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Legislator Dr Kwok Ka Ki
2018-08-26
Dear Chi Ho,
If you think legislators can relax and enjoy the summer holidays as LegCo is in recess, you are wrong. This summer, we have been watching anxiously as different scandals concerning major infrastructural projects unfold; political control is being tightened through blatant infringement of citizens’ fundamental rights and freedom; and pace quickens in our integration with the mainland. Facing this David-and-Goliath battle, some choose to vote with their feet and emigrate, while others send children abroad for further studies. In short, we have an escalating confidence crisis that reminds me of the famous quote: “the City is dying”.
Like dark clouds in gloomy skies in recent weeks, disheartening news continue to surface on a daily basis: the scandal of the Shatin Central rail Link; water leakage of the stations and tunnels of the High Speed railway; ground sinkage of the stations and rail of West Rail Line of MTR Corporation; police using the Ordinance of Registration of Societies in banning the Hong Kong National Party; controversies surrounding a talk at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club by Andy Chan Ho Tin, convener of the National Party; and the inclusion of Hong Kong into the master plan of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong.
Since May, news reports disclosed irregularities and malpractice in the construction of the Shatin to Central Rail Link. Government investigation report of the construction work of the Link revealed major discrepancies between the two reports handed to the government by the MTRC in June and July. Instead of the claims earlier that only 25 couplers were missing, there could be 2000 couplers missing. The report also said that the MTRC was not only unable to supervise the construction but also helped to cover up. One of the most peculiar findings was that the couplers were installed from May 2015 to 2016 but the inspector of MTRC signed the inspection report in 2017, after the concrete was poured. The series of events had triggered strong response from the government. Three general managers directly responsible for the Link were fired and the two top executives of MTRC -- Chief Executive Officer Lincoln Leong and Project Director Philco Wong -- were forced to quit or retire early. However, no action has been taken against the contractors who presumably benefited most from substandard construction. The principal government official looking after the project, Mr. Frank Chan Fan, and the chairman of MTRC, Mr. Fred Ma, were spared despite calls for their resignation.
In recent years, people of Hong Kong witnessed a rapid decline of the city’s governance and professional standard of many public construction projects. These remind us of “Tofu-dreg projects” that are common on the mainland.
Take the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for instance. Although billions of dollars have been poured into this infrastructural link with the motherland, the project will, in no way, be cost-effective or yielding economic return. Neither was its construction endorsed or agreed upon by the majority of the people of Hong Kong. What made us furious were the news reports on the poor quality of works like the suspected chipping off of the breakwater and drifting of the artificial island in Hong Kong waters where the bridge is connected to the Hong Kong side.
Other similar “white elephant” projects include: the third runway, the Lok Ma Chau Loop Innovation and Technology Park, and the proposed huge reclamation project at the East Lantau Island.
Big mainland construction corporations, many state-own, are cashing in on Hong Kong’s infrastructural development and integration with the motherland, and made billions of dollars from these projects. With the legislature becoming ineffectual, dissident legislators and Hong Kong citizens can do nothing to stop public funds being squandered in this way.
It seems that malpractices on the Mainland have already spread to this city, and people are getting used to these malpractices that are originally only popular on the mainland.
Infrastructure is not the only area in which people are skeptical about the presence of mainland’s influence. Beijing’s influence is also very prominent in the local political arena. Following the controversial dis-qualification of six legislators, Agnes Chow Ting -- the candidate fielded in by Scholarism to replace Nathan Law – was again disqualified.
On 17th July, Hong Kong Police served the National Party a notice to ban the party under the Societies Ordinance with the accusation that the party engaged in sedition or championed independence of Hong Kong. We all understand that this tiny party has never been a significant political reality. Neither can it represent the majority view of the people of Hong Kong. What is most important is that it has never been involved in any violent activity or taken any realistic action that can qualify as sedition.
