Covid-19 Cases Climb past the 55K Mark

Times Square shopping mall is devoid of customers

Hong Kong has yet another record of 55,353 positive cases today -- reaching over 50,000, one day before the modelling anticipated it. And it doesn't include all those who used their own rapid antigen tests to discover they are positive... some estimate there could be hundreds of thousands of cases in the community now.

There were 160 deaths reported, of which 117 were in the past 24 hours, 43 were backlogged. Of the 117 deaths, 95 were unvaccinated with an age range of 58 to 100 years old.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor again reiterated there would be no full citywide lockdown, as there weren't enough isolation facilities to house all the positive cases, but had no further details. 

That led to another day of panic buying in the city, and food suppliers were exasperated in trying to explain that the food is coming, but everyone is freaking out and buying whatever they can get their hands on.

Meanwhile businessman Allan Zeman who started out in textiles and owns most of Lan Kwai Fong, and used to head Ocean Park and turn it around, wrote an open letter to Lam, saying Hong Kong residents need clarity on how the government is going to take control of the fifth wave, as rumours are scaring people and it is not good for their mental health.

"There are too many rumours floating around and such a feeling of uncertainty, we need very clear messaging giving people hope and direction for an end to this nightmare," he wrote. "People feel they are getting punished for being infected."

Zeman is saying what all of us are thinking throughout the letter.

In the end he also reminded Lam that many people have lost their jobs and businesses shut down due to the restrictive measures and that subsidies were needed to keep everyone alive.

Will she listen?

A colleague thinks the national security police may come knocking on Zeman's door...

So many restaurants, cafes, stores, banks, post offices, and even convenience stores like 7-Eleven are closed because they have had infections or they are worried for their staff and limit services even more.

Even the MTR is affected, having fewer trains in service than before, especially in the evenings. The Star Ferry in Wan Chai stops service at 9pm. Shopping malls are dead by 6pm.

Island Beverly mall in Causeway Bay

"There is absolutely no one here [in the mall], not even on weekends. Most shops are closed," said Chloe Cheung, who owns a small boutique in Island Beverly mall. She planned to shut down when the lease expired in June.

"The lockdown is not that necessary. It is a ghost town now."

Indeed. Anyone who is out and about near dinner time are rushing to get back home with dinner in takeaway bags.

It is painful to see Hong Kong deserted like this. The only other time no one is around and everything is shut is when there is a typhoon. But the fears of a lockdown and the sheer exponential rise in the number of cases has already made people uneasy and not want to go out.

How people and businesses will make it out alive -- and sane -- from this latest wave will be nothing short of a miracle. And we badly need one.

Democracy with Chinese Characteristics

The results of the Legco election came out this morning

Yesterday's Legislative Council election was a foregone conclusion. As expected, the pro-Beijing camp swept all the seats except one in a "patriots only" overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system.

Only 30.2 percent of people cast votes, or 1.35 million, a record low since 1997. The last Legco election saw 58.3 percent of eligible residents head to the polls in 2016. 

Rowse was genuinely disappointed

There were some high-profile candidates in the race, including Allan Zeman, best known for developing Lan Kwai Fong into an entertainment district decades ago, and Mike Rowse, a former government official. The latter seemed really disappointed that he did not win a seat, saying that the Liaison Office had picked him and Zeman to win.

"My impression is that the central government was genuinely pleased with the diversity of candidates. It may share my disappointment that none were successful," he said.

Perhaps Rowse should have known the two of them represented the "diversity" part of the election, and that with most of the voters being elderly, there would be a very slim chance an English speaker would get more votes than he did.

In any event, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is the biggest pro-Beijing party in the city, and it naturally won big, with a seat in each of the 10 geographical constituencies. 

One of its winners is Edward Leung-hei in Hong Kong Island East, who had campaigned to have an MTR station at Sai Wan Ho where there is already one since 1985, the same year he was born.

Leung won in Hong Kong Island East

Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, who is best known for shielding the young man who killed his girlfriend in Taiwan that sparked the extradition bill and the protests that followed, has won a seat as a member of the election committee constituency. He is the first religious leader to join the legislature.

The only non pro-establishment candidate was Tik Chi-yuen, who founded the self-declared centrist party called Third Side. He won in the social welfare functional constituency.

