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Unlike Xi Jinping, Carrie Lam fails to deliver when it matters
Philip Bowring says while the initiatives announced in the policy address may have some positive effect, none really tackles the major problems Hong Kong faces in housing, urban planning, environmental management and technological development. Nor will they spur economic innovation
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President Xi Jinping has a grand plan to make China a fully modern and exemplary society and the world’s leading state. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has 200-plus new initiatives which aim to...?
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For sure, Lam’s policy address made for many days of happy headlines. Doubtless, many of the initiatives are worthy, addressing public concerns and alleviating problems in health care, welfare, education and housing. But not one of them takes a radical look at what are widely acknowledged to be the major problems facing Hong Kong. Leadership requires daring and quality ideas, not overlong hours in the office.
Key points of Carrie Lam’s first policy address
Lam may be forgiven for avoiding the thorny issues of Article 23 anti-subversion legislation and constitutional development, as these can only arouse more strife. But what sort of government can be expected from a chief executive who stuffs her Executive Council with such figures as Laura Cha Shih May-lung, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, Chow Chung-kong and Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, all long past their sell-by dates, and representatives of such blatantly unrepresentative interest groups as Kenneth Lau Ip-keung of the Heung Yee Kuk?
The small, tight circle that runs Hong Kong
If you want a snapshot of the government’s views on who matters in Hong Kong, look at the list of Bauhinia awardees. The 12 Grand Bauhinia Medals were reserved for government officials plus three property tycoons, Ronnie Chan Chichung, Vincent Lo Hong-sui and Henry Cheng Kar-shun. These three have a huge interest in maintaining the huge profits from our divisive land and property policies.
Who’s who of Hong Kong’s top officials awarded Grand Bauhinia prize
Officials and members of government bodies also dominated the Gold Bauhinia Star awards. Of the total of 138 Bauhinia awards, not one went to a non-Chinese. In short, officials and oligarchs rule the roost; entrepreneurs, creative individuals, leading professionals get scant recognition; and non-Chinese are nowhere in supposedly cosmopolitan Hong Kong. So much for spurring the economy and reconciling frustrated younger generations to the political system.
Carrie Lam has lost her biggest chance to show she is a leader, not a technician
Tinkering with taxes as a means of spurring economic development was typical. Halving corporate tax for the first HK$2 million of profits and allowing 300 per cent write-offs of research and development spending are nice little handouts but have no wider relevance other than creating more employment for accountants and bureaucrats. It would be better to cut all top tax rates to, say, 12 per cent and get rid of all the deductions and petty incentives that just create bureaucracy. That would be a far bigger incentive to new business than R&D giveaways determined by civil servants who almost certainly will latch on to last year’s “new thing”. Lam parrots Beijing’s belt and road talk but practical interest in Asia to the west and south is lacking.
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