HK's Short T8 and Lau Wong-fat

Tropical cyclone Roke came and went through Hong Kong today

Yesterday was so hot and humid, it was a sign a typhoon may be coming. Late last night it was T1 and I didn't think much of it.

But this morning it was already T3 and I got a text message from the Hong Kong Observatory, saying it would be T8 by 9.20am with Roke making landfall at Sai Kung East Country Park at 10am.

The T8 signal didn't feel serious this time around

That was such a surprise -- I didn't see that coming at all. So I stayed at home all morning and afternoon, and by 3.10pm the signal was lowered to T3.

I decided to go for a swim and the outdoor pool at Kennedy Town wasn't open, but the indoor ones were. It wasn't packed, but I had to weave around people in the smaller pool.

There was no rain at all, a bit windy outside and I finished the rest of my shopping and came home.

But by 7.30pm it was pouring rain when I went out for a late dinner in Central. Luckily I brought my big umbrella with me, but I should have worn boots. However within 10 minutes in the MTR, the rain had subsided in Central.

After dinner at 10.30pm it was pouring again in Central -- even harder than before. There was no choice but to get wet even under an umbrella. And then back in Kennedy town there was very light rain even though there is amber rainstorm warning. So bizarre!

Heung Kee Kuk strongman Lau Wong-fat has died

The next two days are expected to be unsettled followed by really hot sunny days Friday may see showers and then sunshine again on the weekend. Or that could all change tomorrow.

In other news, former Heung Yee Kuk leader Lau Wong-fat has passed away at the age of 80. He has been ill for a while.

For 35 years he represented the indigenous residents of the New Territories, and became known for his fight to include an article in the Basic Law to ensure that indigenous interests were still protected after 1997.

This includes the small three-storey houses they build and allows every male child to do the same, while the rest of us are crammed into shoeboxes in the sky everywhere else.

A few government officials previously dared to stare down Lau and his gang, but retreated with their tails between their legs. Are they really that threatening? Apparently so...

However, Lau's son, Kenneth Lau Ip-keung has taken over as leader, though he has yet to bare his teeth like his father.

May be now the government can really start pushing the housing agenda forward to make it more equitable for everyone...

Cracks in Heung Yee Kuk?

Heung Yee Kuk chairman Kenneth Lau will be sworn in as a lawmaker...

Are we seeing weakness in the notorious rural force known as Heung Yee Kuk?

Its chairman, Kenneth Lau Ip-leung was elected uncontested last month in the Legislative Council elections, and he will take the oath of office on Wednesday.

It was suggested in their internal meeting that 10,000 rural villagers show up to Legco to demonstrate their support for Lau, but now that has drastically been scaled back to a few hundred at most.

While Li Yiu-ban, a kuk ex-officio executive councillor who is helping to organize the rally, says it's better to have less people at Tamar because it "may cause inconvenience to others", others say Lau isn't taking a strong enough stance on rural issues like his father, Lau Wong-fat, who stepped down for health reasons after running the kuk for 35 years.

... and so will Eddie Chu (left) who exposed the kuk's violations

The rally was also meant to protest against incoming legislator Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, who has single handedly exposed kuk members bullying the Hong Kong government in the Wang Chau development in Yuen Long.

The Wang Chau site is a brownfield site the government had wanted to take back to build some 17,000 flats, but some kuk members are using it -- and profiting from it -- and refuse to hand it back, forcing the authorities to retreat and instead develop a green-belt area nearby and evict residents of three villages.

This whole fiasco has made the kuk realize they need to revamp their image and plan to hire a public relations firm to help them.

While the Basic Law protects the traditional rights of indigenous rural residents, rural leaders says it should include hillside burials, the right to build small houses and exemption from government rent.

Perhaps the strongman days of Lau Wong-fat are over?

At the same time there is no official figure on the number of indigenous residents in Hong Kong who can trace their male ancestry back to residents of the New Territories in 1898, though some rural leaders estimate it could be at least 300,000 of them.

So while the Heung Yee Kuk wants to put a positive spin on its image, who is going to believe it?

Peter Lam Yuk-wah, a public relations consultant, said rural leaders should give up the idea of a PR campaign to get people to accept their views and instead be prepared to make compromises.

"A campaign is more than forcing your views on others. There will be feedback. And how are you going to deal with that feedback is more important. Otherwise, you can make things worse," Lam said.

Perhaps members of the kuk need to realize Lau Wong-fat's strongman days are long gone and the only way to repair the PR damage is to do the right thing and return the land to the government...

DAB Desperate for Praise

DAB's Starry Lee Wai-king greets NPC chairman Zhang Dejiang in Beijing

Earlier this week members of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) paid a visit to the Chinese capital, in the Great Hall of the People to meet with senior Chinese officials.