Tik said he was surprised supporters of the pan-democratic camp had refused to vote this time, but vowed to keep his chin up despite the prospect of facing 89 opponents in the legislature alone.

"The pan-democratic bloc has always been the minority in Legco and they have never won when it comes to voting [on bills]," the 63-year-old said. "But I am sure I can still exert my influence and get the government to listen to me."

Tik is the only non pro-establishment to win seat

We wish him luck.

Just as the results were trickling in today, Beijing released its white paper titled: "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems."

The report said the Communist Party of China "has championed whole process people's democracy in China, and this has laid the groundwork for developing democracy in Hong Kong under the framework of One Country, Two Systems."

"Over the past century, the CPC has led the Chinese people on a long and arduous journey to establish a model of democracy with Chinese characteristics", enabling them "to run their own country with extensive and substantive democratic rights," it states.

To put an end to the months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, Xinhua news agency quoted the white paper as saying the CPC and Beijing took measures to restore order, returning the city's democratic process to a sound footing.

"With their political vision, the CPC and the Chinese government are certain of the long-term success of the socialist system on the mainland," the white paper said.

Beijing's white paper on HK's democracy overhaul

"They are equally certain of the long-term success of both the capitalist system in Hong Kong and a form of democracy suited to its realities."

With "improvements to the electoral system", the paper concludes, "governance by patriots will be further strengthened, rule of law and the business environment will continue to improve, and Hong Kong will become a more harmonious society".

It definitely sounds like democracy with Chinese characteristics.

It's pretty certain Beijing has been eager to present to the world its own version of democracy through this election and the ones to come, to prove that it brings peace and stability to the city.

With almost all the pro-democratic activists and lawmakers in jail or waiting trial or in exile, it's no doubt China's version of democracy will prevail.

But will it bring about a harmonious society? Perhaps the increasing emigration numbers are a sign...

RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong Abruptly Axed

This RTHK opinion show was suddenly axed on Sunday

 

The dismemberment of Radio Television Hong Kong continues to gather pace with the axing of a short weekly program called "Letter to Hong Kong".

It gives airtime to politicians and public figures to talk about a specific issue they want to address and it's on average eight to 10 minutes long.

The letter is written and recorded in English, so the speaker's oral skills may not be as good as a radio host, but many do have interesting things they want to say, or make a rebuttal to an issue in the news, or promote a cause that is worthy of the public's attention.

Mo's letter supported those in jail and was yanked

There was a balance of guests, some pro-establishment, some pan-democrats, or well-known figures. The last person to read his "Letter to Hong Kong" this past Sunday was businessman Allan Zeman, chairperson of the Lan Kwai Fong Group, who talked about the pandemic.

However the new head of RTHK Patrick Li Pak-chuen has canceled episodes at the last minute, leaving the station's staff scrambling for replacement items. 

In April, the "Letter to Hong Kong" featuring Tuen Mun district councillor Michael Mo Kwan-tai was yanked, possibly because he sent Easter greetings to those in detention and thanked them for their spirit of sacrifice.

"We may lose a battle, but we must not lose our determination to resist," he said.

The episode was suspended three days before it was to air and was replaced with Eugene Chan, President of the pro-Beijing Association of Hong Kong Professionals and a former chairperson of RTHK's board of advisors.

Also Chris Yeung Kin-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association was told his appearance would be postponed in April. Looks like never.

Zeman read the last Letter to HK

"Letter to Hong Kong" will now be replaced by a show called "#Hashtag Hong Kong", where music will be played and NGOs will be invited to discuss livelihood issues. The first episode features Patrick Cheung Chi-hung, chairperson of the children's rights group Against Child Abuse, who called for mandatory reporting of child abuse.

Sounds pretty intense. But one presumes eventually there will be groups on the show talking about beach clean-ups, food waste, and recycling clothes...

 

Vaccinated Night Owls can Party

Vaccinated diners can sit six to a table until midnight

Remember what it was like being in a bar? Or a nightclub, or karaoke lounge?

Finally after over four months, or basically a year of opening and closing, bars are allowed to re-open on April 29 until 2am and only two people per table. Karaoke lounges can have four people.

Night owls and wannabe warblers must be rejoicing! 

