Carrie Lam on the Defensive

Lam speaking at her daily press briefing today

While the tide is turning for the better day by day in the pandemic, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is getting a political raking over the coals, particularly from the pro-establishment who have been backing her all along, but now are questioning how she intends to wrestle the fifth wave of the pandemic down for good.

The numbers are looking better today -- 8,035 cases, and 151 deaths (of which 130 are from the past 24 hours, 21 backlogged) -- but Lam has backtracked or flip-flopped, or U-turned on many decisions that has made the pro-Beijing camp frustrated that she doesn't seem to have people or the economy's interests at heart.

Businesses have had a difficult time with Covid-19

It has been reported Lam will face a grilling tomorrow by lawmakers on her pandemic policies. 

Everyone get out the popcorn...

But one can expect Lam to be on the defensive and strongly so, swatting away any annoying accusations with pithy statements that raise eyebrows.

One example is in recent days, Bernard Chan, convenor of the Executive Council, Lam's de facto cabinet, conceded many multinational companies that had used Hong Kong as their Asian base have already moved to rival cities like Singapore and Dubai, and the chances of them returning were slim, unless the Greater China market was their focus.

"If they had moved to other places such as Dubai and Singapore for a while, their chances of moving back are significantly lower because moving back will be quite a complicated process," he said. "I think we cannot stick to the [current] quarantine arrangement for a long time."

When a reporter asked Lam about Chan's comments, she said:

Chan says multinationals have left Hong Kong

"I can tell you that although he is ExCo Convenor, he is expressing his personal views. Because there are so many people with so many views on this anti-epidemic issue, especially about Hong Kong being an international city, whether we should open up more, whether we should be worried about people leaving Hong Kong. The more authoritative stance could come only from me and the Hong Kong SAR government," she replied.

Ouch. 

"I would advise that you only treat Mr Chan's views as his personal views, especially as he comes from the financial sector, certainly his view will be influenced by his colleagues and peers in the financial sector," Lam continued. 

"But at the end of the day, as I said, our ultimate objective for Hong Kong is to suppress the fifth wave as soon as possible and then we would aim to resume some travel into the mainland and preferably also with overseas so that business could resume and the economy could bounce back."

Many firms have moved to Singapore and Dubai

Chan is pointing out the fact that many multinational companies have moved out of Hong Kong and may never come back. How is that a personal view? There have already been many articles written about this, how 50 per cent of European companies are planning to leave the city or only have a smaller presence.

Businesses cannot wait for Hong Kong to open up anymore. Lam is dreaming if she thinks the city's economy will just bounce back to what it was before.

Lam seems to have no idea what is really going on, as she is so focused on fulfilling Beijing's expectations, or tired of hearing other people's opinions of how things could be done better.

They are only trying to help...

Time to Push for More Jabs

It's time to implement vaccine passports at restaurants

Hong Kong's restaurant industry is calling for the lifting of social-distancing restrictions in restaurants if the government rolls out the vaccine passport plan. That would mean only those who have been fully vaccinated would be allowed to dine in restaurants.

Some restaurateurs and owners agree, and that if everyone at the table is fully vaccinated then there should be no limit on how many people are at each table. 

From December 9 people must use the tracing app

But for now the government has plans to have rules from January where at least two-thirds of diners per table must have at least one jab. The other one-third would be for exemptions like young children or those with medical conditions with a doctor's note.

This regulation would also extend to karaoke bars, gaming centres, beauty parlours, gyms and clubhouses, and all staff would have to be fully vaccinated.

However some restaurateurs and owners would rather wait until the city's inoculation rate was at 80 percent before implementing the vaccine passport, as many of their patrons are elderly, the vast majority of whom aren't yet to get vaccinated.

"The catering sector will definitely take a beating of at least 20 percent if a vaccine passport is implemented, as some people may refrain from dining out if they can't come together with their unvaccinated elderly family members," said Tommy Cheung Yu-yan who represents the catering industry in the Executive Council.

How long can we wait till we get to 80 percent herd immunity? It will take us forever at this rate. Why can't Hong Kong be like countries such as Italy and Germany and prevent those who haven't be jabbed from entering restaurants and shops? It is time to put the pressure on these people, and not being able to go out and enjoy themselves would be a strong incentive, would it not?

Italy does not allow unvaccinated into restaurants

Yes, we have had zero cases for the past 60 days, all of us are wearing masks (well there are more lax people who are not covering their noses), but for the most part people are complying. But it's not helping the city in lifting social-distancing restrictions.

