By ‘easing tensions’ we mean ‘wetting ourselves’

It is instructive to watch the Hong Kong government in damage limitation and disaster-recovery mode. See a real live democratic deficit in action, up close! More to the point, you get to find out just how mediocre Beijing’s chosen local leader-puppets are.

For a vivid picture of a top official out of his depth, read this account* of yesterday’s Legislative Council questioning of Security Secretary ex-cop John Lee. Any chance of the ever-unlovable Secretary for Justice Theresa Cheng being subjected to a similar grilling?

Sitting atop this mess, of course, is figurehead Chief Executive Carrie Lam – probably still puzzled and bemused about why there is so much fuss and why everything seems to be going wrong. At a gathering to apologize to supposed supporters, Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Alice Mak unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at her, and Regina Ip stormed out. But Carrie has not only blithely dumped loyalist shoe-shiners in it. Unlike her hapless predecessors, she has even managed to bolster Taiwan’s pro-independence sentiment. This is almost calamity as performance art.

In a halfway smart move, the administration has rushed to sweep some contentious issues under the carpet. Rather than try to ram through the National Anthem (Compulsory Adoration) Ordinance in the last remaining weeks of this legislative year, officials are postponing it to after October – when we’ll all be feeling much better, won’t we? And they’re pushing back the request for a quick half-billion or whatever to fund some Lantau Mega-Reclamation Boondoggle Scam preliminary initial outline overview planning plan.

This is all in addition to her (amply noted elsewhere) stunning They Said It Could Not Be Done achievement in exceeding CY Leung’s alienation of the city’s entire younger and educated (and a lot of the rest) population.

Based on previous experience, Beijing’s reaction to all this will be to find even less competent people and force them even more strongly to do even more stupid things. If this is possible.

*Also from Kong Tsung-gan, how the Extradition Insurrection (what’s this historic moment going to be called?) happened after five years in the making.

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10 Responses to By ‘easing tensions’ we mean ‘wetting ourselves’

  1. Revolution says:

    Presumably the anthem law and stupid island will not come up again until after the District Council elections. Good. Slows the decline of this place down for a few months at least.

  2. old git says:

    Despite being sometimes forgetful, one does seem to remember predicting, in this arena, the following when Carrie Lam was appointed as CE of HK:

    “talk down to everyone, especially the young” – check
    “ruin Lantau” – check (but maybe only on hold)
    “keep Stamp Duties high to prop up Civil Service pensions – check

    Before CE-ship, Carrie Lam cashed in her pension for a reported HKD15 mio. One supposes that the CE-ship pension is calculated assuming a full term, so financially, despite being paid a colossal sum each month, resignation doesn’t work.

  3. Chris says:

    Pursuant to Mr. Au’s statement… whatever happened to those shot in the face and, apparently, the eye? Surprised I haven’t seen any interviews or updates of these people…

  4. Clitoral Beaver says:

    Are we quite sure that Carrie Lam isn’t way more brilliant than we suppose and that she is hammering to build this island because she has heard the CG is looking for a place to banish former Hong Kong executives and has-beens? With the right tie-ins and sweetners for developers, Megalantauopolis could be the modern day Siberia of the South.

  5. Mary Melville says:

    Now that Lantau Mega Decanter is at least temporarily on hold, the community must demand that the plan to sell/lease a big chunk of Kowloon Park to mall development/car park and subject to an ongoing fake consultation Phase II be mothballed.
    The images being used are most deceiving, those unfamiliar with how these schemes are slipped through may not realize that those ‘lawns’ displayed are nothing more than roof tops. The intention is to provide another Salisbury Garden arrangement.
    The consultant is AECOM, effectively a branch of the administration and beneficiary of the majority of ongoing government contracts. In 2013 when Development Bureau wanted to sell off Middle Road Car Park this firm provided a Traffic Impact Assessment to show that TST really did not need so much parking going forward. Now it is hand wringing on the lack of parking spaces in the district. Draw your own conclusions.
    Ditto with community facilities, Home Affairs previously pronounced that there was no need for any in TST but now to get support from naive NGO’s to excavate the park is promising facilities underground.
    Anybody who has any illusions re the real intention of this project, to significantly reduce the green cover and vegetation in the park and commercialize the ambiance, should check out the plans
    https://www.urbanunderground.gov.hk/public_engagement2.php
    We must now say NO to FAKE CONSULTATIONS, depletion of community resources, corruption, collusion and transfer of public assets to tycoons and vested interests.

  6. Gooddog says:

    “Calamity as performance art.”
    Hemmers that is so sweet. I’ll take a long sweet drag of a cigarette and smile off into the horizon….

  7. dimuendo says:

    Mary

    I have the good fortune to overlook Victoria Park (from Central Library side) and have always said that view and bit of open space and greenery will remain.

    The plans for Kowloon Park show how deluded I am. Build on Victoria Park to create another much needed shopping plaza and set of offices, and simultaneously , just coincidentally, make all marches and demonstrations far more difficult by removing the starting point of the football pitches.

    How and to whom do you want objections/proteests made as to Kowloon Park?

  8. Des Espoir says:

    Edward Yau…? Wasn’t he the total nonentity who could not even achieve anything at the Environmental Protection Department? Rewarded by being promoted to C Y Leung’s chief-of-staff..? With a c.v. like that, he’s a natural for CE…

  9. caractacus says:

    (not very surprising) prediction: The HK Govt and CCP puppetmasters will go into stealth mode and continue the process of onecountryisation inside the civil service, disciplined services and hold more political education, er, training courses in the mainland.

  10. Mary Melville says:

    Dimuendo, and hopefully other folk concerned about the future of our public parks, can click onto the link in my message above for details on the fake ‘consultation’.
    Do not be fooled by grassy images, these are rooftops on ventilation shafts, etc. There are already three grassy areas at this park, the rooftops of the shops on Park Lane. Not very popular in the hot weather as there is no shade. With global warming encroaching trees and shade should be a number 1 priority for all open spaces.

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