Tammy Tam

City Beat | Hong Kong looks to return to normalcy, but what kind of ‘normal’ is what matters

Economic disparity, costly housing, divisive politics – the problems the city faced before social unrest and the pandemic have not gone away

Chief Executive Carrie Lam will base her upcoming policy address on the theme of ‘confidence’ but that needs political skills instead of just being an ‘administrator’

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For Hong Kong, returning to normalcy and going back to the conventional status quo are two different things. Photo: Winson Wong

Tammy Tam

Published: 7:00pm, 6 Sep 2020Updated: 10:32pm, 6 Sep 2020

A favourite topic for Hong Kong officials these days is about bringing the city back to normalcy.

They see the mass Covid-19 testing programme currently under way as a significant step towards reaching that goal, although it is mired in political controversy over its backing by mainland China and the effectiveness of the initiative has also been questioned because of its entirely voluntary basis.

For Hongkongers who have endured a chaotic double whammy – the 2019 political havoc caused by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s ill-fated extradition bill, followed immediately by the coronavirus outbreak – what kind of return to normalcy can they hope for?

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Carrie Lam says Hong Kong failures have led to crisis

Surely not the days before the pandemic or the protests? The city may have seemed comparatively less troubled back then, but that was when its problems, such as the widening wealth gap, galloping property prices and increasing confrontation between the executive and legislature, were all swept under the carpet.

The uncomfortable truth is, Hong Kong was already sick back then, and it cannot return to the previous status quo – it needs a new way out.

A patient would be fortunate to get a good doctor to accurately diagnose any disease and prescribe proper treatment for a cure. Similarly, that is what a city in troubled waters needs – a visionary leader to set the right course and steer the boat out of the storm. That may be common sense, but it’s easier said than done.

In a recent media interview, the chief executive was frank enough to admit that she did not understand politics well. “I am an administrator,” she said in explaining her unpreparedness for the worst ever political turmoil triggered by her proposal to allow the transfer of criminal fugitives between Hong Kong and other jurisdictions with which it has no extradition deal, including mainland China.