Even more controversial is the undue interference from the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong in pressurizing the Foreign Correspondents’ Club to cancel a recent luncheon talk by the convenor of the Hong Kong National Party, Andy Chan Ho Tin. Hong Kong is one of the signatory countries and areas of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We have every duty to guard against interference on the freedom of speech and freedom of press, or any civil rights under the Covenant. It is also the duty of the PRC to enact the covenant and to abide by the principle in dealing with the internal affairs of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the SAR government -- instead of upholding this principle and condemn any individuals or government in infringing the right of freedom of speech and expression -- jumped on the bandwagon in accusing the FCC of organizing the luncheon talk. Common sense tells us a strong country will not be easily destroyed or dismantled by a small guy like Andy Chan or a tiny organization like the Hong Kong National Party.
In step with mainland’s plan, the high profile presence of Carrie Lam in the coordinating meeting in Beijing regarding the integration of Hong Kong in the so-called Greater Bay Area project appeared to many to be the bell tolling the death of “One Country, Two Systems”. The success of Hong Kong hinges on its unique political and economic system rather than being part of the planned economy of Mainland. The inclusion of Hong Kong in this kind of planned economy signals a loss of the uniqueness of Hong Kong and increasing reliance of the city on the economic planning of mainland, that can be disastrous.
I don’t blame the younger generation for their inclination to dissociate from the mainland or to leave Hong Kong for new havens. What the younger generation finds unbearable is the sad erosion of the core values of Hong Kong: freedom of speech, freedom of press, rule of law, respect of human and civil rights and the strong desire for equality and fairness. Hong Kong is no longer the same Hong Kong that we once knew as it undergoes rapid transformation under the shadow of the giant from the North, and many of us feel more and more estranged from this home of ours.
What keep us going despite all the difficulties are the simple acts of many individual citizens who do not give up! One latest example is the flight attendant Law Mei Mei – seeking to preserve airport security rules – successfully launched a judicial review that won the High Court ruling last Thursday that Hong Kong airport authority broke security rules when they arranged for baggage left outside of restricted area to be taken through security screening without the presence of its owner, the daughter of the then Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying.
As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants: “what we consider valuable in our world arises out of …lopsided conflicts, because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty”.
I sincerely hope you will join hands and hearts with many of us who are not giving up in fighting for a better Hong Kong.
Yours sincerely,
KK
If you think legislators can relax and enjoy the summer holidays as LegCo is in recess, you are wrong. This summer, we have been watching anxiously as different scandals concerning major infrastructural projects unfold; political control is being tightened through blatant infringement of citizens’ fundamental rights and freedom; and pace quickens in our integration with the mainland. Facing this David-and-Goliath battle, some choose to vote with their feet and emigrate, while others send children abroad for further studies. In short, we have an escalating confidence crisis that reminds me of the famous quote: “the City is dying”.
Like dark clouds in gloomy skies in recent weeks, disheartening news continue to surface on a daily basis: the scandal of the Shatin Central rail Link; water leakage of the stations and tunnels of the High Speed railway; ground sinkage of the stations and rail of West Rail Line of MTR Corporation; police using the Ordinance of Registration of Societies in banning the Hong Kong National Party; controversies surrounding a talk at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club by Andy Chan Ho Tin, convener of the National Party; and the inclusion of Hong Kong into the master plan of the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong.
Since May, news reports disclosed irregularities and malpractice in the construction of the Shatin to Central Rail Link. Government investigation report of the construction work of the Link revealed major discrepancies between the two reports handed to the government by the MTRC in June and July. Instead of the claims earlier that only 25 couplers were missing, there could be 2000 couplers missing. The report also said that the MTRC was not only unable to supervise the construction but also helped to cover up. One of the most peculiar findings was that the couplers were installed from May 2015 to 2016 but the inspector of MTRC signed the inspection report in 2017, after the concrete was poured. The series of events had triggered strong response from the government. Three general managers directly responsible for the Link were fired and the two top executives of MTRC -- Chief Executive Officer Lincoln Leong and Project Director Philco Wong -- were forced to quit or retire early. However, no action has been taken against the contractors who presumably benefited most from substandard construction. The principal government official looking after the project, Mr. Frank Chan Fan, and the chairman of MTRC, Mr. Fred Ma, were spared despite calls for their resignation.