Cheung (centre) says government made concessions

However, all staff and customers must have had at least one dose of the vaccine. If staff claim medical reasons, they must fill out a government declaration form explaining why they can't get the jab, and be subjected to regular testing.

Executive councillor and lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, who represents the catering sector, said the reopening of bars would be reviewed every two weeks.

"The permanent secretary for food and health told us that if there were a lot of staff from the bar industry who cited medical reasons for failing to take the shots, further restrictions would not be ruled out," he said.

"For patrons who would like to visit bars, they have to get at least one vaccine jab."

He also said as government restrictions ease, the authorities are backing down on its insistence that all bars, restaurants, nightclubs and karaoke lounges must make their customers use the LeaveHomeSafe app. 

Zeman says the new measures are "baby steps"

Cheung said the government originally only wanted bars to open until midnight, but made concessions to allow them to operate until 2am to give bars a chance to survive (belatedly).

It's hard to see how the government can implement "vaccine bubbles" in restaurants, (four to a table until 10pm if not vaccinated and six to a table till midnight if vaccinated) when many are tiny eateries where you can't really social distance at all. 

Nevertheless, one of the happiest people today was Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman Allan Zeman upon hearing the latest relaxing of measures. He said the government's "baby step" was a good start for the bar industry.

"The good thing is they listened to the industry and allowed businesses to open until 2am, which is a very important step... The important thing is for everyone to be safe," he said.

More jabs means less LeaveHomeSafe app

Today was also the first day those 16-29 years old could sign up for the BioNTech vaccine. One would have thought those spots would be filled up quickly, but except for the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital, there's still many spots available.

Come on Hong Kong! What are you waiting for? The faster we all get jabs, more restrictions will be lifted. Or even better, there would be no need to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.

How about making that our end goal?

Steve Wynn's Luck Turns South

Steve Wynn in Macau before allegations of sexual harassment surfaced

Tycoon Steve Wynn's luck might be running out. Even though he denied allegations of sexual misconduct, Wynn, 76, resigned as the Republican National Committee finance chairman late last month and the other day resigned as CEO of and chairman of Wynn Resorts.

He claimed the allegations were "preposterous" and blamed "an avalanche of negative publicity" driven by a non-fact-based "rush to judgment" for his decision to step down as head of the eponymous casino empire.

Allan Zeman is now non-executive chairman of Wynn Macau

At first he blamed his ex-wife Elaine for the allegations, claiming they were still going through a nasty divorce, but now he has been silent.

Meanwhile shares in Wynn Macau plunged at the end of January when the allegations first came to light, but yesterday after his resignation, his right-hand man Matthew Maddox replaced him as CEO of Wynn Macau and Wynn Resorts, while Allan Zeman was named non-executive chairman of Wynn Macau.

Shares of Wynn Macau closed at HK$27 today and analysts believe Wynn's resignation will stabilize things. However, there are questions as to how much longer Wynn Macau will be allowed to keep its casino concession. It is set to expire in 2022, and on January 22, days before the bomb was dropped, Wynn was confident the concession would be renewed.

Two pairs of rare porcelain vases Wynn bought at auction

Nevertheless, with this recent news, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau which regulates casinos, has declined to comment.

In the meantime, Wynn's abrupt departure will be difficult -- he was the face of the casinos, who put his own personal touches in everything from operations to decor. In Macau he knew how to kowtow to Beijing and Macau.

He shelled out US$12.7 million for four large porcelain vases from the Jiaqing period (1796-1821) at a Christie's London auction in July 2011.

"We are delighted to be able to return these extraordinary examples of Chinese culture to the People's Republic of China, and place them on display in the city of Macau, which we are so fortunate to be a part of," Wynn said at the time.

The future of Wynn Macau may be in in the balance

The vases aren't the only treasures he has brought back to the mainland,but also a Ming dynasty vase that Wynn donated to the Macao Special Administrative Region.

So is his guanxi good enough to keep him out of trouble in Macau? We shall see...

People Want to Leave HK

The number of people wanting to leave Hong Kong reached a three-year high

The numbers show it -- more and more people want to leave Hong Kong.

Last year the number of Hong Kong people who want to emigrate reached a three-year high last year according to figures from the Security Bureau. Some 7,600 applied for a certificate of no criminal conviction (CNCC) for outward immigration purposes, 8.6 percent more than in 2015 and 10 percent up from 2014.

