Hong Kong actually has two Chief Executives, but it’s just not been made public, one being the supposedly “publicly elected” CY Leung and the other being Li ka-shing aka “Superman Li”, Asia’s richest man and the city’s Popular Elect.
While the former might have the backing of Beijing, the irony is that he is under the gun in Hong Kong by 99% of the media and dismissed as a sneaky, untrustworthy, witless, spineless, Dirty Tricks muppet who is Nero burning while his “Rome” burns and who can’t even gain the respect of the government in the Philippines.
And gawd knows how galling this is to most Hong Kong Chinese as most Filipinos are seen as being on one level: Domestic helpers and, if Filipinas, hookers for dirty old expats hanging out at the Firehouse in Wanchai.
On the other hand, “Superman” Li can do no wrong and when, last week, he went public by stating that Hong Kong was on a downward spiral, it had a ripple effect that ripped through the stock and property markets and, far more importantly, the confidence of the people.
Though Financial Secretary John Tsang, below, one of CY Leung’s cronies and, himself, not exactly seen as the sharpest tool in the Government shed, tried to deflect and quash “Superman’s” claims, the kryptonite was out and Humpty Dumpty was trying to piece himself together again.
Who holds the power and who’s on first?
Well, it depends on which side of the street you’re standing and where, to me, Li ka-shing is immensely popular and an untouchable- and rightly so- a self-made billionaire with his heart and money in the right place and enough power to bring down this government.
He knows it, Beijing knows it, CY Leung knows it, world leaders know it and with the recent shocking triad-style daylight chopper attack on journalist Kevin Lau- and where no arrests have as yet been made- this has become a very different Hong Kong- overnight.
There is a sense of paranoia, desperation and sadness that exists beneath the nightlife and newbies to this city from bankrupt countries in Europe with various get-rich-quick schemes and dreams and oblivious to what Hong Kong Chinese and Hong Kong Belongers are thinking: How to get this city back on track, but again, with very divided opinions as to how this can be done.
For example, as Li ka-shing warned, my feeling is that the planned Occupy Central protest being organized by political gremlins more interested in showboating, will do Hong Kong more harm than good- an event that could easily damage the image of this city forever.
Without coming out and saying it, as what happened in Tiannamen Square, Occupy Central WILL be infiltrated by elements from the opposition who will be on a mission to ensure that everything happens according to their script.
Li ka-shing has not become one of the most successful businessmen in the world and even owns a fair stake in Facebook apart from property, shipyards, companies etc without reading The Art Of War and knowing that timing is everything.
Right now, with abuses against domestic helpers finally being made public, the corruption amongst those once in the very highest levels of government, the loss of confidence in the Independence Commission Of Corruption whose shoddy homework has seen many, like former TVB General Manager, Stephen Chan, being set free, the very publicly played out rancid wheeling and dealing and politics within the city’s two terrestrial television stations, the miserable help offered to the elderly, spiraling rents and the demolition of the heritage buildings that are part of a glorious past, makes Hong Kong look more two-faced than its much loathed neighbor Singapore which, at least, is putting on a phony friendly front and successfully hiding the many pock marks of living with Big Brother in a police state.
As for this One City, Two Systems bullshit, well, it’s heading for duel for supremacy between Hong Kong’s two Chief Executives and gawd help us all, if ANYTHING were to happen to Li ka-shing.
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