editorial
Written by: Hong Kong 01
2021-06-21 06:00
Last update date: 2021-06-21 06:00
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivered a speech last Wednesday (June 16) at the "One Hundred Years Big Party International Symposium" held by the Liaison Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Bauhinia Cultural Group, saying that Hong Kong should contribute to the Chinese dream. A few days ago, Lam Cheng-yu On June 12, when attending the "Communist Party of China and "One Country, Two Systems"" theme forum hosted by four central agencies in Hong Kong, they also expressed that "Hong Kong should contribute to the realization of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
Since Hong Kong is a part of China, it is only natural to pursue dreams with the country.
As early as 2014, when President Xi Jinping talked about the work of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, he proposed “maintain long-term prosperity and stability, and realize the Chinese dream together.” In 2019, Xie Feng, then special commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, also talked about “Hong Kong and the country’s Development has always been closely linked...I hope everyone can integrate their personal dreams into the Hong Kong dream and the Chinese dream."
However, does the Chief Executive say "contribute to the Chinese dream" twice to produce results?
On the one hand, Hong Kong society has its own problems, which can be described as a mud bodhisattva crossing the river; on the other hand, the SAR government has not handled political disputes well in the past two years, and the opposition between the mainland and Hong Kong society has once again increased.
Hong Kong seems to be more burdensome than contribution to the country.
Does the chief executive say "contribute to the Chinese dream" twice to produce results?
(Profile Picture/Associated Press)
In fact, while Carrie Lam wants to make contributions to the Chinese dream, Hong Kong in reality has to rely on the Mainland to solve many long-standing problems of people’s livelihood.
On the one hand, it reflects that the government is only superficial in implementing the central policies. It only knows to cooperate in shouting slogans, but it has never faced up to the crux of various problems. On the other hand, it also shows that the government does not exert enough power on political and people’s livelihood issues. all.
Lam Cheng justly claimed that he would put an end to "only eyes open and only eyes closed" on national security issues. However, how long have officials pretended to be deaf and dumb when it comes to people's livelihood issues such as land, housing, hospitals, and medical care?
If the government's governance philosophy is not corrected, not only will Hong Kong become powerless about the Chinese dream, it may also become a burden to the Chinese dream.
Take the epidemic prevention work as an example. The Hong Kong government lags behind the mainland and Macau in response speed and intensity in issues such as implementing health codes or comprehensive testing, so that Hong Kong has become a gap for epidemic prevention in the three places, increasing the pressure on the mainland to prevent imports. .
Another example is the serious problem of Hong Kong's aging population, which puts the government facing huge pressure on the elderly.
In the past ten years, the government first implemented the "Guangdong Plan" to allow Hong Kong elderly people to apply for Hong Kong's old-age welfare allowance in Guangdong to encourage Hong Kong elderly people to provide for the elderly in the Mainland.
After tasting the sweetness, the government implemented the "Fujian Project." In a question in the Legislative Council earlier this month, Carrie Lam even bluntly stated that he preferred to let the elderly care for the elderly in the Mainland to relieve the pressure of the wave of Hong Kong's silver hair.
Pushing Hong Kong's pension problem to the mainland is not only irresponsible, but also unable to solve the problem fundamentally.
If the government does not solve the problem of insufficient medical care and residential care in Hong Kong and fundamentally reform the medical care and residential care system, then how many senior talents should the Mainland need to help Hong Kong accept?
Another example is Hong Kong’s single industrial structure and lack of space for young people’s employment development. The Hong Kong government has not fundamentally reformed the industrial structure. Instead, it only addresses the symptoms and encourages young people to go northward. Even if it can solve the temporary employment problem, it cannot eliminate the hidden dangers of Hong Kong’s economic structure. .
If the SAR government can solve Hong Kong’s long-standing social and people’s livelihood problems in a down-to-earth manner, so that the people of a city can live and work in peace and contentment without relying on the Mainland to solve problems, it may already contribute to the Chinese dream.
If the government does not solve the problem of insufficient medical care and residential care in Hong Kong and fundamentally reform the medical care and residential care system, then how many senior talents should the Mainland need to help Hong Kong accept?
(Profile picture/Photo by Wu Zhongkun)
From the same spirit to fading away
Talking about the Chinese dream in Hong Kong in the past two years may be unpleasant to some people.
The latest identity survey conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Public Opinion shows that the "Chinese" identity index of Hong Kong citizens has hit a new low since 1997.
However, there was a time when Hong Kong people never rejected the Chinese dream, and even took the initiative to embrace, participate, and create the Chinese dream.
In 1975, the Hong Kong Post-secondary Student Association put forward the slogan "Look at the world (see the world), recognize (know the motherland), care (caring for society), and fight for rights and interests", which started from caring for Hong Kong society and then caring for the overall development of China. .
At the same time, society also proposed to "recognize Zhongguanshe" (knowing China and caring about society), and the "Chinese University Student News" pointed out "to understand China, not to separate from it." These all show that the youth of Hong Kong took the initiative in that era. Embrace and even expect the passion to create the Chinese dream.
Even in the 1980s, when Hong Kong people were faced with the confusion of return negotiations and an uncertain future, they actively sought their own democracy and a way out, while insisting on supporting China's democratization.
