License drama: Worsening politicalization in the city

Chief Executive (CE) Leung Chun-ying stressed on Oct 22 in the Executive Council (ExCo) that there was no political consideration in the free-to-air television broadcast license decision that denied Hong Kong Television Network's (HKTV) application.迷你倉 Ricky Wong Wai-kay, HKTV chairman, has vowed to apply for a judicial review and the case is set for court; I won't comment on that here. However, the drama is accelerating the phenomena of so-called "politicalization" in Hong Kong, and its effects on local politics can't be ignored.Politicalization means that something of nonpolitical nature is colored by politics, injected or added with political elements, and entangled in politics.On Oct 18, only three days after the broadcast license decision, local media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, announced that his free newspaper Sharp Daily would close on Oct 21. Lai's decision is of obvious economic nature: first, the paper had suffered heavy losses since 2011; second, its holding company, Next Media, had accumulated heavy losses of over HK$1.1 billion in the past three years. Nevertheless, Lai's decision also has political intent and purpose. By cutting losses to enhance his profitable media operations, Lai consolidates his operation's long-running support of the "pan-democracy" camp.Regretfully, too many Hongkongers are stressing the rationality of the license decision and overdrawing the decision's effects on the two television companies that already have the free-to-air television broadcast licenses. So far, the mainstream local media isn't at the beck and call of the "Love Nation, Love HK" camp. Even though the two companies might get so-called "protection benefits" from the decision, the opposition camp intentionally aggrandized its effects in order to instigate malice against the pro-establishment camp. In the long run, the license decision has a more important political implication — that is to restructure the local media, not only traditional newspapers, broadcasts and television, but also newly emerging multimedia, via cable or wireless Internet, thereby reshaping the city's political landscape.At present, though the license decision has no political consideration its waves smack of political colors and smells. Last week, thousands of HKTV supporters gathered at SAR government headquarters, upholding "Justice and Freedom". The CE and his henchmen s儲存emed psychologically underprepared in the face of such public reaction. Even when the CE announced on Oct 17 that public consultation on constitutional development in 2016 and 2017 would kick off by the end of this year — the territory's most important political development — people's focus hardly shifted from the license drama. The opposition wasted no time turning the public demonstration into a new governance crisis.The ruling team has become visibly divided in the wake of the license decision. Local media reported on Oct 17 that Eden Lam Woon-kwong, Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun and Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, three non-official members in ExCo, all said "No" to the decision, but the CE made the final decision without vote casting.That Lam and Ip opposed the decision isn't unusual given their respective records of saying "No" to government policies. More surprising was Fanny Law criticizing the decision in public on Oct 23, and openly expressing regret for the way in which the CE had in a statement pre-empted the license decision one week earlier. Law is one of Leung's intimate friends and one of his faithful political assistants. She has boldly and openly given Leung her full political support since she headed his campaign in the CE election. So, Law's latest behavior has triggered speculation as to whether or not she will abandon Leung's ship.On Oct 26, some local newspapers reported that Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok and the Secretary for Transport and Housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung advised Leung at the ruling team's morning meeting to give HKTV a license, but it was rejected again by the CE. It seems the current governance crisis won't easily end.It is understandable the CE downplayed political considerations in the license decision. But undoubtedly, Hong Kong's political situation is further complicating and worsening. Everything is being politicalized. Amid such an atmosphere, how can the SAR government carry on its public consultation on constitutional development?The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.It is understandable the CE downplayed political considerations in the license decision. But undoubtedly, Hong Kong's political situation is further complicating and worsening. Everything is being politicalized. Amid such an atmosphere, how can the SAR government carry on its public consultation on constitutional development?"mini storage