In recent years, people of Hong Kong witnessed a rapid decline of the city’s governance and professional standard of many public construction projects. These remind us of “Tofu-dreg projects” that are common on the mainland.
Take the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for instance. Although billions of dollars have been poured into this infrastructural link with the motherland, the project will, in no way, be cost-effective or yielding economic return. Neither was its construction endorsed or agreed upon by the majority of the people of Hong Kong. What made us furious were the news reports on the poor quality of works like the suspected chipping off of the breakwater and drifting of the artificial island in Hong Kong waters where the bridge is connected to the Hong Kong side.
Other similar “white elephant” projects include: the third runway, the Lok Ma Chau Loop Innovation and Technology Park, and the proposed huge reclamation project at the East Lantau Island.
Big mainland construction corporations, many state-own, are cashing in on Hong Kong’s infrastructural development and integration with the motherland, and made billions of dollars from these projects. With the legislature becoming ineffectual, dissident legislators and Hong Kong citizens can do nothing to stop public funds being squandered in this way.
It seems that malpractices on the Mainland have already spread to this city, and people are getting used to these malpractices that are originally only popular on the mainland.
Infrastructure is not the only area in which people are skeptical about the presence of mainland’s influence. Beijing’s influence is also very prominent in the local political arena. Following the controversial dis-qualification of six legislators, Agnes Chow Ting -- the candidate fielded in by Scholarism to replace Nathan Law – was again disqualified.
On 17th July, Hong Kong Police served the National Party a notice to ban the party under the Societies Ordinance with the accusation that the party engaged in sedition or championed independence of Hong Kong. We all understand that this tiny party has never been a significant political reality. Neither can it represent the majority view of the people of Hong Kong. What is most important is that it has never been involved in any violent activity or taken any realistic action that can qualify as sedition.
Even more controversial is the undue interference from the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong in pressurizing the Foreign Correspondents’ Club to cancel a recent luncheon talk by the convenor of the Hong Kong National Party, Andy Chan Ho Tin. Hong Kong is one of the signatory countries and areas of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We have every duty to guard against interference on the freedom of speech and freedom of press, or any civil rights under the Covenant. It is also the duty of the PRC to enact the covenant and to abide by the principle in dealing with the internal affairs of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the SAR government -- instead of upholding this principle and condemn any individuals or government in infringing the right of freedom of speech and expression -- jumped on the bandwagon in accusing the FCC of organizing the luncheon talk. Common sense tells us a strong country will not be easily destroyed or dismantled by a small guy like Andy Chan or a tiny organization like the Hong Kong National Party.
In step with mainland’s plan, the high profile presence of Carrie Lam in the coordinating meeting in Beijing regarding the integration of Hong Kong in the so-called Greater Bay Area project appeared to many to be the bell tolling the death of “One Country, Two Systems”. The success of Hong Kong hinges on its unique political and economic system rather than being part of the planned economy of Mainland. The inclusion of Hong Kong in this kind of planned economy signals a loss of the uniqueness of Hong Kong and increasing reliance of the city on the economic planning of mainland, that can be disastrous.
I don’t blame the younger generation for their inclination to dissociate from the mainland or to leave Hong Kong for new havens. What the younger generation finds unbearable is the sad erosion of the core values of Hong Kong: freedom of speech, freedom of press, rule of law, respect of human and civil rights and the strong desire for equality and fairness. Hong Kong is no longer the same Hong Kong that we once knew as it undergoes rapid transformation under the shadow of the giant from the North, and many of us feel more and more estranged from this home of ours.
What keep us going despite all the difficulties are the simple acts of many individual citizens who do not give up! One latest example is the flight attendant Law Mei Mei – seeking to preserve airport security rules – successfully launched a judicial review that won the High Court ruling last Thursday that Hong Kong airport authority broke security rules when they arranged for baggage left outside of restricted area to be taken through security screening without the presence of its owner, the daughter of the then Chief Executive Leung Chun Ying.
As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants: “what we consider valuable in our world arises out of …lopsided conflicts, because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty”.
I sincerely hope you will join hands and hearts with many of us who are not giving up in fighting for a better Hong Kong.
Yours sincerely,
KK
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