The delegation, led by Starry Lee Wai-king, told Chinese officials that the DAB needed more encouragement and recognition for its "hard work", as Beijing urged the group to take a "leading role" in uniting fellow loyalists after the failed political reform package last month.

"Many patriots have been making lots of contributions to the city, but it seems they are not given enough recognition," a DAB source said. "Not many people [from the DAB] are appointed to the National People's Congress or the Chinese People's Consultative Conference as the seats are limited, but it would be great if some 'honorary recognition' could be given."

It's amusing for the DAB for ask for this in its pilgrimage to Beijing (its first since 2006) when members of the group botched voting on the political reform package when a number of them walked out of the Legislative Council chamber last month.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying may seek a second term

They were waiting for Heung Yee Kuk former chairman Lau Wong-fat to show up, but he was stuck in traffic. And even though many legislative councillors walked out, there were still enough inside the chamber to vote and so they did, resulting in a 28-8 against the package.

It is akin to a student asking a teacher for gold stars when the pupil's academic performance is barely a pass, despite his or her seemingly "hard work".

Nevertheless, it seems that Beijing has been outwardly stoic about the political reform package failing to pass, and instead is already focused on the future.

Zhang Dejiang, National People's Congress chairman and the state leader in charge of Hong Kong's affairs, says the DAB must now work with its allies to win a two-thirds majority in Legco in next year's election.

"I hope the DAB find out what is good and hold fast to it and make a difference," he said. "It should have a clear-cut stand on loving the country and Hong Kong... and be willing to take on heavy responsibilities."

It is also believed Zhang urged the DAB to support Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, and if they win a two-thirds majority in Legco, then they will be able to pass the political reform package.

So it seems Beijing is still keen on passing the package as is, and that the Hong Kong government never bothered to listen to its citizens on how they want to vote for their next chief executive in 2017.

The current proposal has two to three candidates vetted by a 1,200 nomination committee with its members appointed by Beijing. Then some 5 million eligible voters in Hong Kong would be able to vote on these pre-approved candidates.

However, this was not what a number of local residents wanted, which later spurred the 79-day Occupy protests in the city last fall.

This just demonstrates how Beijing is determined to have things its way, because, as we've said before, it has no understanding or appreciation of how democracy works, and it wants to make sure the results are a foregone conclusion.

Which is why Hong Kong has had three chief executives so far who have apparently obediently followed Beijing's directives that have resulted in the city's performance declining in all aspects -- these last few weeks it's been traces of lead in public housing water pipes -- thus further evidence of complacency and no interest in having Hong Kong ruled by Hong Kong.

Beijing is currently shoring up support for Leung -- despite his incompetency and lack of popularity -- and is urging the DAB to be behind him all the way, should he seek a second term.

It's a tough pill to swallow, but knowing the DAB, they will be obedient because they really want those gold stars...

The Bickering Continues

The Liaison Office of the Central Government in the HKSAR in Western

The fallout from the crucial vote on the Hong Kong government's political reform package continues to escalate, with members of the pro-Beijing camp bickering amongst themselves over what happened on Thursday.

Thirty-one of them walked out of the Legislative Council chamber moments before the vote was taken, thinking it would help bring a 15-minute delay as they waited for New Territories strongman Lau Wong-fat who was delayed in traffic.

A remorseful Jeffrey Lam apologized for the walkout

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee couldn't help but cry on Commercial Radio yesterday and business representative and Executive Council member Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, who initiated the walkout, profusely apologized.

The 28 to 8 vote against the reform package was terribly embarrassing for Beijing. Soon after the vote, the Liaison Office began calling the pro-Beijing lawmakers who dutifully voted for the package, which was confirmed by Liberal Party honorary chairman James Tien Pei-chun.

Others who bungled the vote were summoned to the office in Western to explain what had happened, similar to naughty school children who are called into the principal's office.

Independent lawmaker Ng Leung-sing also went to Western. How did he explain why he was there?

Ng Leung-sing admits regular chats with the liaison office

"I have regular dialogue with the liaison office," Ng said. "Of course it was unavoidable for us to discuss what happened on Thursday."

Ah-ha! So anyone left-leaning has scheduled chats with the liaison office... it really does confirm the on going sardonic saying that "Hong Kong is ruled by Western", as the liaison office is located in Sai Ying Pun.

However, the liaison office calling the shots is considered illegal according to Article 22 of the Basic Law which says:

No department of the Central People's Government and no province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government may interfere in the affairs which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region administers on its own in accordance with this law.

If there is a need for departments of the Central Government, or for provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities directly under the Central Government to set up offices in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, they must obtain the consent of the government of the Region and the approval of the Central People's Government.

All offices set up in the Hong Kong Administrative Region by departments of the Central Government, or by provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the personnel of these offices shall abide by the laws of the Region.

So -- can we have less interference from the liaison office now that this silly fiasco is all over? Obviously its meddling in Hong Kong affairs has been a disaster.

