Opinion | Divided Hong Kong must think of the legacy it leaves next generation
As the city marks the handover 19 years ago, the ‘one country, two systems’ principle is taking on even greater significance
There’s a lot of anger, fear and uncertainty out there! And I am not talking about the Brexit referendum.
Nineteen years ago today, sovereignty over Hong Kong was transferred from Britain to China under the “one country, two systems” principle, the raison d’etre of our existence. We should rejoice and be happy.
Yet in a recent survey, this city ranks the most miserable of major Asian cities. Our society is deeply divided in faith and fealty, confidence and conviction.
Just last week, the blaze at an industrial building in Ngau Tau Kok took the lives of two heroic firefighters. The city mourns. After some 108 hours of firefighting, the blaze was finally put out by courageous fellow firefighters who found hazardous goods on the premises.
Vital questions of how, why, when, where and by whom hang like the sword of Damocles over our heads and need to be answered
What this deadly inferno has exposed is the city’s inadequacy in supervision and control over safety standards. Of all the sad expressions of regret, the saddest are “should have, could have, would have”. Even so, I hope something will be done quickly and wisely to prevent future tragedies of the kind from happening.
