Wah Sang

Opposition 'stoking fires'

The opposition camp has planned another protest march on Sunday to show discontent over Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's Policy Address (PA). By "stoking the fires" continually, the opposition intends to keep its support "simmering" while waiting for the right moment to take the next move.

The main goal of the opposition's latest aggravation is to force Leung to resign. The tactic is multi-pronged. It includes rumor-mongering, the leveling of false accusations and the issuance of unreasonable demands. These moves are aimed at stretching the frontline to draw more stakeholders into the battle and raising their morale, while keeping the CE and his principal officials busy dodging bullets distracting them from the business at hand.

They are also meant to scare Leung's supporters into silence. Shortly before Leung delivered the address, radical groups known for their penchant for violent protests reprised their game of disrupting public consultation sessions to create confusion, while others went around pushing public expectations for the PA to unrealistic levels, so that the final content of the PA would then appear to be a disappointment.

The PA did respond to certain demands raised by the opposition, such as looking into the feasibility of establishing a universal retirement protection system and standard working hours, but the opposition ignored all that and kept on ragging on the PA with whatever excuse it could come up with.

Another not-so-novel trick of the opposition is to hype the results of public opinion polls to support the opposition charges. Traditionally, the approval rate for the Chief Executive would decline after the PA, as members of the opposition camp heap scorn on the proposals.

These moves' negative affects are obvious and alarming. The opposition's attempt to keep anti-Leung sentiment smoldering has succeeded to some extent and it is only a matter of time before a "blast" goes off. That is why the government must be very careful with political issues, particularly on how direct elections of the CE and Legislative Council should be conducted.

The author is a current affairs commentator. This is an excerpted translation of his commentary published in Ta Kung Pao on Jan 25.

Ensure milk powder supply

Secretary for Food and Hygiene Ko Wing-man said on a radio talk show on Thursday that the government may adopt stringent measures against hoarding by retail outlets intent on jacking up prices of baby formula, even though importers and retailers have promised adequate supply.

Baby formula is always in high demand here. It sells exceptionally well at this time of the year, as large numbers of mainland visitors flock to Hong Kong to buy as many cans of milk power as they can. Some retailers have resorted to hoarding among a range of strategies to create shortages and jack up prices. Such malpractice, though by no means widespread, is enough to cause panic buying in some neighborhoods.

Local authorities should review the existing supply mechanism and increase baby formula imports to meet rising consumer demand, while stepping up efforts to clamp down on illegal parallel trading and price manipulation.

The recent rush to buy baby formula has resulted in certain popular brands allegedly sold out, while the truth may be that some retailers were trying to raise prices using hoarding tactics. Some even went to so far as to speculate with a futures-trading style. A few retail outlets reportedly saved up to 70 percent of their stock for parallel traders for higher profit, despite complaints by local parents about difficulties finding baby formula for their children.

Hong Kong has seen baby formula in short supply before, which is why the government should be prepared well in advance to prevent price manipulation by hoarding and/or speculation. As a matter of fact, imports of milk powder have increased steadily over the past few years, but a few retailers are greedy enough to pursue higher profit by breaking market rules.

The government should examine the existing supply arrangement and keep constant contact with importers to ensure baby formula supply is adequate for local families and prevent monopoly over certain brands. Measures should also be taken against organized illegal parallel trading, but not against purchases by mainland tourists for their own consumption. After all, growing numbers of mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme have boosted Hong Kong's economy significantly since it was launched and the scheme should not be abandoned simply because of illegal parallel trading.

This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on Jan 25.

(HK Edition 01/26/2013 page3)