Pathetic Excuses for Government Failures

Grandpa Tung claiming the US and Taiwan are behind the protests

China insists that the "black hand" of the United States has been involved in eight weeks of protests, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi leading the charge.

"Everyone wants to ask: exactly what role has the US played in the recent series of events in Hong Kong?" asked foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. "On this question, I think the US owes the world an explanation."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that's "ludicrous"

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo immediately dismissed the claim as "ludicrous".

"I think the protests are solely the responsibility of the people of Hong Kong, and I think they are the ones that are demanding that their government listen to them and hear their voices," Pompeo said on Tuesday. "It's -- I saw these remarks as well. It's ludicrous on its face."

But China refused to back down on its theory without any evidence, by trotting out former Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-hwa to parrot the claim again.

Tung, who is vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, gave a speech today, accusing the US and Taiwan of orchestrating the "well organized" recent protests against the Hong Kong government.

This is strange coming from Tung, who supposedly has strong links with the US government. Or maybe that was with the Obama administration. Nevertheless, he did not give any evidence to support his bizarre claim.

Protesters are using make-shift equipment against police

He went on to say: "Some young people have vented their anxiety and helplessness through street politics. Yet, with Beijing's backing and various sectors' support behind the government, we are capable of breaking the social deadlock."

Uh huh.

In his speech at a lunch organized by Our Hong Kong Foundation, a think tank he founded and chairs, he called on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to listen to public opinion and solve long-standing problems, such as housing, health care, education and pensions.

Hello Mr Tung? She hasn't done that... can you remind her to do that, starting tomorrow? The longer she procrastinates, the more this situation is going to escalate.

Or perhaps you the elites don't want to deal with these hard-to-solve-issues because they are beyond your problem-solving capabilities so it's easier to put the blame for these now violent protests on "foreign forces" like the US and Taiwan.

And by the way lumping Taiwan into blame department is very strange because it's actually Lam who is increasing the chances of President Tsai Ing-wen to be re-elected.

Now who are the "dark hands"?

Protesters use latest phone app to organize themselves

But Tung goes on to add: "This storm escalated quickly and it was well organized. We have reasons to believe there were masterminds behind the storm. There could be interference from external forces, and various signs are pointing towards Taiwan and the US."

He doesn't realize or want to accept that young people have used the latest technology -- an encrypted messaging app called Telegram -- to discuss and assemble people as quickly as possible, and that they have learned their lesson from five years ago to be prepared with supplies.

Apparently some protesters are running out of cash, and then today there was a picture posted on Twitter showing stacks of coupons for food and other things for them to use.

Doesn't Tung see that people are willing to fight to the death for this cause and are as Hongkongers they are resourceful people who are creative in fighting the police who have much better equipment than them?

But alas no, he refuses to come out of his ivory tower and see the reality of the situation, just like Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, Leung Chun-ying, and now Lam. 

This is a fundamental problem that can only be solved by them engaging with young people and trying to understand what they want -- affordable homes and decent job opportunities, not just be stuck in dead-end jobs like retail and hospitality. And they want to live and work in Hong Kong because this is their home. It's actually really simple.

Claiming "black hands" have meddled in Hong Kong affairs is not only predictable but really pathetic.

Think Tank Avoids Real Issues

Tung Chee-hwa giving a speech at an Our Foundation Hong Kong event

Hong Kong has a lot of think tanks. They are either run by academics or politicians, the latter of which have some kind of agenda attached to them.

For example, Our Hong Kong Foundation was started by former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. Given his connections with Beijing, one can imagine what this think tank's slant is.

Grandpa Tung -- bless him -- is still trying to help solve the city's problems, but he's not really looking at the heart of the issue.

Eva Cheng (third frm left) is executive director of the think tank

He has hired former Amway executive Eva Cheng Kam-fun as executive director of the foundation, but how can someone who did multilevel marketing -- in beauty and health -- know how to tackle Hong Kong's biggest concerns in housing, education, employment and the environment?

However, the think tank seems to believe that inspiring a new generation of scientists and innovators is the solution, organizing Innotech Expo 2016 that starts on Saturday to October 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Is this another way for Hong Kong's elite to try to distract youth from the main issues at hand (and doing a poor job of it), or does the pro-establishment body really believe technology is the answer?

The real problem is that the Hong Kong government is completely out of touch with the problems average locals are facing. Housing prices are still far out of reach of most people, and now first-time buyers are stuck buying microflats that are less than 200 square feet. How does that give anyone a sense of dignity?

Where does the government plan to house people like her?

And why are there two main supermarket chains that basically have the same prices? From 1996 to 2000 there was a French hypermarket called Carrefour that entered the market, but mysteriously suppliers refused to deliver products to its stores. Something fishy was going on there... As a result customers lose and for the most part are stuck paying Wellcome and ParknShop prices for average products.

Why is the government not helping the poor and instead spending lavishly on large infrastructure projects that have little meaning or use to Hong Kong? Many are dreading when the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge opens and seeing a flood of people coming over.

The latest report on the poor is that the government is now cracking down on illegal flats, many of which are in industrial buildings, thus evicting many people on or below the poverty line. Where are they going to go? Does the government even have a plan in place for the thousands of people who are forced to live like this because there isn't enough social housing for them?

Even more bizarre is that the government has so much money in its coffers and yet it cannot or will not house the poor, instead making them fend for themselves. It treats them as if they did not work hard enough, but for many, economic circumstances have made them barely able to eke out a living.

Hong Kong is not a social welfare place, so why would the government think the poor just want to leech off its money?

And why be so stingy about the money it gives to the elderly? Meanwhile the health care system, while equitable, doesn't have enough staff, many top doctors and nurses lured into the private system. In about 15 years there will be a lot of people growing old -- is Hong Kong prepared for the impending onslaught?

Then there's pollution and the environment, where the government isn't doing enough to encourage recycling let alone telling people to consume less. Oh wait. The city is dependent on consumerism. Setting up a task force with Guangzhou on dumping marine refuse isn't really going to solve the problem of garbage washing up on our shores either.

I could go on and on. Our Hong Kong Foundation thinks if young people got jobs in the technology sector then everything will be solved. How about trying to tackle some of the above mentioned issues? That would make all of us a bit happier.