Why is the government suggesting two-thirds of diners at each table be vaccinated? Why not the whole hog? It clearly illustrates the authorities are tip-toeing around this issue and not willing to be even more strict about it. 

In the meantime Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor talks up what will happen when the borders open with China, but no indication of when.

How about announcing a date and that could possibly incentivise more people to get inoculated. As one colleague says, Hong Kong needs a string of infections to get people to realise we need more people to get vaccinated. 

As one infectious disease expert has said, vaccination is the only way out.

No Chance for Second Lucky Draw

A lucky vaccinated person won a flat here, but no second draw

Remember lucky draws? Those prizes that were meant to entice people to get vaccinated?

Sino Group and its philanthropic arm the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation Limited, as well as Chinese Estates Holdings already gave away a HK$10 million flat in Kwun Tong earlier as well as cash prizes.

They promised to give away another flat if a total of 5 million people got at least one jab by the end of November, but today being November 30, that did not happen.

Today's notice says less than 5M have one jab

As of today, the total is 4,756,146. Where are the other 243,854 people who have not gotten vaccinated?! Why are they denying people like me the chance to win a flat?!

Joking aside I don't expect to win a flat, but I had hoped people would be selfless and get the jab not only for their own safety but also for the safety of others.

But I was wrong -- people in Hong Kong really are selfish and are willing to drag the rest of us with them into having zero benefits of being vaccinated.

Nevertheless, Executive Council member Bernard Chan has hinted that the elderly will need to get the jab eventually.

He said the city cannot allow the vaccination rate among elderly people to remain at 20 percent, as currently just under 19 percent of people over the age of 80 have had one dose.

Chan warned if the inoculation rate does not go up, Hong Kong will never be able to open its borders to the world.

"If in the future, we have more premises that adopt 'vaccine bubbles' that require people to get jabbed to enter, I believe at the end of the day elderly people will get the shots," he said.

Chan says HK cannot be isolated much longer

"They simply lack the motivation now. If we wait for them they may never get vaccinated. If they don't, Hong Kong's 7.4 million people will be isolated."

Excuse me? We have been isolated for almost two years. 

And now with the Omicron variant, it is even more imperative that the elderly get jabbed.

The government seems to have no problem cracking down on people who allegedly violate the national security law, but when it comes to getting the elderly vaccinated, it's a wait-and-see approach that is going no where...

Carrie Lam Fractures Elbow

Lam's selfie with her right arm in a sling after her fall

This morning Hongkongers woke up to the news that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had fractured her right elbow from a fall on a flight of stairs at Government House last night ahead of a banquet with retired colleagues. She was rushed to Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam where she spent the night and was discharged this morning.

"At first I thought it was just an abrasion, but then my right arm became more painful and so I decided to seek treatment at Queen Mary Hospital after sending off the guests," she wrote in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon. "It's believed that it will take two or three weeks for recovery."

Lam was discharged from hospital this morning

She added in her post that she had a brain scan and additional check-ups while in hospital. Might as well, right, since Lam is so busy.

The accident was revealed shortly after midnight on Monday to announce she would follow the doctor's advice to stay overnight in the hospital for observation, and that the weekly Executive Council or Exco meeting, and media briefing on Tuesday morning would be cancelled. 

Lam said many of her friends told her the accident was a good opportunity for her to rest.

"I think it is a positive way of thinking as in fact, I have not taken any leave for three years already," she wrote. Well, most of us have not taken a break because of the coronavirus pandemic either. But Lam insists on getting the gold star for being extremely hard working.

Lee will take over as CE, but for how long?

She has proudly told the media before that she is a workaholic, and doesn't even have time to talk to her husband.

However, she admits she now finds it hard to get dressed and write. Who writes these days? And if she's resting for a few days or weeks, nothing wrong with wearing T-shirts and sweatpants like all of us did last year.

In the meantime Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu will be serving as acting chief executive but speculation is rife over how long it will be before Lam takes over the reins again.

HK Desperate to Reopen Border with China

Hong Kong anxiously waits for the green light from Beijing

For the longest time Macau was seen as the role model on how to keep the coronavirus pandemic at bay, but in the last few days it has uncovered a cluster of at least four local infections stemming from security guards at a quarantine hotel and has spread to others related to renovation work.

The city has mandated the entire population of 650,000 go through another test within 48 hours to try to root out the source, though the previous two tests have come up with nothing.

Some 650,000 Macanese are tested within 48 hours

Macanese civil servants were told to work from home, face-to-face classes for primary and secondary schools were suspended, and there is a 14-day quarantine still in place for those from Zhuhai to Macau. Even Macao Post has suspended mail service for three days.

