Just an excuse to snipe?

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Henry Lui, Sha Tin College
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Henry Lui, Sha Tin College |
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People protest against the government's decision to deny HKTV a licence.
The government's decision to deny Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV) a free-to-air TV licence has caused quite a ripple in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of people have got off their couches and taken to the streets to "defend Hong Kong's core values".

But what is the real issue? Are we bothered about this decision, or is it that we have issues with the Hong Kong government as a whole?

The public's dissatisfaction with the current administration is obvious. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's approval rating is very low - much like a certain pop artist and her construction equipment. In a University of Hong Kong poll, Leung popularity's was at 44 out of 100 points, the second lowest since he took office last year. It is not difficult to believe that people are waiting for a chance to take another swing at the government.

This is not the first time Ricky Wong Wai-kay, chairman of HKTV, has been in the public spotlight. In 2008, local newspapers criticised Wong for his less-than-polite comments about a contestant in that year's Miss Asia Pageant. He was an ATV executive at the time, and he left the company after just 12 days.

Five years later, the public and the media seem to think he's a hero.

It's no secret that we've seen better times. When things were better in Hong Kong and people were happier, we cared less about the actions of our government.

All this might lead one to think that our reaction to denying HKTV a free-to-air TV licence was more a matter of our displeasure towards the government rather than the reason behind the rejection. We are unhappy about the way our leaders are handling certain issues, we are unhappy with the economic environment, and we want to express our discontent.

This might not be the case, however. Many people may be unhappy because they want to watch HKTV's shows. Others might think the central government influenced the thumbs-down for HKTV.

I am as much of a fan of the government as I am of Miley Cyrus. I have never agreed with Leung's decisions from the very beginning, but I do believe people are using this issue as another excuse to express their general discontent. Our leaders have disappointed us to the point that we instantly disagree with everything our administration does. Do we really care why only two TV licences were granted and not three? Do we really care about Wong, who was once a hated figure, and his loss? The answer will never be clear.

 

You might also like:

- Op-Ed: With the situation surrounding the rejection of HKTV's application for a licence, once again citizens are questioning whether they can trust Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying or not.

- Talking points: What don't we like about Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying?

- Op-Ed: Alpais Lam's case was a clear illustration of the importance of how citizen journalism and social media could help uncover the truth.

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