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How Hong Kong is now seeing the best of times, the worst of times

Ken Davies says while no one may have envisaged today’s divided politics at the handover, signs are that a cross-party, cross-border deal on electoral reform may still be possible

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Hong Kong’s handover ceremony at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Photo: Robert Ng

While plenty of people may tell you that Hong Kong is going to hell in a handcart, my view from afar is that the city is now experiencing the best – as well as, if you like, the worst – of times.

When I first started writing about Hong Kong, it was a pretty apolitical place. Instead of bothersome elections with competing parties shouting at each other, power was calmly transferred to the next administration by the Queen choosing a new governor. Not very democratic, but there weren’t many complaints.

The governor of the day was David Wilson. The Information Services Department organised meetings for me with any department head, tycoon or political leader I wished to see. I saw lots, but decided not to interview the governor. Not that I had anything against Wilson. He was a genial sinologist who perfectly personified Hong Kong’s non-political nature.

Hong Kong’s last governor Chris Patten receives the British flag, lowered for the last time from above Government House, during a ceremony marking his departure on June 30, 1997. Photo: AP
Hong Kong’s last governor Chris Patten receives the British flag, lowered for the last time from above Government House, during a ceremony marking his departure on June 30, 1997. Photo: AP

Last Hong Kong governor Chris Patten says academic freedom under threat from government taking its cue from Beijing

Then came Chris Patten. Him I did see. He was definitely political, the strategist who got his party into power while losing his own parliamentary seat, which was probably why he was sent to Hong Kong. He huffed and puffed about how his book on Asia would outsell anything I wrote, because, as he so modestly put it, “I am Chris Patten!”. Although he never learned any Chinese, he did read books, which more politicians should try.

After governors came special administrative region chief executives. The nicest was Tung Chee-hwa, who always used to speak with fondness about his former landlady in Golders Green on the rare occasions when we met. Unfortunately, he was not the most effective.

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