Great editorial in the SCMP today:
Latest Hong Kong, China & World News | SCMP.com
A government too afraid to look after its people
Stephen Vines
Updated on Mar 13, 2009
"One thing that citizens of practically any country can count on is the help and support of their government when they get into trouble overseas. Hong Kong residents, lamentably, do not enjoy such an assurance.
They are, of course, not even citizens of the special administrative region but do belong to a self-governing entity that rarely demonstrates concern when they leave its borders. This is among the most troubling aspects of the difficulties that a growing number of Hong Kong residents have faced when trying to enter Macau.
The government's initial response was to ignore this rebuff. Then, ever so cautiously, it produced a muttering of concern. The impression is of an administration so scared by its own shadow that it dare not stand up for the people it governs, lest offence be given to the sovereign power.
This also explains why Hong Kong residents who encounter problems on the mainland itself can rarely expect the government to lift a finger, particularly when there is a political tinge to these problems.
Meanwhile, on the mainland, it is far from unknown for provincial officials to make a stand against their counterparts from other provinces or indeed from the central government when their people run into trouble. They know the system well enough to understand the limits of this intervention but, within those boundaries, understand the need to protect their own people's interests.
The Hong Kong government behaves like a quavering schoolchild in its dealings with the central government. It is depressing to see our officials, literally standing with bowed heads, waiting to be told what to do by their masters from the north. They lack the confidence to assert the rights of the SAR and because the Chinese system, like all authoritarian systems, tends to be opaque, they err on the side of caution for fear of doing anything to anger the authorities.
This is why the cowed officials who run Hong Kong have been so reluctant to take a stand on the flagrantly obstructive attitude of the Macau government. They wonder, but cannot be sure, whether their Macanese counterparts are acting on orders from Beijing, or whether this is some locally conceived scheme for shutting the door on anyone who might be critical of their policies.
In all events, the message to Hong Kong residents is clear: you are on your own if you leave the borders of the SAR, and help will only be provided if it becomes too embarrassing for the government to remain silent.
Remarkably, this message also seems to apply as Hong Kong residents encounter problems further away. When, for example, the airports in the Thai capital Bangkok were closed by protesters, other governments were quick to offer assistance and help organise alternative means of departure. The Hong Kong government, as ever worried that its actions might impinge on Sino-Thai relations, stood aside until the clamour for action forced it into motion.
At this point, it needs to be said that complications arise because Hong Kong is not a sovereign state but, as a self-governing entity, has responsibilities that are the same as those of a sovereign power. Thus, Hong Kong cannot establish diplomatic relations nor can it engage in certain types of diplomatic activity while, on the other hand, it actively participates in international bodies just like a sovereign nation. This admittedly strange situation is seen as an excuse for partial paralysis by the Tsang administration, which prefers masterly inaction to anything that gives rise to problems.
Meanwhile, any hope that Hong Kong's interests might be represented by the hand-picked local delegates to the National People's Congress must be regarded as a joke. The most recent act of Hong Kong deputies was to try and help Hong Kong tycoons evade mainland labour regulations giving workers compensation rights.
It may be argued that this at least serves the interests of a tiny minority of Hong Kong residents, but it can hardly be described as a noble cause."