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Published: 01:22, November 08, 2022 | Updated: 09:24, November 08, 2022
The ‘Golden Rule’ is gold standard for public governance, critical thinking
By Ho Lok-sang
Published:01:22, November 08, 2022 Updated:09:24, November 08, 2022 By Ho Lok-sang

The “Golden Rule” is certainly a true universal value. The idea is common to both Eastern and Western cultures. It’s a well-known Confucian maxim: “What you don’t want others to do unto you, don’t do it unto others” (Analects of Confucius). A similar maxim from the Bible says: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18.) Alternatively, it may be stated as “Put yourself into the shoes of others.” 

When pondering over a public policy choice, we need to consider how it affects different people. John Rawls asked us to forget momentarily our identities and imagine that we could be anyone in the community. Free from vested interests, we would better see the plight of those who are adversely affected by any institution or policy. Following the Golden Rule, we certainly would object to slavery or the slave trade.

On Nov 2, a 3-year-old boy in Lanzhou urgently needed medical care for carbon monoxide poisoning but could not wait and died because the local COVID-19 control staff adhered strictly to the measures taken to stop the spread of COVID-19. This incident caused an uproar, but it is not the first time this kind of tragedy has happened. On the following day, officials announced that they were firmly opposed to “simplistically adhering to anti-COVID measures mechanically”. Surely, someone immediately at risk of dying needs care right away. Prevention with strict social-distancing measures can save lives, but the chances of an outbreak increasing because of attending to a possibly dying patient and causing an extra death are far slimmer.

This past weekend a TV feature story about euthanasia pointed to the plight of those suffering a long-drawn-out process of dying. Currently, euthanasia is illegal in Hong Kong. In September, a Hong Kong man was given a 12-month probation order after pleading guilty to manslaughter after he admitted to killing his cancer-stricken wife by burning charcoal in the bedroom. Two psychiatrists testified that the husband was himself suffering from major depression disorder in his role as carer. Judge Albert Wong Sung-hau noted that the husband loved his wife and was another victim in the tragedy. Making euthanasia illegal may make many of us feel good because this shows our respect for life, but it also increases the suffering of many desperate people directly caught in the dire circumstances. Although safeguards are necessary in order to prevent abuses, a compassionate society should start thinking about what safeguards would serve the public interest best.

In an article published in Ming Pao on Nov 6, Legislator Wendy Hong Wen wrote that she was appalled by the government’s decision not to extend the lease of a steel processing plant in Tsing Yi. The plant started operations in 2016 after an investment of over HK$200 million ($25.5 million), and currently supplies about 50 percent of the steel reinforcement bars used in construction in Hong Kong as of 2022. With still much excess capacity, the plant is still unprofitable. The notice of expiry of the contract and an allowance only till next year, she wrote, is unfair to the investor, because the investment has a long payback period. Opening the site for tender may appear fair, but the investment in the project by the investor could be lost.

Following the Golden Rule, if the bidding is to be opened up, I would propose that the incumbent bidder (the original investor) may pledge the undepreciated value of the original investment as part of the bid. Only if a contender is able to offer a bid larger than this undepreciated part of the investment plus any additional bid can he win. Moreover, if the contender wins the bid, it should pay a sum equal to this undepreciated part of the original investment. This way, waste can be minimized, and the interests of investors will be protected.

Again, following the Golden Rule, our effort to protect the lives of workers should be greatly enhanced. I would reiterate my plea last month in this column that a no-fault mandatory minimum fine be payable for fatalities and for grave injuries arising from work. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap 509) Section 6, “Every employer must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure the safety and health at work of all the employer’s employees.” Employers, then, will have a lot of room to argue that they have done all that is reasonably practicable. A mandatory minimum fine that is paid to the employee, on the other hand, will go a long way in raising the motivation of the employer to plug all possible holes for safety. In the event of serious injury or death arising from work, the victim’s family will at least have a fast reprieve. Many lives will be saved.

Finally, many youngsters have been talking about universal values a lot, but regrettably, they missed the Golden Rule. If they had this basic understanding, they would not have done so much damage during the 2019 protests against the extradition-law amendment bill. They would have avoided hurting other fellow Hong Kong residents. The Golden Rule is a universal value, and is also the golden standard for public governance and critical thinking. I hope it will constitute part of the contents of the new Citizenship and Social Development course.

The author is director of the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute, Lingnan University.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily. 

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