The last time so many locals applied to leave was in 2013.

The top destination is the United States, with 2,800 people applying for immigration visas, the highest in five years -- despite Donald Trump being in office -- while Australia and Canada attracted 2,100 and 1,000 applications respectively.

Meanwhile the Hong Kong government notes that not all CNCC holders successfully obtained immigration visas.

The Occupy protests and other issues are reasons to leave

Nevertheless, Goldmax Immigration Consulting directory Benny Cheung said social, political and financial pressures had led more Hong Kong people to seek other options of where to live.

"There are three catalysts: the national education protest in 2012, the Occupy movement in 2014, and the Mongkok riots in 2016. We received a surge of inquiries soon after the incidents emerged," Cheung said.

He believed the rocketing housing prices and issues surrounding the education system were also factors. Taiwan is a favoured destination because "it is close to Hong Kong, with similar language and culture, and living costs are relatively lower."

Some 1,086 Hong Kong residents were granted residency permits last year, according to Taiwan's National Immigration Agency.

Meanwhile Centaline Immigration Consultants director David Hui said emigration inquiries from Hong Kong people had been growing, but there hadn't been as many successful cases because of stricter controls overseas.

Thirty-three-year-old Eric Tang is leaving for Canada with his wife, where they plan to have a baby in a year or two and believe they will have a better quality of life there.

Allan Zeman gave up his Canadian citizenship for Hong Kong

He said social and political factors influenced his decision, with the Occupy movement a trigger point.

"You could see Beijing is the boss and no matter who becomes the chief executive, he or she cannot implement policies that safeguard the interests of local people," he said.

Has Tang given up or is he being pragmatic? Sounds like if people have the resources to leave, they will.

His beliefs are counter to Hong Kong resident and passport holder Allan Zeman who claims he's a "localist" in that he is passionate about the city, despite not being able to speak Cantonese.

The Canadian first came to Hong Kong when he was 19 to work in the fashion business and made his first US$1 million.

"I came to Hong Kong because it's a place where you can dream at night and make it come true the next morning," he said.

That was back in 1970s when Hong Kong was at the height of being a manufacturing hub. Those days are long gone. He can still dream, but the vast majority of the population are struggling day-to-day with low wages and fewer opportunities.

No wonder people want to leave when they feel like second-class citizens in their hometown.

More Short-Sighted Measures

Shui On's Vincent Lo suggests using country park land for affordable flats

More tycoons are giving suggestions on how to help young people have a home.

Yesterday it was building more hostels for them so that they could save up to buy a flat.

Now others are saying homes should be built for first-time home buyers in Hong Kong's country parks. Talk about the thin edge of the wedge, down the slippery slope, tip of the iceberg... any more metaphors to add?

Vincent Lo Hong-sui, chairman of Shui On Land said, "We have to give hope to young people that they will be able to have a decent place. Otherwise, why do they want to stay here?"

Uh, young people very much want to stay in Hong Kong, but not way out in the country parks! And aren't they supposed to be protected land by the government?

Lo doesn't seem to think that's the issue. "If you have no house, it is no use having nice country parks. Land supply is the biggest issue. If we have more land supply, property prices won't rise the way they have done."

Development Secretary Paul Chan has the same idea...

Methinks Lo doesn't go hiking much, nor does he seem to care that Hong Kong's country parks are an asset to the city. He only sees it as a gold mine that needs to be exploited.

Allan Zeman has also chimed in saying only 3-5 percent "a small fraction" of country parks should be converted for affordable housing.

Again we'd like to ask -- how are these people going to get to and from these homes in the middle of nowhere? That just further alienates them and transportation costs alone would keep them at or near poverty.

These are property developers using the protesters as an excuse to push the government to release more land to be converted into flats.

Unfortunately the Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po has not ruled out the idea of using country park land for flats -- having floated it himself in early September in his blog.

However laws stipulate that country parks are designated for the purpose of nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education.

So can the tycoons and Chan please go back to the drawing board and rethink how they can reuse existing land in the city? There are many brown sites or abandoned ones that could and should be developed. Surely there's another solution than destroying virgin land?

