On Thursday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government released the report submitted by the Independent Committee on the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, alongside an announcement of accountability and reforms. The government apologized to the public for the tragedy and, based on the findings of the report, announced decisions and measures regarding criminal, administrative, and political accountability. Simultaneously, it proposed systemic reforms targeting the deep-seated issues revealed in the report. This fully epitomizes the SAR government’s accountability as the primary custodian and ultimate bearer of responsibility for the city, the governance philosophy of being people-centered and upholding the rule of law, and its determination and willpower to face problems squarely, advance reforms thoroughly, and continuously enhance governance efficacy. This will help enhance social solidarity, build consensus for reform, promote better coordination of development and security in Hong Kong, and accelerate its transition from stability to prosperity.

Following the Wang Fuk Court fire, the SAR government attached great importance to the investigation and accountability. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu explicitly said that the fire will be investigated, and those responsible will be held accountable to the very end. He immediately instructed relevant law enforcement agencies to launch criminal investigations and prosecutions against the contractors and engineering consultants involved in accordance with relevant laws, and established an independent committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the related issues. After more than seven months of investigation, holding 30 hearings, taking testimonies from 80 factual and expert witnesses, and collecting over 1 million documents, the Independent Committee formed an objective and fair report based on solid facts and evidence. The report showed that the main cause of the outbreak and rapid spread of the Wang Fuk Court fire, which resulted in significant casualties, was the illegal and irregular actions of the contractors, engineering consultants, and others, while there were also deficiencies and lapses in the relevant supervisory departments of the SAR government. The SAR government offered a sincere apology to the public and announced that, while continuing to pursue criminal liability against the individuals and companies involved according to the law, it will impose administrative accountability on negligent civil servants under civil service management systems such as the Principal Officials Accountability System, and it was decided that relevant principal officials take political accountability for the incident. The investigation and accountability at these three levels were carried out seriously and appropriately, and were based on facts. They effectively responded to public concerns and fully demonstrated the accountability and courage of a responsible government.

True character is revealed in the face of a disaster. After the Wang Fuk Court fire broke out, the SAR government went all-out to carry out rescue operations, putting in an immense amount of human, material and financial resources, and meticulously comforting and resettling the affected residents, ensuring that every affected resident “has a place to live, receives financial support, and is accompanied”. Particularly in terms of long-term housing arrangements, the SAR government took into account “reason, compassion, and law” when it decided to acquire the property rights of Wang Fuk Court units at above-market prices. Meanwhile, it provided flexible options for the property owners, such as receiving cash to purchase their own new homes or buying brand-new subsidized housing provided by the government through a “flat-for-flat” approach. Already, 99.3 percent of Wang Fuk Court unit owners have accepted the government’s proposals. All these efforts have made the affected residents feel tangible support and warmth. At the same time, all quarters of Hong Kong society stood by each other and mobilized widely to fully support the SAR government’s rescue and relief work. Moving scenes of volunteers working around the clock, enterprises donating funds and supplies, and residents lining up to donate blood demonstrated a touching spirit of unity and great love. This “Lion Rock Spirit” of constantly striving to become stronger and pulling together in times of trouble has always been the strong foundation for Hong Kong to overcome difficulties, and it continues to gather positive and powerful energy for the city to heal its wounds and forge ahead.

The loopholes in the building maintenance system and the unclear regulatory responsibilities of relevant government departments exposed by the Wang Fuk Court fire are mostly long-standing ills, many of which existed before Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. These are deep-seated institutional and structural issues. Only by taking drastic measures to “scrape poison off the bone” and deepening systemic reforms can these stubborn diseases be eradicated, and the recurrence of similar incidents be prevented. The SAR government learned profound lessons immediately after the incident, advancing relief work, investigations, and reforms simultaneously, and swiftly introduced a series of reform measures, including strengthening the supervision of building maintenance projects. At the news conference on Thursday, the SAR government announced that it will implement systemic reforms in the workflows, regulatory systems, support frameworks, and complaints handling mechanisms for building maintenance. This shows that the SAR government’s disaster management philosophy has shifted from emergency response to normalized and institutionalized prevention, and from postdisaster remediation to systemic treatment. This represents a major advancement in the SAR’s governance system and capacity, providing a strong guarantee for Hong Kong’s high-quality development.

It should also be pointed out that in the aftermath of the Wang Fuk Court fire, some individuals with ulterior motives distorted the truth of the incident, using the disaster to create social antagonism and incite dissatisfaction with the government in a vain attempt to “disrupt Hong Kong through the disaster”. This warns us that we must remain highly vigilant against all kinds of anti-China and destabilizing words and deeds, and resolutely crack down on them.

A rainbow always comes after the storm. We are confident that the SAR government and all sectors of society will use the recovery efforts following the Wang Fuk Court fire as an opportunity to promote both development and security. They are expected to continue to deepen governance reforms, work together to advance the first five-year plan, and forge ahead in solidarity. By underpinning high-quality development with high-level security and efficient governance, they will thereby build Hong Kong, their shared home, into an even better place!

(Source: Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council)

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