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Opinion | The fact is, Hongkongers are still freely critical of the government
- Contrary to foreign popular opinion, the Hong Kong public and media remain critical of government matters, from waste charging to the ‘Night Vibes’ campaign
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I was recently interviewed by a European journalist who doesn’t live in Hong Kong. His pressing questions reflected his perception that residents and the local media are either unable or unwilling to criticise the Hong Kong government.
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I do not find such questions surprising any more, following the introduction of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. The resulting barrage of hostile international media coverage unsurprisingly influenced opinions in many foreign countries. Even though comparable or harsher national security laws are in force in many of those countries, for some reason, opinions concerning Hong Kong are often the most vocal.
So, it is understandable that many people overseas imagine that criticising the Hong Kong government for any matter is fraught with peril. However, it is important to note that this is not the case.
I took the opportunity to highlight some recent examples. I pointed out to the journalist that many residents, legislators and local media outlets remain very vocal, regularly conveying different views and asking questions about government policies that they believe should be addressed.
One example relates to the municipal waste-charging scheme, the discussion of which I was involved in more than 10 years ago. The resulting Waste Disposal Bill was passed into law in 2021.
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Due to public pressure, the government has postponed launching the scheme and is running a trial to demonstrate how waste charging works and shed light on possible challenges before implementation starts.
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