This is again the most typical of the support for the "June 4th" student movement. It shows that Hong Kong people believed that Hong Kong and China had two sides of democracy, and they could share the same dream.
After the reunification, even after the legislative storm of Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2003, Hong Kong people have never been separated from the Chinese dream.
In the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, Hong Kong’s private fundraising donations amounted to 13 billion yuan. At the same time, a number of surveys and studies also used data to prove that Hong Kong people’s sense of identity with China did not decrease in the ten years before the reunification. It was even held in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Reach the pinnacle.
What caused the gradual distance of dry port from the same air to the present?
Why is this generation of young people so resistant to the country?
An earlier survey by the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at CUHK showed that Hong Kong people’s impression of the Beijing government is closely related to their confidence in the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems."
Hong Kong has undergone more than one hundred years of colonial rule. It is different from the Mainland in terms of political and economic systems. The original intention of "One Country, Two Systems" is to allow us to give the two places a space where differences can coexist under the premise of the same national identity.
Through this space, on the one hand, it will give Hong Kong people and investors who are concerned about the future of Hong Kong a reassurance, and convince them that Hong Kong can continue to use some of the advantages of the existing system, running and dancing; on the other hand, expecting each other We can take advantage of these differences and complement each other's strengths, and on this basis, we can make use of each according to the situation.
However, before the outbreak of major conflicts in Hong Kong society, the Hong Kong government seldom thought seriously about how Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" should give full play to the advantages of the "two systems".
Since the system allows for the existence of differences, if you can maintain the status quo, you can maintain the status quo and make fewer mistakes.
For a long time after the reunification, "one country, two systems" became synonymous with distinction.
Viewing the relationship between the two places in a negative way and keeping track of the past in the space of "one country, two systems" will inevitably cause problems.
Although it may be a bit of hindsight, the conflicts between different systems are becoming more and more intense, which can be said to be inevitable.
After the anti-revision movement in 2019 triggered intense social conflicts, the Hong Kong government placed great emphasis on "one country."
In the past two years, especially after the implementation of the "Hong Kong District National Security Law," the Hong Kong government has relied heavily on the law to emphasize the convergence of "one country."
In response to the current renunciation of Hong Kong society against the country, it is reasonable to emphasize "one country", but more fundamentally, "one country" is not just a legal issue, but the identity of the country, so that Hong Kong people have the concept of the country.
To achieve this, the wisdom of the chief executive and officials must be tested.
Furthermore, while holding high the "one country", the SAR government still has to pay attention to the difference between the "two systems."
The issues that Hong Kong people are very concerned about include: Can the stakes that have not actually subverted the country for many years continue to exist?
Can the public gathering to mourn the 4 June incident continue after the epidemic?
Another example is the new guidelines of the "Film Censorship Ordinance" that came into effect last Tuesday (June 15). In the past, under the space of "two systems", Hong Kong films had more room to play. Now the new guidelines may undermine the premise of "one country". Will there be overcorrection when there is a loophole in the system, restricting the creation of some sensitive themes or content that does not endanger national security?
"One country, two systems" is about how to balance it. There has never been a heavenly book that can explain everything, but it is a test of the ability of Hong Kong's political leaders.
"One country, two systems" is about how to balance it. There has never been a heavenly book that can explain everything, but it is a test of the ability of Hong Kong's political leaders.
(Government News Network)
The SAR government must regain leadership
It is a pity that the Hong Kong government has always been a passive recipient of the central government’s policies. It has not realized the responsibility of proactive exploration and active participation in definitions and interpretations. As a result, the central government feels that Hong Kong has lost the bottom line of "one country" security, but it is also possible. Some Hong Kong people feel that they have lost the space for the "two systems". This is arguably the worst situation.
In fact, we do not apply the struggle thinking of the east wind overwhelming the west wind or the west wind overwhelming the east wind when looking at "one country, two systems." This will not only cause rigid extremes and lead to confrontation, but also make it difficult for the "one country, two systems" that lacks Hong Kong's perspective to exert its system advantages.
"One country, two systems" needs to adapt to the challenges of environmental changes in different times, and it needs continuous exploration to give full play to its advantages.
If the Hong Kong government wants to make a contribution, one must not imbalance between "one country" and "two systems" and cause anxiety; second, it must not only be the executor of the system, but must actively think, provide new perspectives, and participate in becoming the system's executor. Define and interpreter.
How to lead and use the tolerance of the "two systems" not only affects economic and cultural development, but also relates to whether the advantages of the "two systems" can be fully reflected.
In 1979, Carrie Lam, who was in the third year of university, went to Beijing as the deputy head of the exchange delegation of the University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University. This was the pioneer batch of youth activities in the Mainland.
In that era, young people in Hong Kong and the mainland youth were in the same spirit. They were not only supporters of mainland youth in pursuit of dreams, but also actively devoted themselves to the ideal vision of tomorrow's China.
From the active conception at the time to the passive acceptance now, Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who talked about the Chinese dream again, must not only find her youth ideals and enthusiasm, but also lead officials and society wisely to find the active and positive temperature. .
When talking about how to contribute to the country, she should remember the words of the first Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa: "Hong Kong is good, the country is good; the country is good, Hong Kong is better."
Please pay attention to the 270th issue of "Hong Kong 01" Weekly News published on June 21, 2021, which is available at major newsstands, OK convenience stores and Vango convenience stores.
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