While the city finds itself in the throes of a third wave of a COVID-19 outbreak, Hong Kong people for now have to divert their attention to protecting themselves from the virus and have little time to think ahead about the city’s future.
To combat the effects of the third wave, the government has had to introduce more restrictive measures. Masks must now be worn in all indoor public places; civil servants are working from home again; restaurants will be extending their bans on dining-in services; and an additional 2,000 quarantine units are being built.
Clearly, the impact will also be felt by an already-strained economy as social activities and public gatherings are again pulled back for the foreseeable future; that much is on the lips of the general public.
Greater evil is hiding behind the third wave of COVID-19. This is the proposition that Benny Tai Yiu-ting, an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, has put together, which is branded “the 10 steps to mutual destruction”, which are tactics to bring down not only the SAR government but the entire Hong Kong economy.
For those who are not familiar with the current state of Hong Kong’s economy and the direction in which it is expected to move, here are some basic facts.
The Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, which is based at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, recently conducted a survey to gauge the sentiments of Hong Kong residents’ concerns regarding the post-COVID city.
We must act swiftly to stop Tai and the “pan-democratic” camp in their tracks. Our hometown and its people have suffered enough, and we must do everything we can to help it get back on track. It will mean making tough decisions that result in short-term pain
More than 70 percent of respondents said they were “worried” or “very worried” about an impending economic depression (note that it is depression and not mere recession), and 45.6 percent said they had experienced reduced income as a result of the pandemic.
And while more confirmed cases of infection continue to rock the city, the fear is that we haven’t as yet seen the end of the storm.
Although the recent news of successful vaccine trials by the University of Oxford and China inspires hope, it will be months before any vaccine becomes commercially available. Furthermore, there is still much research to be done, as larger trials will have to take place before a vaccine is officially declared to be safe and effective. In the meantime, we must remain vigilant and not drop our guard against an invisible enemy.
As for Tai and his aggressive “10 steps” plan, which is already well underway, the city will certainly suffer much more severe damage as a result.
As the first step, which will conclude in August, the “pan-democrats” will find a way to dominate the coming Legislative Council election, from which many of their candidates expect to be disqualified.
Next, in September, Tai expects the “pan-democrats” to achieve a 35-plus majority in LegCo, and that the allocation of votes will also be based on the results of the “primary” held two weeks ago to maximize their chances.
Following that, in October, the “pan-democrats” will be prepared to face their disqualification.
As the fourth step, which will take place from October to April, the “pan-democrats” will use their majority in LegCo to reject any and all government motions for public funding regardless of purpose, including presumably funding needed to shield the general public from the pandemic, or to shore up the economy.
The plan will then take us to the fifth step in May, which will involve vetoing the government’s proposed budget for the next financial year so as to force the chief executive to dissolve LegCo.
In October 2021, the sixth step is designed to give the “pan-democrats” in another LegCo election a majority of 35-plus seats.
Tai’s seventh step in November 2021 will then see LegCo vetoing the annual budget again, which, in accordance with the Basic Law, will trigger the resignation of the chief executive.
By the eighth step, which is scheduled for December 2021, Tai expects the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to declare a state of emergency in Hong Kong. As a result, the central government will extend the National Security Law that has been in force on the mainland to Hong Kong and set up a provisional Legislative Council. This provisional body will not only oversee the selection of a new chief executive by consultation but also the mass arrest of “pan-democratic” leaders.
Naturally, the ninth step will take place after December 2021 and will be a direct result of the eighth step. Mass protests, strikes and government clampdowns will throw the city into a state of anarchy, resulting in more rioting and bloodshed, and the economy will come to a complete standstill.
Finally, the 10th step in January 2022 will see Western countries declaring economic and political sanctions against China.
To put it bluntly, Tai’s “mutual destruction” tactics will bring Hong Kong to its knees, and ironically nothing that would hurt the Chinese mainland. Practically no one in Hong Kong would be spared, not even the voters who vote for a majority of “pan-democrats” in LegCo.
While most of us might, and rightly so, believe that Tai is out of his mind, his supporters seem as determined as ever to follow through his 10-step plan. And let us not forget that Tai started his illegal “Occupy Central” campaign also in the form of a newspaper article in January 2013, a year before the main thoroughfares of Hong Kong were taken over by protesters. Therefore, we must act swiftly to stop Tai and the “pan-democratic” camp in their tracks. Our hometown and its people have suffered enough, and we must do everything we can to help it get back on track.
It will mean making tough decisions that result in short-term pain. Doing the right thing is rarely easy, and this is certainly the time for it for the sake of Hong Kong’s future stability and prosperity.
The author is president of Wisdom Hong Kong, a think tank.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
