Politicization hurts HK

Hong Kong has lost first place in the global competitive ranking and been pushed into the third, in a report by the Swiss-based International Institution for Management Development (IMD). The unsatisfactory result has once again corroborated the warning given by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), who recently emphasized that Hong Kong needs to pay special attention to its weakening competitive edges.

As a matter of fact, the crucial reason why Hong Kong's overall competitiveness is falling rests largely with the absurd politicization triggered by the opposition camp, which has created huge obstacles jamming the city's economic development. The 16 years since the handover have witnessed a worsening political ecology in this city. Harmed by continuous political wrangles, the administration have been unable to concentrate fully on solving deep-rooted social issues or to reboot the economic engine. Legislators pointed out at the Legislative Council on Thursday that some political parties' excessive politicization of everything out of blindness, and their incapacity to bring forward constructive solutions have served as bottlenecks hindering the economic development of Hong Kong.

It is acknowledged that Hong Kong can only maintain its superiority by reinforcing its complementary advantage with the Chinese mainland. Unfortunately, a great many projects involving close cooperation between the city and the mainland, including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong section of the Express Rail Link, have been unreasonably delayed or even overturned due to unwarranted accusations. The opposition camps charge that such projects are to curry favor with the central government by ceding territories to mainland authorities.

This politicization has led to the city's weakening competitive edges and stalled economic development. That, in turn, results in the resurfacing of more deep-rooted social conflicts and fundamental problems, providing a fertile breeding ground for populism and politicization. This vicious cycle needs to be broken and society needs to move on.

This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on May 31.

Wong Chi-wah

No love or peace in 'Occupy'

Central is Hong Kong's political, financial, economic, trade and cultural center. In short, it is the heart of the HKSAR. "Occupy Central" is by nature a means to paralyze Hong Kong's heart and to seize the SAR's governing power. It also serves the opposition's foreign masters in their bid to occupy Hong Kong. Therefore it is not a dispute over "true" or "fake" universal suffrage but a fight for Hong Kong's governing power. Ultimately it is aimed at tearing Hong Kong away from China and helping certain foreign powers encroach upon the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. All Hong Kong residents must see through the smoke and fireworks spewed out by the opposition and join hands in exposing their evil intent and preventing Hong Kong from falling into the hands of foreign powers and their local cronies.

Under the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, Hong Kong serves as a door and bridge between the mainland and the rest of the world. Its prosperity and stability are firmly linked to the nation's well-being. In the principle, "One Country" comes before "Two Systems" for a reason: "One Country" refers to China, while "Two Systems" merely confirms the fact that under the "One Country" premise Hong Kong continues to practice capitalism after China resumed sovereign rule over the region while the mainland practices socialism. The difference between two social systems does not change the fact that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China directly under the central government, period. Therefore the opposition is merely trying to justify its efforts to pit Hong Kong against the motherland by emphasizing "Two Systems" over "One Country".

The "Occupy Central" advocates know very well that people are deeply worried about the destructive nature of the illegal campaign and strongly against it. That's why they renamed it as "Occupy Central with Love and Peace" soon after the plan was announced, as if adding two fuzzy words would somehow make their insidious design acceptable. They seem to have forgotten that "Occupy Central" is meant to provoke the central government by hurting Hong Kong. How can anyone equate love and peace with destruction and suffering?

The author is a current affairs commentator. This is an excerpted translation of his article published in Hong Kong Commercial Daily on May 29.

(HK Edition 06/01/2013 page6)