Hong Kong's Lady Macbeth
" Is our Lady Macbeth, Anson Chan, the former Chief Secretary, stalking Chief Executive Carrie Lam?"
There is poison in the air and abuse in every argument. For some, it's a vendetta with a passion that's an obsession. Even erstwhile defenders of the 'rule of law' — people who should know better — call for rioters to walk free. At the same time, they've demanded the pillorying of the police for doing their job.
Our Lady Macbeth, Anson Chan Fan On-sang, former Chief Secretary, is making such a call as she stalks Chief Executive Carrie Lam. You could argue that Anson Chan always had a loose respect for the law when it didn't serve her interests. In her earlier days as Director of Social Welfare, she oversaw a break-in to private premises to release an allegedly abused child. At the time, many suggested her actions were illegal. A later enquiry cleared Chan, although her authoritarian manner didn't go unnoticed.
In effect, Anson Chan calls for suspending the 'rule of law'. If the government accepts this wanton request, the next mob can demand the same. She's inviting the government to intervene in the independence of our legal system, the very thing she decries on the Mainland. Her hypocrisy is breathtaking.
But these are strange times. People ignore the facts, the evidence that is before them. I've heard protesters claim that the bricks that flew at police are fantastic fake images. Yet with glee, they'll accept any image of police actions as 'brutality'.
You have to suspect that Anson Chan and other politicians are providing top cover for the rioters. They give tacit support through words of encouragement that go down to the street as justification for hurling bricks at police officers. Then, when the police respond, they're at fault for seeking to protect themselves while restoring order.
Our society is currently grappling with a profound level of instability. The extradition bill has ignited a deep-seated anger stemming from our government's repeated failures: inadequate housing, a lack of action on environmental issues, diminished social mobility, and stagnant real wages. The perception that the government primarily serves the interests of the elite, particularly prominent business figures, only fuels this resentment.
While Hong Kong has massive reserves of capital, old folks work collecting cardboard to survive. We have one of the highest Gini coefficients (a measure of societal inequality), and I've long felt that this must eventually give rise to unrest.
Now, the police are the focus of the protester's ire, in part because the anti-riot tactics worked so well. During the 2016 Mongkok riot, the police proved slow to respond. Since then, they've adapted and changed tactics. The new 'Raptor Squads are mobile, use controlled aggression and have effectively shut down the violent elements. They've responded with allegations of brutality. Of course, with protestor violence neutered, the opposition is seeking to blunt the police as a capable agent to restore public order.
Meanwhile, the trajectory of events follows a similar pattern to that of Occupy. After the initial engagement, with a fair amount of violence, each side is waiting for the other to move. While the police have taken a battering in the media, the protesters haven't had it all their way. They've forfeited a degree of support with their siege of Police HQ and the damage they did. Stupid tactics, such as blocking doors on MTR trains, will not endear them to the public. Moreover, the call for a general strike was a complete failure.
Undeniably, they've learnt that Occupy tactics don't work when society continues to function. Moreover, escalating the violence will not earn them the desired result. Their dilemma is simple: They'll fragment and falter unless most of the public supports them.
They've adopted a leaderless movement model, a fantastic fluffy idea. I want to point out we know the history of leaderless movements. Sooner or later, these movements lead to internal frustration and failure as the component groups jostle for ascendancy. Rarely, if ever, does such a campaign carry the momentum to endure long enough to see the change it desires.
I'm reminded of Macbeth's cynical observation:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
June 2019
Our Lady Macbeth, Anson Chan Fan On-sang, former Chief Secretary, is making such a call as she stalks Chief Executive Carrie Lam. You could argue that Anson Chan always had a loose respect for the law when it didn't serve her interests. In her earlier days as Director of Social Welfare, she oversaw a break-in to private premises to release an allegedly abused child. At the time, many suggested her actions were illegal. A later enquiry cleared Chan, although her authoritarian manner didn't go unnoticed.
In effect, Anson Chan calls for suspending the 'rule of law'. If the government accepts this wanton request, the next mob can demand the same. She's inviting the government to intervene in the independence of our legal system, the very thing she decries on the Mainland. Her hypocrisy is breathtaking.
But these are strange times. People ignore the facts, the evidence that is before them. I've heard protesters claim that the bricks that flew at police are fantastic fake images. Yet with glee, they'll accept any image of police actions as 'brutality'.
You have to suspect that Anson Chan and other politicians are providing top cover for the rioters. They give tacit support through words of encouragement that go down to the street as justification for hurling bricks at police officers. Then, when the police respond, they're at fault for seeking to protect themselves while restoring order.
Our society is currently grappling with a profound level of instability. The extradition bill has ignited a deep-seated anger stemming from our government's repeated failures: inadequate housing, a lack of action on environmental issues, diminished social mobility, and stagnant real wages. The perception that the government primarily serves the interests of the elite, particularly prominent business figures, only fuels this resentment.
While Hong Kong has massive reserves of capital, old folks work collecting cardboard to survive. We have one of the highest Gini coefficients (a measure of societal inequality), and I've long felt that this must eventually give rise to unrest.
Now, the police are the focus of the protester's ire, in part because the anti-riot tactics worked so well. During the 2016 Mongkok riot, the police proved slow to respond. Since then, they've adapted and changed tactics. The new 'Raptor Squads are mobile, use controlled aggression and have effectively shut down the violent elements. They've responded with allegations of brutality. Of course, with protestor violence neutered, the opposition is seeking to blunt the police as a capable agent to restore public order.
Meanwhile, the trajectory of events follows a similar pattern to that of Occupy. After the initial engagement, with a fair amount of violence, each side is waiting for the other to move. While the police have taken a battering in the media, the protesters haven't had it all their way. They've forfeited a degree of support with their siege of Police HQ and the damage they did. Stupid tactics, such as blocking doors on MTR trains, will not endear them to the public. Moreover, the call for a general strike was a complete failure.
Undeniably, they've learnt that Occupy tactics don't work when society continues to function. Moreover, escalating the violence will not earn them the desired result. Their dilemma is simple: They'll fragment and falter unless most of the public supports them.
They've adopted a leaderless movement model, a fantastic fluffy idea. I want to point out we know the history of leaderless movements. Sooner or later, these movements lead to internal frustration and failure as the component groups jostle for ascendancy. Rarely, if ever, does such a campaign carry the momentum to endure long enough to see the change it desires.
I'm reminded of Macbeth's cynical observation:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
June 2019
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