DEMAND FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Ironically, embracing the group’s four demands could fortify Hong Kong’s post-crisis footing.
The government has already acquitted itself admirably on relief: temporary housing mobilised overnight, HK$10,000 emergency cash payment per household, HK$200,000 solidarity payments to bereaved families, and HK$50,000 living allowances for survivors, among other grants and subsidies for the injured, students, workers at the apartment complex and foreign domestic helpers.
On Tuesday, Mr Lee ordered an independent committee to be set up to probe the blaze’s origins, initiate “systematic reform” to prevent similar tragedies.
He also said the committee would be chaired by a judge to ensure credibility and would review not just how construction work was conducted or the safety standards of materials, but also systemic issues such as conflicts of interest and corruption. Mr Lee pledged to make the investigation reports public.
To reclaim trust, Mr Lee could also empanel independent experts – academics, engineers, fire safety specialists – and give them a clear mandate to propose ironclad reforms and mete out justice without delay.
Accountability’s net has started to close. Authorities have collared 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter, including three from the prime contractor Prestige Construction & Engineering, while the Independent Commission Against Corruption separately probes possible corruption and shoddy materials.
Prestige’s ledger is damning: convicted twice for safety breaches in a 2023 Mid-Levels project, per Labour Department files. Astonishingly, it helmed 28 other residential builds – now halted amid “a lack of confidence ” over its ability to ensure safety. There will be scrutiny over how a serial offender amassed all these contracts.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/hong-kong-fire-death-toll-cause-committee-china-5526611
