Curb couriers to win back people’s heart

HK Opinion H03	China Daily Hong Kong Edition	Victor Fung Keung 2012-09-26
Curb couriers to win back people’s heart
Hong Kong people are patriotic and easy-going. They just want to enjoy the quiet, peaceful life. People get angry when their quiet lifestyle is disrupted. When the government announced the plan to issue multiple-entry permits to thousands of transient, migrant workers in Shenzhen to visit Hong Kong, Many local people were irritated, because the more lenient restrictions would mean throngs of more mainland tourists on Hong Kong’s streets. Fortunately this plan was shelved. Then another ugly picture emerged: parallel traders who swamp the shops in Sheung Shui, pushing retail prices at least 10 percent higher in that border town. The traders block traffic, flood train carriages with their goods, without even a wink as they violate Hong Kong’s immigration laws in a most blatant way. When they repackage goods at a factory in Sheung Shui, such as red wine and powdered milk, their activity is tantamount to working in Hong Kong. Shenzhen residents, who account for the bulk of the parallel traders, are given multiple-entry permits to visit Hong Kong but not to work here or carry on business here! Sheung Shui residents became outraged and took to the streets to confront the parallel traders. The Hong Kong government should crack down hard on these traders, who profit by importing goods from Hong Kong to the mainland without paying import duties. Based on press reports, these 3,000-odd traders are well-organized and apparently controlled by one or even several syndicates. They are well-organized into groups of buyers, packagers and couriers. The writing is on the wall that they are controlled and employed by consortia. The Hong Kong police should arrest and charge the masterminds of these consortia who employ hundreds of parallel traders. Sending a signal of zero tolerance is important to weeding out such trades. It will at least have a deterrent effect on those who ignore the law in Hong Kong, something the local people cherish. At the same time, our Chief Executive should ask for help from the mainland authorities, particularly those in Beijing since they have no ties to residents in Shenzhen. Only when Beijing intervenes in this parallel trade disarray will we have a chance to eliminate the money-making, law-breaching enterprise. In a sense, parallel trading is equivalent to smuggling. Some Hong Kong people already harbor negative sentiments against mainland visitors. This parallel trade fiasco will only exacerbate ill-feelings toward mainlanders visiting Hong Kong. Mainlanders already are blamed for pushing up local property prices. We should try to have gratitude and respect for each other, not hatred. After all, Hong Kong and mainland Chinese belong to one big family. The Chief Executive must try his best to change Hong Kong people’s negative perceptions of mainlanders. The bad feeling will not help Mr Leung’s governance of the territory. Social harmony is what Hong Kong people cherish, not confrontation. We all welcome mainland shoppers who respect our laws. Their spending has helped create jobs and boost the local economy. Additional resources should be allocated to a police task force based in Sheung Shui to disrupt the parallel-trade syndicates’ operations. We must tackle the issue at its roots. To win back Hong Kong people’s hearts and minds, there’s no time for procrastination. Mr Leung, you must walk the talk. The author is coordinator of the B.S.Sc in financial journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University.