But the Central Government probably doesn't see it that way and is possibly now doubling or even tripling its efforts to ensure things go its way despite the promise of "one country, two systems"...

Reform Package Vote: As Expected

The pan-democrats are vindicated in voting down the political reform package

It was a foregone conclusion, but they still had to go through the motions.

The political reform package was voted down, but strangely some 30 pro-establishment lawmakers walked out of the Legislative Council chambers just before the vote was made, with only eight votes for the package.

The pro-Beijing side claimed there was some "miscommunication", saying they were trying to delay the vote by 15 minutes so that rural kingpin leader Lau Wong-fat could make the historic vote.

But Legco President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing went ahead with the vote as more than half the legislators were in the chamber. Twenty eight voted against the package.

Strangely the pro-Beijing lawmakers walk out of the chamber

Lau claimed he was in Kowloon Tong in the morning and was stuck in traffic getting to Admiralty...

But it was expected the political reform package would be voted down, and now the city can breathe a sigh of relief, though what's next no one knows. If the package had been passed, there probably would have been demonstrations and who knows what else.

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor must have been very disappointed after all the hard work she put into this "project". How about all the taxpayer money spent on promoting the political reform package with billboards, television commercials and tour buses?

Before the vote, she claimed the government's work on reform had been "open and transparent".

"Our package is also constitutional, lawful and reasonable. It is the best package under the current situation," she said.

Carrie Lam addresses lawmakers before the vote

And that's what people like the pan-democrats don't agree on -- the current situation. How can Hong Kong accept a package like that, where the candidates must be pre-approved by Beijing and a committee of 1,200 people who are also pro-establishment? How is that fair?

She hoped that people would end the divisiveness in the community and move on.

"Society should also look and think in retrospect, about what happened in the last 20 months, and we should lay down our differences... because we still need to work together to solve our economic and livelihood problems. We need to be rational, pragmatic and understanding in solving problems, and we need to communicate in different ways," she said.

We hope she is referring to the government, because it has not listened to everyone in Hong Kong -- it has only chosen to listen to a select few. If it did hear all sides, it would put more effort into solving the laundry list of issues plaguing the city, from the yawning wealth gap, to putting some kind of rent control in place so that businesses and families can survive, to reforming the education system so that kids don't have to do five hours of homework every night, to giving more resources to the working poor and homeless. It is not like the city is in debt.

If the government had tried to solve these problems and made some headway, then maybe -- just maybe people would trust it. But the political reform package is so blatantly flawed in so many ways that one would have to be a fool to think it's something we should "pocket first".

The ball is now in Beijing's court to rethink how it will deal with this demanding child who only wants the best for its people.

All in the Interpretation

Lau Wong-fat shaking the container for a fortune stick to come out

This being the second day of Chinese New Year is when a government representative goes to Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin to draw a fortune stick for Hong Kong.

Every year since 2004 it's been Heung Yee Kuk chairman Lau Wong-fat, after home affairs bureau chief Patrick Ho Chi-ping drew the number 83, one of the worst omens, and after that SARS hit the city that resulted in the deaths of 299 people.

Apparently when the British were in power, they "fixed" the sticks so that every year was a good fortune...

But why is Lau doing it every year? Can't they mix it up? Or does he keep drawing it until he gets a bad fortune stick?

In any event this year Lau picked the number 20 which is considered "neutral". The stick is chosen by getting a container filled with fortune sticks, 96 of them, where 35 are good, 44 are neutral and 17 are bad. The person has to shake the container at an angle until one fortune stick comes out.

Last year Lau also picked an average fortune. It was advised that the government listen to the people in the Year of the Horse to avoid misfortune and chaos. Look what happened in the end!

But this year, the fortune was interpreted that it was the people should not be greedy and be practical. When looking at it from a political point of view, fortune tellers were hinting Hong Kong people should accept the government's political reform package. In other words, elections where one person, one vote, will have two to three candidates who are vetted by Beijing.

How would you interpret the fortune that literally says this: "In the morning there's colourful make-up and coiffure in cloud-shaped coils; and jade and pearl ornaments made the brocade look silvery. Yet 'form is emptiness and emptiness is form', that was [goddess of mercy] Guanyin's reminder for the mortals."

From those poetic words we can see how it advises people not to be greedy, but why should it be related to political reform? How about it being aimed at landlords demanding sky high rents and even worse, property developers who are charging almost HK$20,000 per square foot for a less than 300 sq ft flat near Sham Shui Po?

Shouldn't they be the ones tempering their expectations?

The average Hong Kong person has already had their hopes sunk in the past year. All they are focusing on is getting a decent-paying job to pay the rent and if they're lucky a mortgage. They are hardly aiming for the Moon these days. Why take risks when you're beaten down?

Again this demonstrates Hong Kong government officials are still completely out of touch with what's going on street level -- they are sitting too high in the sky to see the gritty reality of life in the city.