Political situation
Author: Zheng Baosheng
2021-05-04 21:11
The last update date: 2021-05-04 21:12
The mutant virus has entered the community. The Hong Kong government announced on Friday (April 30) that 370,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong must be tested for the new crown virus on or before May 9, and it has also been studied to force foreign domestic helpers to renew their contracts. Vaccination; the Labour and Welfare Bureau issued a press release on the following day (May 1), stating that the Labour Department is studying the details of the relevant measures with the Immigration Department.
However, forcing foreign domestic helpers to vaccinate has caused a lot of backlash. The government has been criticized for labeling foreign domestic helpers because of discrimination. Review the mandatory vaccination schedule.
Why did the policy make a sharp turn in just a few days?
A member of the Executive Council revealed that the main reason for the policy change is that the incident has risen to the diplomatic level, which is not unilaterally handled by the Hong Kong government.
Philippine consul in Hong Kong was not consulted
The government announced the relevant decision on April 30. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong, emphasized that it is a measure to prevent importation, which is not a harsh requirement. He also said that foreign domestic helpers "can choose not to do things in Hong Kong."
Luo Zhiguang's remarks immediately aroused widespread concern. Some foreign domestic helpers questioned the discriminatory measures. The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong published a post that night reminding Filipino domestic helpers of the latest requirements, which attracted a large number of foreign domestic helpers to comment on the measures involved in racial discrimination.
Raly Tejada, the Consul General of the Philippines in Hong Kong, said at the time that if vaccination was listed as a condition of working in Hong Kong, all foreigners who came to work in Hong Kong should have relevant regulations. He also said that the consulate had not received direct consultation in advance.
The backlash of opinions did not seem to shake the government’s implementation of the new measures. The government issued a press release last Saturday (May 1) stating that the Labour Department and the Immigration Department are studying the details of the measures. The Director of the Eclipse, Chen Zhaoshi, also appeared on the radio program. Measures to escort.
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Philippine Foreign Minister declares to support the consulate in Songkou, Hong Kong
However, the attitude of the government has changed significantly today (4th). Although Lam Cheng reiterated that the measures do not involve any discriminatory elements, regardless of race, language, or social status, he said that he "understands social concerns" and has asked the Labour and Welfare Bureau to review the relevant arrangements. , And is consulting the consulates of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong in their respective countries.
Some members of the guild pointed out that the reason for the "swift turn" of the policy this time was not because Luo Zhiguang was "wrongly speaking". The point was that Philippine Foreign Minister Lochin issued a statement on Sunday (2nd), pointing out that the Hong Kong government's measures were discriminatory.
Lochin posted on social media on Sunday, saying that he supports the Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong saying that if vaccination is a condition of working in Hong Kong, it should be non-discriminatory. All foreigners working in Hong Kong must also accept relevant regulations, referring to the SAR government. Can do better.
▼Philippine Foreign Minister Lochin agrees with the Philippine Consul General in Hong Kong that the Hong Kong government’s measures are discriminatory▼
He's got a point; it smacks of discrimination even though we'd all like to be treated that way in the Philippines where we lack vaccines. So, since I did Carrie Lam the favor to get domestic workers back into Hong Kong, make it mandatory for all foreign workers. https://t.co/3x6l0AwYnG
— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) May 1, 2021
The incident has risen to the diplomatic level outside the scope of the Hong Kong government
Members of the guild said that due to the statement issued by the Philippine Foreign Minister, the incident has been elevated to a diplomatic level, and the SAR government has no right to handle it.
He believes that the Central Government, including the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, has been involved in the incident, and hopes to temporarily suspend the measures and allow flexibility in handling.
However, members of the guild described the incident as "excessive hype" and emphasized that the Hong Kong government's measures are not racial discrimination, but only for specific occupations. Because foreign domestic helpers are "household jobs", they have close contact with employers and family members, and they have regular Party, and the mandatory vaccination is only a preliminary idea, not the final decision.
Another guild member pointed out that requesting foreign domestic helpers to vaccinate is estimated to be a suggestion by government experts and consultants, but it is actually difficult to do. The incident also involves other countries and needs to be handled carefully.
Tang Jiahua, a member of the Executive Council, believes that the change in Hong Kong government policy is related to the statement of the Philippine Foreign Minister.
(Photo/Photo by Ou Jiale)
Tang Jiahua: Re-examining the policy is related to the Philippine Foreign Minister's remarks
Executive Council member Tang Jiahua also believes that this policy change is related to the statement of the Philippine Foreign Minister. After the other party’s speech, the representative matter has been raised to the diplomatic level and needs to be handled by the central government. However, he said that he did not know whether the SAR government had reached the central government on this matter. contact.
Tang Jiahua emphasized that compulsory vaccination of foreign domestic helpers does not involve racial discrimination because of the serious epidemic situation in the Philippines. He believes that the measures are purely for epidemic prevention and scientific considerations.
Liu Zhaojia: The central government's unavoidable concern will eventually be shelved
Liu Zhaojia, vice chairman of the National Hong Kong and Macau Research Association, said that if the incident involves diplomacy, the Central Committee will inevitably pay attention.
He pointed out that it cannot be ruled out that other countries have opinions about compulsory resistance to needles by foreign domestic helpers. From the central point of view, they will also worry that the incident will affect the relationship between China and Southeast Asian countries.
He also pointed out that the measures this time particularly targeted foreign domestic helpers, which made the affected people feel unfair. From the perspective of perception, they felt that they were taking measures against those with low jobs, but they did not apply to other foreigners who came to work in Hong Kong. Achieving equal treatment may increase the incident to the level of ethnic discrimination.
He pointed out that the affected foreign domestic helpers will find their own country to come forward, and the country's consul and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also help them based on the protection of the nationals.
Liu Zhaojia emphasized that the anti-epidemic measures must consider the rationality and whether they are reasonable and feasible. The current incident reflects the lack of comprehensive measures and is expected to be shelved in the end.
Liu Zhaojia, vice chairman of the National Hong Kong and Macau Research Association.
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