A typical pre-Chinese New Year activity for local politicians:
writing festive couplets for constituents
An atypical Chinese New Year activity for local politicians:
handing out free surgical masks to constituents!
Today is the 15th day of Chinese New Year -- and the final day for handing out red packets of lai see (known in Cantonese as hong bao and Hokkien as ang pow).
While the mood on this night is usually pretty celebratory, this
particular Chinese New Year stopped feeling all that festive some days
ago; thanks in no small part to the Wuhan coronavirus which now has
killed at least 725 people, including an American citizen and Japanese national over in Wuhan, and infected at least 35,000 people.
Over in Mainland China, the mood was particularly dark on Thursday night and Friday after news leaked out that Dr.
Li Wenliang, one of the eight doctors who had tried to raise the alarm
about a new SARS-like virus spreading in Wuhan back in late December,
had passed away after being infected by the Wuhan coronavirus. As
word of his death spread on social media, the hashtag which translates
into English as “I want freedom of speech” started trending on Chinese
microblogging site Weibo.
Wouldn't
it be great that, if not in life, Dr Li would get Chinese citizens
realizing that, as one of his final remarks online had it, "A healthy society should not only have one voice"? At the very least, in the hours after his passing, messages such as "Now we all understand, it's not the bats that are killing us" could be seen on Chinese social media.
Meanwhile, over in the one part of China where a healthy number of people most definitely feel that a healthy society should not only have one voice, the attempts at suppression sadly continue -- with the local constabulary firing still more tear gas on Hong Kongers tonight. More specifically, the police fired the noxious substance at protestors who had gathered in Tseung Kwan O on the three month anniversary of the death of Alex Chow Tsz-lok; the second time this week that they have done so.
Almost needless to say, these attempts at stopping protests aren't all that successful. And even while hospital staff decided to call off their strike yesterday (despite their goal of full border closure not having been achieved), there is talk of another strike taking place -- this time, by Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flight attendants seeking to pressure the airlines to cancel all flights between Hong Kong and Mainland China while the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic rages. (Clearly, many in Hong Kong feel that the quarantine measures for people entering the territory from Mainland China that came into force today are insufficient.)
And for those who complain that pro-democracy folks only know how to protest: I'd like to highlight some recent actions by my new local district councillor. Amidst the mask shortage (that Carrie Lam's administration really deserves blame for) and during this Chinese New Year period, she has gone about procuring and distributing face masks to her constituents. Such has been her dedication that her quest to acquire masks saw her flying to Japan to personally purchase them!
Over on a community Facebook group, one person was moved to remark that she's such a contrast to the pro-Beijing district councillor she ousted, who most of all had only seen in the area in the few days leading up to the District Council elections on November 24th. (Unspoken but surely also felt was that she's also quite the welcome contrast to Hong Kong's most unpopular Chief Executive ever.) These comments quickly attracted follow-up comments, including one asking those of us who had voted for the winning candidate to pet ourselves on the back for having achieved something and done a good thing! And the way things are going, I really am hoping that there will be even more of us feeling that way about pro-democracy politicians come the Legislative Council elections this September!
Meanwhile, over in the one part of China where a healthy number of people most definitely feel that a healthy society should not only have one voice, the attempts at suppression sadly continue -- with the local constabulary firing still more tear gas on Hong Kongers tonight. More specifically, the police fired the noxious substance at protestors who had gathered in Tseung Kwan O on the three month anniversary of the death of Alex Chow Tsz-lok; the second time this week that they have done so.
Almost needless to say, these attempts at stopping protests aren't all that successful. And even while hospital staff decided to call off their strike yesterday (despite their goal of full border closure not having been achieved), there is talk of another strike taking place -- this time, by Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flight attendants seeking to pressure the airlines to cancel all flights between Hong Kong and Mainland China while the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic rages. (Clearly, many in Hong Kong feel that the quarantine measures for people entering the territory from Mainland China that came into force today are insufficient.)
And for those who complain that pro-democracy folks only know how to protest: I'd like to highlight some recent actions by my new local district councillor. Amidst the mask shortage (that Carrie Lam's administration really deserves blame for) and during this Chinese New Year period, she has gone about procuring and distributing face masks to her constituents. Such has been her dedication that her quest to acquire masks saw her flying to Japan to personally purchase them!
Over on a community Facebook group, one person was moved to remark that she's such a contrast to the pro-Beijing district councillor she ousted, who most of all had only seen in the area in the few days leading up to the District Council elections on November 24th. (Unspoken but surely also felt was that she's also quite the welcome contrast to Hong Kong's most unpopular Chief Executive ever.) These comments quickly attracted follow-up comments, including one asking those of us who had voted for the winning candidate to pet ourselves on the back for having achieved something and done a good thing! And the way things are going, I really am hoping that there will be even more of us feeling that way about pro-democracy politicians come the Legislative Council elections this September!
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