In Carrie Lam’s calculation, the premeditated mass COVID-19 test would be a hand lent to Hong Kong by the central government, to which Hong Kong people would be very grateful. With the popularity of the project not coming up to her expectation after promulgation, she then came forward to throw insults at doctors by calling them “so-called experts”, which silenced Dr Ho Pak-leung of the University of Hong Kong. Following the Chief Executive lashing out at people around, the People’s Daily also ranted on around. What’s more, both the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office(HKMAO) issued statements pointing out that opponents of the scheme politicize the anti-epidemic issue, fabricating and disseminating malicious rumors. The HKMAO’s was even more bellicose, criticizing a handful of people with ulterior motives for being unable to tell good from bad, smearing and vilifying help from the mainland on fighting the epidemic in Hong Kong, with the intent to create panic among the public, deluding people with rumors like what they did during the “bill amendment disputes”, which has brought to light their political proclivity for opposing China and stirring up trouble in Hong Kong. Their conduct and deeds are already unscrupulous, against the law and with no bottom line, said the statement.

Could anyone shed some light on how disapproval of the massive COVID-19 test is related to legality? Such a label is frightening. Could it be said that all opponents of the program are going to be indicted on a charge of breaching the National Security Law?

I am not an expert, nor do I have any game plan of “political laam chau” (politically seeking mutually-assured destruction) to drive a wedge between Hong Kong people and the motherland. According to the latest COVID-19 testing guidelines of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), one of the new provisions is “those who do not have COVID-19 symptoms do not need a test”. After the CDC updated the guidelines, Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme, expressed the other day at a WHO press conference that diagnostic testing should be levelled at those diagnosed infected and the people they are in close contact with, except for places where group infections persist. He also said massive testing is costly and impracticable, and is inefficacious in most countries, and since it consumes a huge amount of resources and has to have huge capacity for diagnostic testing, it must zero in on testing the right people, maximizing group testing, and the quality and time spent on the testing. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist of WHO, said the focus of testing should be put on those who have symptoms, viz high risk groups.

Did WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus and Michael Ryan, trusted by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP), stealthily collude with those opposing China and stirring up trouble in Hong Kong to smear the CCP? I don’t think so. Both U.S. CDC and WHO experts hold the view that massive tests, which have to be targeted at the “right people”, are ineffective. However, the SAR government insists on drawing out asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people, thereupon arousing suspicion. Isn’t massive testing not being a preventive common sense? A person testing negative today does not mean he will not get contracted tomorrow. What is really worrying is the government misinforming the public on purpose that the efficacy of the testing is tantamount to that of vaccination, which frees the tested to do whatever they want – singing karaoke, dining in groups, faring as they used to.

The massive testing was introduced without any deliberation in related departments beforehand and gaining buy-in from local experts, the Hospital Authority, medics and political parties. It was contemplated only by Carrie Lam and Beijing behind closed doors, and the whole process it has been through is just a replica of that of the extradition bill amendment - supported by Beijing, Lam forced through it, labelling all the opponents as sowing dissension between the SAR and the central government, cowing everybody into silence and accepting it, then being deeply grateful. Such a skilful maneuvre creates suspicion that the project is a political campaign currying favor with the public. Nevertheless, after putting up a strong resistance for more than a year, witnessing the rough enactment of the National Security Law that has made everyone anxiety-ridden, and seeing the middle class map out plans for emigration, Hong Kong people will not feel indebted at all, will they? “Serving the people” always bragged about by the CCP turns out to be such a manner!

Now that Hong Kong people are not appreciative of it, the officials might as well turn hostile, reminding the people to follow the order while they are still being nice. Forcing the people to thank them with a threatening manner, actually Lam and the CCP are not governing. Lam said she knows governance, but not politics. Was she serious? Being alienated from the masses, she has actually become a CCP cadre that enslaves the people.

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