But wait -- casinos remain open...

Meanwhile Hong Kong has had zero local cases in 49 days and still Beijing refuses to lift border restrictions between the city and the mainland.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pledged this was a priority for her administration and said the government would do whatever it takes to have quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and China.

"For the sake of reopening the border, the city government is willing and determined to improve anything located by our mainland counterparts to make our measures more in line with their standards, or to convince them our anti-epidemic mechanism will not [create] a gap," Lam said ahead of her weekly meeting with the Executive Council.

Lam keen to do whatever it takes to open border

"We have already made it very clear our focus is on [reopening] with the mainland as Hongkongers have a strong need to cross the border, be it from an economic or livelihood perspective," she said.

Her administration is waiting for feedback from mainland experts and would decide the next steps after an internal assessment.

China seems to be concerned about Hong Kong's cross-border measures and the continued reporting of imported cases -- but this has now become standard information people want to know and expect to hear. It is important to know where these infections are coming from and stemming them if they become relatively high.

It is clear where Lam's priorities lie.

"International tourism, as well as international business activities, of course matter to us, but that is not comparable with the mainland... Many foreign corporations which have set up a branch in Hong Kong also run businesses on the mainland. So being able to cross the border to inspect their businesses or deliberate with their investors also matters a lot to them," she said.

Lam's priority is the mainland, not rest of world

Unlike other countries that have decided to "live with the virus", this is not an option for Hong Kong if it ever wants the mainland to lift border restrictions.

So even though China tells Lam to jump, and she asks, "How high?", Beijing doesn't have an answer.

This is a limbo that has made lots of Hong Kong residents either pleased that an influx of mainlanders aren't coming in, or desperate for tourists to keep their businesses alive, or see loved ones. 

And it will drag on until at least February, 2022...

Privileged Few Get Booster Shots

Regina Ip opted to get BioNTech jab for her booster shot

Back in February when Sinovac vaccines were available before BioNTech, pro-establishment lawmakers lined up with their sleeves rolled up to get the jab as a sign of patriotism.

Now it turns out six months later their vaccine has produced zero antibodies and some have lined up again this time to be guinea pigs to see what happens when they get a booster shot.

Ip said she had no detectable antibodies

One of them is Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of the Executive Council. The participants of the study, being conducted at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley, were given a choice of either staying with the same brand of vaccine as the first two shots, or switching to a different one.

She and two other Exco members chose the BioNTech jab, as they said they did an antibody test and none were detected after they had taken the Sinovac vaccine.

According to Ip, the other Exco members who are taking part in the study are Chow Chung-kong, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, Dr Lam Ching-choi, and Wong Kwok-kin.

Lam and Wong both advocated for people to get their third shot, but government pandemic adviser Dr David Hui Shu-cheong questioned the need for booster shots if people are generally healthy.

Hui questioned if healthy people need boosters

While higher antibody levels could help reduce the risk of symptomatic infections, their waning after Sinovac shots was consistent with data previously reported on the mainland, which had found levels were undetectable six to eight months after taking the jabs, he noted.

"They still have T cell responses, which can protect them from death or severe conditions," Hui said.

Healthy individuals whose antibodies have significantly dropped following vaccination should not be given priority for third shots, said Hui.

"Priority should be given to immunocompromised people, such as those who have undergone organ or bone marrow transplant, followed by the elderly," he said.

The six Exco members must be relieved to get booster shots -- all in the name of science, right?

Bernard Chan Says Overhaul Drags HK Back to 1997

Hong Kong's election reforms have not achieved their purpose

 

After days of pro-establishment politicians praising the National People's Congress for revamping Hong Kong's electoral system to "plug loopholes", one local delegate has spoken out to tell it like it really is.

Bernard Chan, Executive Council convenor and NPC deputy, conceded the changes have wiped out the city's democratic development since 1997.

Chan says Hong Kong is going backwards

"It's a pity that we today have probably gone back to where we were in the early days after the handover. [We] can see that the direction seems to be like that," Chan said from Beijing, where he is attending the annual session of China's legislature.

Wow. So refreshing.

However, he added the electoral reforms over the years have failed to achieve their intended purpose.

True that.

Chan also said if Beijing does not have confidence in the political situation in Hong Kong, then the "one country, two systems" principle might be abandoned.

Hasn't it been abandoned already? 

