My Take | Ask questions but do not jump to conclusions about the Tai Po fire tragedy
The community badly needs answers from the government but spreading conspiracy theories and scapegoating will not help. All of Hong Kong now needs to mourn and work together to rebuild
In the aftermath of the Wang Fuk Court fire tragedy, many people are busy playing fire sleuths and construction experts. Public concerns are fully justified by the magnitude of the horror. But we should be careful not to jump to conclusions.
Far more constructive and responsible is not to guess, let alone insist on, what the causes of the fire were but to ask direct and relevant questions for which officials and experts must provide proper and accurate answers at some point.
Accountability needs to be done, but must also appear to be done. Those guilty must be held responsible, but let us make sure there is no scapegoating and irresponsible blaming.
As with many tragedies of such magnitude, conspiracy theories tend to multiply and spread quickly. Members of the public need to be careful and use their critical and common sense.
However, some questions are entirely legitimate for the public to ask. It’s important for both the public and government to build trust rather than ending up accusing each other of conspiracy theories and conspiracies.
Through social media posts, retiring lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun has asked some relevant questions.