[My op-ed in @Independent：Hong Kong's response to coronavirus is another blow to its liberty]
Carrie Lam's refusal to shut down Hong Kong's border with China proves she has lost touch with what her society wants and needs.
independent.co.uk/voices/coronav…
Carrie Lam's refusal to shut down Hong Kong's border with China proves she has lost touch with what her society wants and needs.
independent.co.uk/voices/coronav…
1/ When the coronavirus outbreak hit several cities in China, it also dealt another blow to HK‘s autonomy. Fear & anxiety are growing as cases in China have more than tripled over the past week.
2/ The adjacent province of Guangdong has become the second hardest-hit after Hubei province and, in a bid to fend off the spread in communities, HKers are calling for the closure of the border with China that tens of thousands of commuters use every day.
3/ The call is actually supported by public & experts. From latest poll, 80% population support sealing borders entirely. It's backed by several HK doctors & microbiologists, including Prof Yuen, leading expert in infectious diseases who discovered the agent causing coronavirus.
4/ Nevertheless, in the face of mounting calls for a full shutdown, Carrie Lam has repeatedly dismissed public demands, just like how she handles call for an investigation into police & political reforms. Her decision is disputed by public policy experts & Pro-Beijing parties.
5/ They argued that decision is political rather than based on feasibility concern. As lockdown is dismissed, gov finds itself trapped in legitimacy crisis. It begs question as to whether HK can still maintain its distinction with China. The situation is worse than Sars outbreak.
6/ HK’s medical supplies are drying up this time. One of the reasons for this is connected to the HK democracy movement over the past seven months. Since it began, the Beijing government has classified all types of mask products as “sensitive items”, including surgical masks.
7/ All mask imports from China are now barred from entering HK. Logistic companies and e-commerce platforms simply reject orders to the city. Even more ridiculously, HKGov has filed appeals against the court’s ruling of the ban on face masks as unconstitutional early last month.
8/ Running out of masks, HKers raided supermarkets for protective equipment. Elderly camped out outside pharmacies through chilly winter nights in line for masks, even forced to reuse old masks several times. Worse still, mask stocks for medical workers can only last for 1 month.
9/ No matter how robust our health care system is, all health workers are fighting an endless war with limited weapons, so long as our borders remain open. That is the reason why medical workers have to go on strikes to call for a complete shutdown.
10/ Carrie Lam has cancelled meetings with medics. Instead, Gov put in place quarantine order, which is criticised for being toothless. Though mandatory, measure heavily relies on the self-discipline of quarantined people & is merely enforced by random checks or calls.
11/ Worse still, quarantine centres are patrolled by untrained teenage scouts. With limited protection gear & an endless influx of travellers from China, it's a matter of time before virus turns into a full-blown community outbreak.
12/ As HK simply tightens, but not fully closes its border, more travel bans on HK seem inevitable. Companies like American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Australia have already cut flights to HK, while Taiwan and the Philippines have restricted travellers from HK.
13/ If Hong Kong fails to seal its borders to stem the spread, the city is doomed to be sealed by the rest of the world. The economic loss will be immense for this Asian financial hub. Therefore, I urge Carrie Lam to answer the people’s call and close our border crossings.
14/ Arrogant, unanswerable to the people, and resistant to take experts’ advice, Lam has wholly lost touch with what the society wants and needs. Only 11% of the city’s population feels satisfied with the government’s response to the outbreak.
15/ With rage & grievance boiling over across the political spectrum, people realise the opaqueness & undemocratic nature of this Beijing-handpicked leader. Whether HKGov can maintain its autonomy in internal affairs like border controls & handling of pandemic is questionable.
16/ Unlike the anti-extradition protests last year, it threatens not only the city’s freedoms but also our community safety. Li Wenliang, the whistleblower doctor, has now died. The truth teller’s death sparked widespread anger online.
17/ However, Xi Jingping’s rigid regime has not taken lessons from the explosive outbreak and is clamping down on the coronavirus coverage. “We want freedom of speech” was trending on social media channels with millions of views before it was quickly deleted.
18/ While posts quoting the Chinese national anthem’s first line – “Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves” – were censored. Underneath President Xi’s personality cult and his rigid controls, we are the oppressed. Throughout the outbreak, we bear witness to the powerlessness of power.
19/ This new wave of anger and discontent will fuel further protests. The coronavirus outbreak is not the end, but a new beginning of our fight for democracy, freedoms and autonomy. After all, this is a battle against China’s authoritarian oppression.
