. She also proposed improving the Low-income Working Family Allowance (to be renamed as the "Working Family Allowance") to benefit more working households. She would inject HK$300 million into the Child Development Fund in 2018-19 to support more projects for the benefit of children from low-income families, and on top of that she has proposed to set up a Children's Commission.

Rather than tackling contentious political issues, she goes about working out innovative policy measures to benefit the Hong Kong public and especially the underprivileged. This way, her Policy Address earned a vote of thanks from the Legislative Council, and that vote actually drew support from four legislators from the non-establishment camp. The last time the Policy Address earned a vote of thanks was in 2008.

Thus, the situation is not hopeless. But it will be very important for the SAR government to sidestep normal procedures especially when a decision may appear to favor particular business interests. That had happened before with the Avenue of Stars innovation project. In the end the original proposal had to be rolled back. Much time was wasted, and the government was criticized. Thus ensuring transparency, improving communication, and building an image that the government actually does have the interests of Hong Kong public at heart, will gradually change that unfortunate impression. When the government succeeds in building trust, other initiatives will prove much easier to move forward.

(HK Edition 11/21/2017 page8)