Among other things, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s new vision for complete Communist Party control of information and thought is aimed at closing the gap between public 
opinion and the official line. In Xi’s totalitarian dream, 1.3 billion people may have no ideas that differ from his.
This ‘Zombie Sheep Nation’ concept will surely appeal to Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung. He has made it clear that the Mongkok Fishball Riot was and is a law-enforcement issue only. He has decreed that all public discussion shall be about terrorists, beasts, caches of bomb-making equipment, accused ruffians facing 10-year sentences, sinister backers, police purchases of water cannon, and a ban on the wearing of masks. No-one shall utter a word about governance, property prices, Mainland smugglers, poverty gaps, kidnappings of book publishers, or his administration’s complete lack of legitimacy. Some loyalist politicians and columnists in media owned by shoe-shiners of Beijing comply. But the Zombie Sheep Nation effect is ruined by other, independent voices.
Quite a few.
Tycoon and lawmaker James Tien accuses CY not only of wrecking Hong Kong but of damaging the Chinese government’s local image – an impressively mendacious spin from one so guileless. Much (and pointedly) revered former Governor Chris Patten criticizes CY’s government for its political interference in local universities and expresses concern about Chinese agents’ abduction of the book-sellers. Then we have Tsang Yok-sing, Legislative Council President and elder statesman of Hong Kong’s CCP-front, the DAB. According to him, Beijing didn’t receive its copy of CY’s edict, and is investigating his forbidden idea that the Mongkok Riot might be related to the wider socio-economic-political climate. And economist Richard Wong lists the failures in governance that CY says don’t exist and have nothing to do with unrest.
Perhaps the most impressive is one Ms Kwan Wing-yi, who in three minutes before a Legislative Council panel hearing rather neatly tears the government to shreds and finds herself declared a goddess…
Of these five, two (Tien and Tsang) are theoretically on CY’s side, and a third (Wong) is establishment-friendly. With friends like these, the forces of evil struggle to subdue Hong Kong. There is also a theory that while this very evil – in the form of the Communist Party kleptocracy – would love to corrupt and destroy free Hong Kong, it actually needs to preserve the city for the sake of its ‘shadowy money gained from embezzlement or bribery’. That’s supposed to be additionally cheering, by the way.
I’m sure that CY will tell his bosses that criticisms of his decisions coming from the establishment camp are merely the whining of an irrelevant tycoon clique bent on reverting Hong Kong to their personal fiefdom. CY’s probably banking that no Liaison Office official wants to be the one to tell Them Upstairs that “actually, James Tien has a point”.
Nice piece. Liked the Zombie sheep idea. Zombies are a sign of the Apocalypse.
The way to handle communists is to laugh at them and while they are wondering what the joke is, beat them about the head with a shovel.
Remember. We’re all terrorists now.
Can we propose a swap? Let all the Chinese people out who want to go, and import all the mindless zombie sheep (read: evangelical Christians, and other fundamentalists of every religion) who wish to remain in a state of willfully ignorant bliss.
Are all Legco panels conducted in English or was the saintly Ms. Kwan cleverly speaking thus to garner a wider global YouTube audience?
And just picking up on the passing reference to the potential banning of face masks, does it not occur to some of our intllctually challenged legislators that if I am going to be convicted (rightly or wongly) of rioting then an additional $150 fine for wearing a mask is the last of my worries. May as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
It is reminiscent of most Hong Kong public warning signs though, which typically can be paraphrased as “doing illegal things is illegal people”.
Wearing a mask in public when healthy gets one a $150 fine.
If caught in a street brawl, add another 10 years in the slammer for rioting.
I guess?
Probably, that’s definitely simultaneous translation.
Probably, that was the usual simultaneous translator in LegCo. I recognize it from news reports.
Here’s a link someone posted on a Facebook page of her speaking in Cantonese
https://www.facebook.com/I.am.a.Hongkonger/videos/971947259558764/?pnref=story
Now let’s say something nice. They have some very good interpreters in Legco. On this occasion, she stumbled once or twice, but the speaker must have been speaking fast. I admire the way the interpreters convert Chinese names to English ones, and Chinese numerals to English, especially when they’re ‘man’s and ‘yik’s, millions and billions.
Well it looks like 689 got a 3-minute inquiry into the reasons behind the fishball riot despite his best efforts to avoid one. Hats off to Kwan Wing Yi for that: may all witnesses called in to LegCo follow her shining example.
She missed out a couple of contributory factors: notably HKTV and poisoning public housing tenants’ and school kids’ water, but with 689 at the helm, it’s a case of: so many cock-ups, so little time.
The Government’s major unfunded liabilities as at 31 March 2015 were as follows –
($ million)
Present value of statutory pension obligations 815,832
Untaken leave (Note) 26,451
……..
This means that police pensions alone will take nearly another 30 years to fund out of taxpayer money
That poor lass in the picture sure has peculiar “armpits”.
Some of the really good stuff is missing from the English translation. It really is a horrid translation, which is partly forgivable for an instantaneous translation by a government paid translator, particularly fearing that any “spin” she might be accused of adding to the original will get her contract cancelled. Who though re-posted it on google only stripping out the government IFS notice while slapping on their banner, but didn’t use the delay to provide a more reasonable translation?
Sorry, what is this sheep talk… aren’t we in monkey year now?
Big fan of your site and enjoy comments from regular followers.
Ms. Kwan’s speech with English subtitles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCc-iDCNCyI
Former Resident
Thank you for the link.
Shows how poor top government interpretation is, although prob not paid much (part time court interpreters get a pittance), not withstanding speed of delivery, no doubt because aware of time limit.
Ms Kwan excellent. All points fair.
Particularly liked her sticking it to dear Mathew and the sainted Carrie and the repeats of no investigation.
Reasoned response of course came there none.
On a side note Cameron criticised Corbyn’ suit in (UK) Parliament. Would like to hear his opinion of the Legco committee chairman’s garb.
http://www.ejinsight.com/2016024-womans-viral-rant-now-becomes-a-rap-song