"I think we have to get back and start afresh, to develop a new road. And this road would give confidence to the central government and the country of 1.4 billion people that "One country, two systems" could carry on. Only this way could we have more space."

Legco will see 20 more pro-Beijing seats added

The "new road" means the proposed overhaul of Hong Kong's electoral system which dilutes the make up of the Legislative Council even more to be more pro-establishment, and completely shuts out any kind of opposition who are not "patriotic", and only then Beijing will trust us?

There continues to be a huge cultural gap that no one has gently pointed out to Beijing that needs to be bridged. Trust and respect for the central government is harder to gain from Hongkongers now after the past year of mass arrests, the imposition of the national security law, and now changes to the electoral system. 

When asked for his interpretation of Beijing's insistence that only "patriots" can govern Hong Kong, Chan took this to mean that those holding office must accept the Chinese Constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law, and while they have to respect that the Communist Party rules China, they don't have to love the party.

After changes are made, Beijing will at ease

Really? Others have interpreted it to mean loving the CPC... or did Chan not get the memo?

In any event it's curious that Chan has openly said how many Hongkongers feel.

Will he be reprimanded for this? Time will tell.

Hongkongers Fearful of National Security Law

Investor reaction to the national security law was swift today in Hong Kong

 

This morning investors were very worried about the national security law that was proposed by the National People's Congress today. The Hang Seng Index plummeted 5.56 percent -- the largest single day drop since 2015 -- over fears of the new legislation and that it would further provoke protests.

Indeed there were some attempted protests today, but many protesters might have been scared off by the sight of so many riot police. Nevertheless, a number of pan-democratic lawmakers marched to the liaison office in Western to voice their protest against the upcoming law.

Lawmakers and activists marched to the liaison office today

Surely there will be many contacting emigration consultants again and re-checking their bank accounts to see if they have enough money to leave Hong Kong. Others are resigned to their fate, not able to leave, or refuse to leave the city they call home.

Today the mood was sombre, but Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor tried to play down concerns about the security law with a press conference at 8.30pm this evening.

Standing behind her were her entire cabinet as well as Executive Council members -- all of them wearing the government-produced Cu+ Mask. And for the record, hardly anyone wears these masks on the streets of the city.

Behind all of them was a banner that was too wordy and very mainland: "Full support for establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security".

Carrie Lam tried to assuage fears... but hardly convincing

What a mouthful.

Despite the stock market plunging today over 1,100 points, Lam said there was business support for the stability the legislation would bring.

"You have quoted the public response by one of the chambers [American Chamber of Commerce]," Lam said. "But I have also read press statements issued by some of the Hong Kong local chambers... anything safeguarding national security, that will help stabilize the environment, is also very good for local investment sentiment."

We shall see in the coming weeks and months how people vote with their feet. Will people continue to feel comfortable being in Hong Kong or will they seek stability elsewhere?

Her words are hardly reassuring, but then again when was she ever reassuring?

Shocking Claims Condoned

Almost half of all the people in anti-government protests are women

At this morning's weekly press conference, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she and her administration had noticed there was a lot of "fake news" on social media and cautioned people to be careful about what they read.

"Everyone of us, including government officials... have to be extremely cautious in ascertaining whether it is accurate," Lam said.

Carrie Lam says Fanny Law's views are her own

If people suspect people have broken the law, they should tell the police, she added.

What about her own advisor on the Executive Council, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, who yesterday went on a radio talk show on RTHK and made the shocking claim that teenage girls were offering sex to frontline protesters, and gave the example of a 14-year-old student who later became pregnant.

"People are free to decide whether or not to believe it," said Law. "Of course, I can trace the origin of the information through a trusted friend's friend who knows the girl, but to reveal more details would be traumatic."

A friend of a friend? Isn't that second-hand information? Why didn't she check with the source to make sure the information was correct or not?

Fanny Law (left) with lawmaker Avery Ng (right) on RTHK

But Law claimed: "We have confirmed this is a true case. I am so sad for these young girls who have been misled into offering free sex."

When Lam was asked about Law's assertions, the chief executive replied: "Those comments are representing her own personal views."

These are highly speculative comments. How can the Hong Kong government allow a senior advisor to the administration to say such disparaging things publicly that may not even be true?

If this is Law's idea of trying to divide protesters, if anything it strengthened their resolution to stick together to unite against a government that seems completely out of touch with its own citizens.

An administration with integrity would have already fired Law from its inner circle, but Lam seems to think it's fine for Law to give her own comments.

Law's comments have only inflamed protesters' resolve

How is this crisis ever going to end when disparaging remarks are made and supported?