Vice-Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Hong Kong begins with a dazzling display of official grins, a high-speed Santa Claus-style bestowal of consumerist alms upon the poor and earnest ritualized incantations about cooperation, prosperity and the Big Lychee’s ever-mysterious but exciting role in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan. In the absence of substance, we return to Joseph Yeung.
A quick Google search for Joseph Yeung Chi-keung and the Hong Kong Industry Commerce and Professional Association reveals that we have tried this before. The comma-eschewing HICBA has a rudimentary website and what appears to be an unfortunate tendency to be confused with Sir David Akers-Jones’ Business and Professionals Federation. (Yeung issued a clarification after he took out a full-page ad in several newspapers in late 2009 warning of emerging radicalism in Hong Kong; the ad declared Yeung to be the boss of 香港工商專業聯會 rather than 香港工商專聯會會長.)
On the subject of easy mistakes to make, there are lots of Joseph (CK or not) Yeungs around, so he may or may not be the renaissance man the Internet search suggests: PhD, running a steel-trading company, noted photographer, something even of an intellectual and, more to the point, member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of Jilin or somewhere and advisor to the politically correct blather-factory that is the HK Central Policy Unit.
We can be sure that the individual in question contributes note-perfect politically correct commentary to China Daily. He blames the “impractical elitism and bureaucratism … of the authorities” for the way the government lost public support in its haste to ban evil by-elections. This is a classic example of cognitive dissonance: United Front-land can’t accept (or say) that the public never supported the idea in the first place.
On the subject of National Education in Hong Kong schools, he repeats the party line that such indoctrination is fully in line with international norms. He also claims that “the British tried every possible means to dilute the Chinese identity in Hong Kong.” Are we sure? They didn’t do it very well, apart from banning dog meat – unless by ‘Chinese identity’ you mean admiration of the Communist system, which Beijing surely diluted itself when it drove its own starving people across the border in the 50s and 60s.
Many people, when faced with (often eerily similar) pro-Beijing opinion, may wonder whether the writer genuinely believes what he is saying, or if he is repeating and augmenting the official stance in exchange for some material or symbolic reward. This is unfair, however, because it overlooks a third possibility: the guy’s on drugs.
Which brings us rather neatly to his piece last weekend, in which the legal, constitutional, administrative, logistical and other details about maids’ permanent residency are all done deals, and no fewer than 600,000 Filipinos have descended upon Hong Kong and joined the Civic Party, which now ruthlessly takes power over our city and orders its suede-denim secret police to make every family put a big photo of Audrey Eu on the living room wall and bow to it every morning.
Meanwhile, Vice-Premier Li is presenting a group of elderly grassroots with a 55-inch flat screen television and assuring them that the central government will assist Hong Kong in its development as an offshore Renminbi centre.
Despite not being entirely convinced of the merits of giving domestic helpers PR status, I was goggle eyed at the antics of the Association of employers of domestic helpers, on the news last night. I wondered, what motivated someone to create and or join an association simply because they employed a domestic helper? I wondered what special power. legislative or other would such a group have? The answer sadly lies in being able to be in a postion of ‘power’ I spose. It was quite sad to watch and I felt sorry for the helper who had to work for that lot. Perhaps they could just whine on a forum or beside the rugby club pool as expats do?
Just read the link to the Joseph Yeung article and what a load of disingenious twaddle. He undermines himself immediately by getting the facts wrong on the proportion of Phillipine DH. (In 2010, there were 284,901 foreign domestic helpers in the city, of which 48% were from the Philippines, 49.4% from Indonesia.) So what is it with the anti-Phillipine BS? Are we really just one step away from a HK Kristallnacht?
And all these fears about the impact on social services, if this argument holds true is this not also a strong case against allowing 180 mainlanders a day to become HK citizens?
As for the “they will all vote for the Civi Party” bit is he therefore implying that other HK political parties are incapable of putting forward sufficiently cogent arguments to garner support? And what about the DAB gaining votes from the 180 daily new arrivals? Regardless, he seems to miss the point that voting for any political party in HK won’t make a blind bit of difference where BJ chooses the leader anyway.
The final nail in the coffin is whilst recognising Alan Leong’s sensible argument that 99% of the applicants won’t meet the entry criteria, this point is just totally ignored as if the law itself doesn’t matter – all we should do is ask BJ every time we want to go to the lavatory and which way to part our hair. Talk about feudal.
In fairness however I presume that the article was written by an identity theft computer hacker as no sane person could ever put their name to such an article and dare venture out into sane polite society ever again.
No chance of a HK Kristallnacht.
Who would clear up the mess afterwards?
are the Flipper hos in Wanchai also demanding PR status ?
in that case I am willing to reconsider my position on this explosive issue.
@Probably- we should do is ask BJ every time we want to go to the lavatory…A salutary of what happens when one doesn’t.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110817/world/french-star-depardieu-relieves-himself-in-plane-cabin.380638
====
Still trying to undestand Weepy Li’s PASSION FOR GRASSROOTS [scmp headline] I personally haven’t met one I liked, but to each his own
http://www.ivydenegardens.co.uk/Plants/Resources/grass%20root.jpeg
Yeung is described as a “senior” media commentator. Who made that appointment, and who are the “juniors”?
Yeung says that the Civic Party Declaration was criticised by both “citizens” and the “media” as contradictory. One notes (thank Mao!) that Yeung does not claim legal expertise, but who exactly are these “citizens” and what exactly did the “media” say – does he seriously believe that the “citizens” and the “media” are fully conversant with the intricacies of the Basic Law? In any case, most of the decent lawyers with expertise on this subject are unlikely to be members of his absurdly titled Association.
One wonders whether the Yeung household employs an FDH, and if so and she is entitled to apply for residence, will he send her back if the government does not win at first instance or on appeal?