A Better Tomorrow
By Chip Tsao | published Nov 13, 2008
As Barack Obama is about to usher the world into a new era, many remain doubtful whether the first black president-elect can deliver the goods—fixing the devastated economy, handling the Russians, finishing off Bin Laden and breaking the mold in every frontier as promised with his mesmerizing thought of “change.”
“Yes, we can.” But what if eventually he can’t? Much can be learned from the “Hong Kong People Ruling Hong Kong” model of wind-bagging success over the past ten years.
First of all, to manage public expectations and uplift the national mood, let there be more frequent displays of China-imported fireworks (make sure someone does the QC) in key cities like Washington, New York and LA, as enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong at Victoria Harbour. Apart from the extravaganza on inauguration night, fireworks displays should be made compulsory on New Year’s Day, National Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and perhaps as a result of the everlasting Obamania, on the president’s birthday as well. This would not only prolong the honeymoon period and the feel-good effect, but also help to ease China’s trade surplus.
American people should be offered more long-term “visions” and “blueprints,” and be hypnotized by big slogans like “constructing a nation of harmony.” Like the former SAR Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, perhaps he should make a big fuss by refusing to move into the White House, complaining about bad feng shui or suspecting that George Bush might have hidden thousands of bugging devices underneath the floors and behind the walls. Then he would pull it down, because of the politically incorrect name it bears. He would close an old page of WASP-dominated history by building a new fanciful modern federal government skyscraper similar to the Water Cube or the CCTV headquarters in Beijing. This would create tens of thousands of jobs.
Of course there is a powerful leadership in place for strong governance. Things get screwed up because there are too many “landmines” left behind by the Republican government, like the unfinished Iraqi war, the more-than-ten-trillion deficit and a collapsed banking system—an excuse the SAR government and its propaganda machines kept telling people of Hong Kong in the first five years until the theory, like a piece of raw pork-chop left well beyond its expiry date, had to be thrown out of the fridge.
We Hong Kong people are more tolerant with political novices. If things don’t work out, let’s hope someone will just make a special offer of a banana to Obama a la Mad Dog.
As Barack Obama is about to usher the world into a new era, many remain doubtful whether the first black president-elect can deliver the goods—fixing the devastated economy, handling the Russians, finishing off Bin Laden and breaking the mold in every frontier as promised with his mesmerizing thought of “change.”
“Yes, we can.” But what if eventually he can’t? Much can be learned from the “Hong Kong People Ruling Hong Kong” model of wind-bagging success over the past ten years.
First of all, to manage public expectations and uplift the national mood, let there be more frequent displays of China-imported fireworks (make sure someone does the QC) in key cities like Washington, New York and LA, as enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong at Victoria Harbour. Apart from the extravaganza on inauguration night, fireworks displays should be made compulsory on New Year’s Day, National Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and perhaps as a result of the everlasting Obamania, on the president’s birthday as well. This would not only prolong the honeymoon period and the feel-good effect, but also help to ease China’s trade surplus.
American people should be offered more long-term “visions” and “blueprints,” and be hypnotized by big slogans like “constructing a nation of harmony.” Like the former SAR Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, perhaps he should make a big fuss by refusing to move into the White House, complaining about bad feng shui or suspecting that George Bush might have hidden thousands of bugging devices underneath the floors and behind the walls. Then he would pull it down, because of the politically incorrect name it bears. He would close an old page of WASP-dominated history by building a new fanciful modern federal government skyscraper similar to the Water Cube or the CCTV headquarters in Beijing. This would create tens of thousands of jobs.
Of course there is a powerful leadership in place for strong governance. Things get screwed up because there are too many “landmines” left behind by the Republican government, like the unfinished Iraqi war, the more-than-ten-trillion deficit and a collapsed banking system—an excuse the SAR government and its propaganda machines kept telling people of Hong Kong in the first five years until the theory, like a piece of raw pork-chop left well beyond its expiry date, had to be thrown out of the fridge.
We Hong Kong people are more tolerant with political novices. If things don’t work out, let’s hope someone will just make a special offer of a banana to Obama a la Mad Dog.
Labels: Politically Incorrect, 陶傑
posted by Gemini Saga at 12:00 AM
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