Think Tanked-Out

A new think tank to help Hong Kong thanks to Tung Chee-hwa

In 2000 then former Legislative Councillor Christine Loh Kung-wai left politics and set up Civic Exchange, a think tank that focuses on public policy with regards to social development, the environment and economic analysis.

Then in April 2013, former Chief Secretary Anson Chan Fong On-sang set up Hong Kong 2020 to monitor constitutional reform progress to achieve universal suffrage to vote for the chief executive by 2017, and all members of the Legislative Council by 2020.

And now earlier this week former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa set up Our Hong Kong Foundation to improve Hong Kong's standing in the Happy Planet Index, conduct research to improve people's lives, and provide facilities for new leisure activities.

Allan Zeman is part of Our Hong Kong Foundation

Tung is particularly concerned about the Umbrella Movement protests and yesterday gathered over 70 directors for a two-hour meeting.

While we know Grandpa Tung has good intentions, can we point out a few of the people attached to this foundation?

They are: former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung, former Monetary Authority chief executive Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, Shun Tak managing director Pansy Ho Chiu-king, former Ocean Park CEO Allan Zeman and former chief justice Ti-Liang Yang.

The only person with a democratic background is Tik Chi-yuen.

Can we just stop here and observe that most of these people are tycoons and are certainly looking out for their own interests and not necessarily concerned about seriously engaging the protesters, most of whom are students.

Irons Sze says there should be more talks with young people

Leung remarked he was concerned about Hong Kong's economy if the protests continue to drag on. "I am worried it will also seriously affect the rule of law, which is a core value for the city's role as a financial centre," he said.

This is coming from the senior official who bought a luxury car shortly before announcing a proposal to sharply increase taxes on new cars...

And then Zeman mustered up this comment: "The most important thing is that we find the way that we can have harmony with the students and everyone can get back to the way Hong Kong was."

Zeman used to read trends and people well, but now he's completely lost touch with this statement. After these protests, Hong Kong will never be the same again. People have been greatly affected by the movement that was sparked by the police unleashing tear gas 87 times and resulted in the continued occupation of Causeway Bay, Admiralty and Mongkok. They have seen people's passion in their sacrifices in the hopes for universal suffrage.

How can he even begin to assume Hong Kong can be back to what it was before? That's what people don't want! They are trying to change things for the better.

So Tung's cozy club of some 70 people sounds very similar to those who visited Beijing over a month ago -- the uber rich who live in their own bubble. Irons Sze Wing-wai says it best. As Chinese Manufacturers' Association president, he suggested perhaps the think tank could work on improving communication with young people...

We wonder what that will entail...

Hard Act to Follow

Believe it or not this is Allan Zeman dressed up as a Chinese opera ghost?

We were surprised to hear to hear Allan Zeman was stepping down as chairman of Ocean Park last week and then gobsmacked today to find out he was forced out of the role.

Starting from next week he will be replaced by his deputy, banker and CPPCC member Leo Kung Lin-cheng.

"I found out about a month ago," Zeman said in a news conference. "Of course, at that time I felt kind of angry for a while because I hadn't discussed [the decision] with the government beforehand. Of course the government knows I want to stay on. No one asked me about whether I want to stay on or not."

Ouch.

He's even donned a panda costume to boost visitor numbers

But he believes he was not kept on because of a government guideline that limits key officials at statutory bodies to six-year terms. Zeman's position as chairman was renewed in 2009 and 2012 for good performance.

He held the position for 11 years and in that time has been nicknamed "mousekiller" for successfully challenging Disneyland when it came to tourist and local visitor dollars. Under Zeman's leadership, the number of visitors to Ocean Park rose from 2.95 million in 2003 to 7.73 million last year.

The park also had a deficit of HK$4 million in 2003 when SARS hit Hong Kong, and then ended with a HK$127.2 million surplus last year.

While it is understandable the Hong Kong government wants to look politically correct and have locals promoted into top positions, if what Zeman says is true, did no one stop to think to thank him for his service at least?

Or were they too terrified to break the news to him?

Because the next time the government needs someone to help them with a failing business, they can't ask Zeman again.

Would Kung be willing to dress up in a panda costume or wear ghoulish makeup for Halloween like the Canadian-born entrepreneur did?

He's a tough act to follow...