Still very busy, but just a quick note. Two recent events once again demonstrate the utter incompetence of the Hong Kong Government.
The Health Department refused to ban pork import from Sichuan while reported cases of streptococcus suis are on the rise. Our Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food said
Scientific evidence and international guidelines and practices must be carefully considered before imposing any ban.
Huh? What scientific evidence and guidelines do you need when people are getting killed, Dr Chow? Are you telling us international guidelines are more important than Hong Kong people’s lives? Even Beijing is banning Sichuan pork imports.
Tropical Storm Washi is within 500km of Hong Kong. Ships are getting sunk in the South China Sea. Sustained gale force winds and widespread thunderstorms are affecting Hong Kong. Yet the Hong Kong Observatory refused to issue the T1 signal. Yeah yeah, people should look after themselves instead of relying on the nanny state etc., but when people’s lives are potentially endangered this is just outright irresponsible.
Clearly getting rid of Tung was not enough…
I suggest you should write a letter to the government about the consequences of neglecting the precautionary principle. And don’t forget to include an anecdote on the SARS incident.