Commentary

China Watch

Forum Digests

Columnists

Letters

Public good must prevail over market

By Hong Liang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-01 07:56

With public opinion on its side, the Hong Kong government could have forced the few hundred chicken traders and vendors to accept its offer of compensation as part of a scheme to eliminate a bird flu risk arising from the sale of live chicken.

Instead, the government has exposed itself to widespread criticisms for refusing to take unilateral action in the face of strong opposition from the chicken traders who have demanded much higher compensations than offered. Some critics charged that any delay in stopping the sale of live chicken was intolerable after a series of bird flu outbreaks in neighborhood regions.

Nobody can quantify how big that risk is. But everybody, other than the chicken traders, seems to believe that dragging on the compensation negotiation is going to do the public no good, and possibly much harm.

I am sure the government is fully aware of the urgency of the matter. But it is also aware of its greater responsibility of ruling over a free-market economy that lives by the rules under which individual rights in business and commerce are duly respected and adequately protected. Even on matters that are widely seen to be for the common good, the government must be careful to avoid rushing into actions that could be seen to be trampling on individual rights.

It is not always easy for career bureaucrats with little or no political experience to strike the balance in making decisions on cases where the interest of an individual or a minority group is in direct conflict with the interest of the public. Because of this perceived shortcoming, it is all the more important for the government to demonstrate it is willing to listen to public opinions and, on the other hand, to fully consider the demand of the individuals or minority groups affected by its decision.

In the case of the live chicken, it is not fair to picture the chicken traders and vendors as a group of greedy and selfish villains, profiting from an offensive trade that is widely considered to pose a serious threat to public health. In fact, their business is rooted in the ancient culinary culture of the Cantonese who cherish the freshest ingredients, preferably lightly cooked, in their food.

It is not a small business, either. The poultry stores in the markets around the city deliver tens of thousands of freshly slaughtered chickens to the many hotels, restaurants, cafeterias and other eateries, whose reputation would certainly be ruined if they were known to have used frozen chicken in the dishes they served.

The threat made by an official of a chicken trade organization to release hundreds of chickens in the government office compound if their demands are not met may sound downright ludicrous. But their fear for the future must be recognized because these people have been asked to give up a trade that has been their livelihood for, in some cases, several generations.

Some critics have suggested that the government's patient approach to resolving the issue was a sign of acquiescence to big business. Such a notion seems far-fetched.

To be sure, the business sector, represented by a few major banks, the property oligarchy and several long-established trading houses, has traditionally enjoyed a big say in the legislative and the executive branches of the government. But it would be stretching the imagination a bit too far to suggest that it would have taken a united stand to defend the sale of live chicken.

Yes, the sale of live chicken must stop because public health is at stake. But it must be stopped in a way that would never be seen to have compromised the rule of law in Hong Kong.

E-mail: jamesleung@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/01/2008 page8)