Hong Kong government praised for suspending waste charging system, but experts say flaws in policy implementation exposed – YP

Chan Wai-keung, a political scientist at Hong Kong Community College of Technology, said shelving the project seemed the wisest and most politically profitable way to solve the problem.

“It won’t do much damage to John Lee’s management or power. He does not own this policy, so to speak, but merely inherited it from the previous administration,” Chan said.

He also said he believed the government had planned to abandon the program much earlier, pointing to a newspaper article written last month by pro-Beijing heavyweight fighter Lo Man-tuen. Lo called for the program to be scrapped, saying it was brought up by the “radical opposition camp” in 2005.

The controversial shelving project seems to be the smartest and most politically profitable way to deal with the situation, says the scientist. Photo: Jelly Tse

However, Chan stressed that the whole story showed an “execution gap” among officials.

“Action is the key to all success,” Chan said. “Having smart minds to come up with good ideas or policies is not enough. If we cannot implement them to achieve tangible results, they are simply nothing.”

He cited several practical measures taken in recent years that had failed.

Last month, examination authorities were forced to abandon the use of an app developed at a cost of HK$9 million to check the attendance of candidates taking university entrance exams after a series of errors.

Last year, authorities were forced to postpone the introduction of new electronic tunnel tolls at the eleventh hour after public criticism over the rushed launch and the red tape involved in dealing with drivers’ requests for special sensor tags.

Chan also accused officials of not being able to explain the policy.

“Officials seem to be throwing out comments without a shred of thought and have no idea how their comments might be received,” Chan said.

An overwhelming majority of Hong Kongers want the introduction of the waste charging system to be delayed

He pointed to Theresa Wu King-yan, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Protection, who caused a public relations nightmare in January by suggesting that people “sawed” a broom in two to fit into designated garbage bags because the HK$11 sticker price for waste in the case of large items – seemed a bit too high.

Environment Minister Tse Chin-wan later clarified that the mop handle could be recycled.

Chan said: “It also showed that such a senior official in charge of the program was also not sure why the government had introduced this policy. It’s not about money. It’s about reducing and recycling waste.”

Department director Samuel Chui Ho-kwong also became embroiled in controversy over his remarks, which were seen as blaming people for refusing to cooperate.

He said if residents wanted to know about the policy, they would find a way out of the confusion. – If you want to make it clear, you will. If you don’t do this, nothing will help,” Chui said in January.

Chan said officials seemed unable to use the right words to avoid misinterpretation.

The central government is likely to advise John Lee to exercise caution even on seemingly “trivial” practical issues, says a veteran political analyst. Photo: May Tse

Veteran China observer Professor Lau Siu-kai noted on Monday: “I think this incident will erode the government’s authority somewhat. However, I don’t think it will be too severe as the program has not been implemented yet.

“The government can gain some points by being willing to change course in the face of public opposition.”

Lau, a consultant for the semi-official Beijing think tank the Chinese Association for the Study of Hong Kong and Macau, also said the central government would likely advise Lee to approach even seemingly “trivial” practical issues carefully, lest they turn into major political troubles.

He added that he believes Beijing may be trying to micromanage more and may take a closer look at the government’s ability to gather opinions and analysis in the coming days.

The waste charging scheme, first introduced about 20 years ago, has been repeatedly postponed. The government originally intended to launch it at the end of last year, but the deadline was moved to April 1. After acknowledging that public opinion remained unclear on the details, authorities pushed back the nationwide start date to August 1.

The program has also previously raised concerns among senior care homes, patient support groups and the restaurant industry over possible cost increases.

An overwhelming majority in Hong Kong wants the introduction of the waste charging system to be delayed

Dr. Yau Wing-kwong, chief executive of the environmental group Environmental Protection Association, agreed that continuing the program as planned was politically unwise.

“If you create a mess after pushing forward, politically it could do more harm than good,” he said.

However, Dr. Hung Wing-lok, a political scientist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said he believed that abruptly scrapping the program could cost the government politically as some may think it was not planned well enough in advance.

“It’s obvious that in the future they will need more channels to listen to the real voices from below,” Hung said.