Time to tackle other issues now that Article 23 is passed

Alice Wu says Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, has dared the city to say and do new things, so our leaders must raise their game

It’s time to devote all our energy to recuperating economically and reinventing Hong Kong. This is a clear message from Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which was sent to the Hong Kong government and public on National Security Education Day last Monday.

There’s no question that the central government has moved on, after making sure that the fort has been built and secured against national security threats. All credit to the current administration, Article 23 legislation was passed without incident, though quite a bit of midnight oil was burned.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has warned of the need to stay vigilant, however. Speaking on National Security Education Day, he said of external risks: “Just like viruses, they will not stop attacking us just because we have been vaccinated.”

Still, now that both Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong and the city’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance are in place, the bulk of the remaining work should be done by law enforcement and other relevant agencies. After all, security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung has stressed that the legislation focuses on a small group of individuals.

So the rest of us should get on with tackling the city’s other problems.

In this regard, Xia had more than a few words to say. While he promised Beijing would support Hong Kong, he also advised the city to adopt “a new mindset”.

“We cannot look at today’s new situation with yesterday’s old eyes. We cannot use yesterday’s old thinking to solve today’s new problems,” he said.

In other words, new approaches have to be found in solving our pressing problems. If we look at the New Lucky House fire in Jordan this month, for example, we have to see that the old way of toughening regulations and penalties is insufficient. The Audit Commission sounded the alarm about the lack of enforcement of building safety years ago.

We have to stop looking at this as a regulatory issue and start strengthening enforcement. More concretely, owners of old buildings must be offered real support in meeting fire safety standards. Since we know the process is stuck when owners have to organise payment for maintenance, this is where the government must channel resources.

With regard to the Hong Kong economy, the struggle to keep residents in the city at weekends is very real. But instead of coining slogans and rolling out campaigns like “Day and Night Vibes” (let’s not have a “Weekend Vibes” campaign, please), we need to look into why Hong Kong is losing out to getaway destinations across the border in the first place.

Are people going there for the services, the prices, the offerings or some combination of these? Rather than ask people to stay put, Hong Kong needs to become more competitive. The government should find out what hurdles local businesses face – labour shortages, rental costs etc – and play its part.

Xia was also very clear about the need for Hong Kong to innovate, even when it comes to our traditional advantages.

Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu was right in pointing out that Hong Kong’s status as a global financial hub is “not a tall building or a monument that can be brought down by pressure”.

Responding to online scepticism about the city’s prospects last year, he also said Hong Kong’s financial market “has a solid foundation”.

But Xia reminded us that there can be no resting on our laurels – constant effort needs to go into maintaining our success.

For Hong Kong to get back on top, it is not so much a matter of checking off key performance indicators as leading with knowledge, diligence and innovative spirit.

We have no choice but to accept change and make new wine in new bottles. Xia’s challenge to Hong Kong is to “dare to say new things that have not been said by our predecessors and dare to do things that have never been done before”. This city should no longer be relying on Beijing to come to our rescue or spoon-feed us with solutions.

In calling on Hong Kong to be bold, the central government is expecting no less than courage from the city’s leadership. When glitches plague the city’s voting system and something as simple as a public exam attendance app, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. We can do better. And the government has been put on notice.