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Opposition's obsession with 'HK independence'kills conscience
Updated: 2012-10-06 08:11
By Yang Sheng (HK Edition)
While most Hong Kong residents mourned those who were lost in the ferry boat tragedy, andcondolences poured in from around the world, some political figures in the opposition campfound it convenient to pour hate on the central government Liaison Office for expressingconcern and good wishes for the victims' families. Thus these vilifiers of everything relating tothe central government gave their "Hong Kong independence" thinking full exposure inpreference to expressions of basic human decency.
First of all, what the central government representative office did after the maritime tragedy wassensible and legal as well as impeccably appropriate. President Hu Jintao, Vice-President XiJinping and Premier Wen Jiabao asked the SAR government to spare no effort in search andrescue operations, as well as to ensure the best care for the injured and the families of thevictims. At the same time, the central government instructed related departments to give theHKSAR whatever assistance was necessary for the most effective handling of the emergencysituation.
As the central government's top representative in Hong Kong, the Liaison Office chief visitedthe injured passengers at a local hospital on behalf of the central government, and toldrelevant departments in Guangdong to send salvage equipment and personnel to Hong Kongas soon as possible, at the request of the SAR government. All these moves were humanitariangestures of the greatest virtue and do no harm to the principle of "Hong Kong people governingHong Kong" and "high degree of autonomy".
Second, by politicizing anything and everything, with lots of conspiracy theories thrown in, theopposition camp has totally abandoned even the most basic political ethics. Hong Kong'spolitical ecosystem is complex and diverse, with political forces of all persuasions fighting oneanother in every conceivable way. It is understandable and acceptable to hear them voicingdifferent views on political issues and on those concerning the quality of life of the people.However, every political force and figure must follow universally-recognized political ethics.
Some opposition figures' reaction to the maritime disaster off Lamma Island was simplyrepulsive. For example, Scholarism Convener Wong Chi-fung, widely seen as a busy pawn ofthe opposition and the leading detractor of the moral and national education program, wrotethe following in his Facebook personal page soon after the tragedy: "Leung Chun-ying went toSouth Horizons. Pity I'm not home right now." This sounds like saying he would have gone toSouth Horizons to protest in front of Leung if he were in Hong Kong. To him, nothing is moreimportant than protesting in the most blatant manner, even while people's lives are at stake anda protest would obstruct rescue operations.
Yau Ching-yuen, another sharp-tongued hater from the opposition camp, publicly accusedLeung of "profiting from the dead" and "playing with floaters" when the chief executive went tothe scene of search and rescue operations. Yau went so far as to claim that the maritimedisaster happened because a few members of Scholarism were shooed away from theirprotesting spot outside the Government Complex, adding that "someday Hong Kong will belittered with corpses." Such outbursts not only defy logic or even common sense, but alsotrample on basic human decency and ethics.
Third, the reason why some members of the opposition are so devoid of basic humanitarianvirtues is their obsession with "Hong Kong independence". Hong Kong's exchanges andeconomic integration with the mainland have been gathering pace since the handover, as thenational economy grew rapidly. This trend makes some opposition politicians, who are backedby British and US interests, extremely anxious.
Recently, some opposition figures took such expressions to another level by protesting outsidethe Liaison Office headquarters in Sai Wan on National Day (Oct 1), waving the so-calleddragon-lion flag which symbolized British colonial rule, and screaming "Chinese go back toChina," "Hong Kong wants independence" and "Hong Kong thanks the UK." Later, Apple Daily,the opposition mouthpiece, mounted an editorial attack against the Liaison Office over itssenior officials' visit to passengers injured in the maritime disaster and efforts to haveGuangdong-based rescue departments send help to Hong Kong. Apple Daily accused centralgovernment representatives of "prominent interference in Hong Kong's government affairs" and"jeopardizing 'One Country, Two Systems'." The newspaper even claimed "the Liaison Officehas no say" in matters concerning the maritime tragedy.
Rants such as these show that some opposition figures are so consumed by the "Hong Kongindependence" notion that there is no room in their hearts for human decency and not a threadof sanity left in their minds to be able to apprehend common sense.
The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.
(HK Edition 10/06/2012 page3)
