Opinion | John Lee has quelled catastrophic rioting and won ultimate trust
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong's sole chief executive candidate, has been questioned that his predominant police experience may hamper his knowledge of and governance for leading Hong Kong. In this article the readers will find enough of what Mr. Lee has said in his campaign manifesto, or election pledges that echo what Alex Lo has been saying all these years, showing that Mr. Lee is well-informed with regards to his general understanding of the serious social ills of Hong Kong.
The law enforcement strategies and tactics that he employed in the city's longest rioting period have won him the highest respect among his counterparts in overseas police work. The results of those riots that took place in 2019 and its aftermath showed that "his hands are not tainted with blood of the youngsters" who had been coaxed, cajoled and pushed to take part in the city's violent protests, even when they physically assaulted the city's riot police.
This is a rare personality attribute in Mr. John Lee's professional career as a seasoned security expert.
The following excerpt collaborates with Mr. Lee's widespread knowledge of public security. With his authority and attribute, he is arguably our city's best people-oriented former police commissioner attesting to his current stature as the city's undisputed crisis-management leader that may prove him to be the best administrator in the history of Hong Kong.
Mr. Alex Lo was educated and trained in North America as a professional journalist. For many years he has established himself as a man of letter and a journalist who writes "without fear or fervor". In short, he is scientifically objective and worthy of public trust and our respect.
Now listen to Alex Lo:
It's Widespread Social Discontent that Should Trouble our Ruling Elite
"Something is rotten in the city of Hong Kong. That is what the pro-democracy rallies have exposed for the world to see," said Alex Lo. ("Protest expose the real rot in society". Alex Lo, SCMP columnist. South China Morning Post. Thursday, October 9, 2014)
Never mind that student leaders and the government will hold talks. They may or may not lead to minor concessions down the road for constitutional reform. There is certainly wiggler room to negotiate a more representative nominating committee. The protesters want full democracy, not a fake one. But lack of democratic governance is not the only driving people to the streets, or even the main one.
That's the rich vs poor; the old vs young; the well-connected vs the disadvantaged; those who have power and others who are voiceless. It's a generational crisis, not just a political one. Extreme inequalities exist in education, job opportunities and social mobility. It's unclear whether they are caused by a lack of democracy, or whether they may be improved by "real" democracy. Such problems also exist in the most advanced Western democratic societies. Our elites must now have the wisdom to consider wide-ranging reform in welfare, education, labor mobility and training.
"Think about allowing a more level playing field rather than monopolizing key markets. Think less about the right to elect a chief executive and more about social entitlement. Think of the 1967 riots and the social reforms that the colonial Brits were forced to introduce," advised Alex Lo.
Conclusion
Having read the excerpt, our readers should now have a better idea about the man who is about to lead our city; he is well-informed and well-intentioned: Mr. John Lee has a good sense of what is wrong with Hong Kong and what the citizens need.
For example, he knows government bureaucracy is stalling many of the projects such as housing facilities that the citizens badly need; he knows that young people, even those who have committed offences against the law in the 2019 riots must be given opportunities--when he was asked by a local reporter who questioned whether he would be kind to rehabilitate them, although he stressed the importance of being law-abiding.
Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu may be the sole candidate. However, his proven record of quelling the city's longest violent riots without spilling blood is a brilliant record for the city's law enforcers. And a model for his counterparts in the United States--who are known for being "gun-trigger happy", which unfortunately is an established fact among nations.
To be expected, the list of the problems awaiting him is long and challenging; but, as a proven ACTION MAN, Mr. John Lee has promised to show his embattled colleagues and followers who are riot-and-pandemic fatigue that waiting is not a game that he plays.
After all, that is exactly why he will be chosen to lead an embattled city out of its doldrums, apart from his security expertise. That's my opinion. What do you think? Please write and let us know!
P.S. One word of caution for Mr. John Lee: "Don't forget the importance of public relations, especially relations with the press; the media can make or break a man. If he wins over the media, half the battle is already won."
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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