Smarter Governance a Must for Hong Kong as a Smart City

Dr. G Wednesday, October 1, 2014

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Smarter  Governance  for  the  new  Smart  City  of  Hong  Kong  

After the dusts from Occupied Central have settled, will we see a Hong Kong that is ready for the future, or will we see a Hong Kong that is still being held in limbo with thoughts on governance that is antiquated? A Smart City requires Smart Governance.

Democracy at one point in time was deemed to be one of the most innovative systems created by humankind. It ranks up there with the compass, gunpowder, and landing on the moon. This way of governing has been the backbone for the majority of the societies

Dr. G Wednesday, October 1, 2014

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because it allows the society to present, discuss, debate, then come to a consensus on key decisions that would affect everyone who’s part of this changing society. And this process has worked, albeit sometimes slowly and inefficiently, in many civilized societies. In Hong Kong, this has worked rather ineffectively because of the systems we have inherited, added on by the many patches we have tried to throw on, including the ministerial system that is contributing to the problem and less as a solution these days. Our legislature is close to ineffective as a law-making machine and by the time a law or policy is passed, it runs counter to new directions in the society that has already taken its course. Our Chief Executive (CE) appears aloft and disconnected with the dialogues that is taking place. Many of our functional constituencies represent legacy industries that have faded in glory and new industry cannot see the light of day due to factional self-interest and we wondered why our youth are occupying Central. Our system of governance has not kept up with the pace of changes in our society. The way in which we have applied democracy has not considered connectivity, the need for Smart Citizens, and the power of technology where citizens can instantly vote on any issues and come to a position before our leaders can sit down and formally meet. We have understood, and now must come to accept that a modern complex society comprises of a diversity of interests and individuals and that getting them to work together requires a new paradigm shift in how we govern ourselves. And this is much more than the current thinking in democracy or even the so-called International Best Practices. Organizations and societies are increasingly moving away from the “command and control” type of structure, to a more “cultivate and coordinate” model of governance using technology and through connectivity. Modern governance is very much about the process of making, and informing decisions, quickly and a complex society will have many means in which joint decisions are made. In fact, one of the eight pre-requisites for a Smart City is Smart Governance. Is Hong Kong ready for Smart Governance and is this paradigm shift in thinking necessary for the next phase of development in democracy in the era of technology and connectivity? Have we been asking the right questions? And asking the CE to step down is not the right question. The consequence presents more problems and doesn’t address the real issue. Smart Governance means that government leaders can no longer rely on old ways of thinking about leadership because its citizens are no

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longer disconnected from the world and are increasingly becoming independent thinkers, working collectively and self-organizing. The Government is not in control; neither is the people who have staged Occupied Central. New groups are emerging, as they should in a chaotic situation. Emergent constituencies are a given. Smart Governance means decisions are made quickly and decisively; and as much as possible, decisions are made locally where authority, accountability, and interests are aligned. Hong Kong is no longer just a trading hub, but the coming together of ideals, innovation, and the making of new markets. Hong Kong society has become much more open, and as in the world of open innovation where Mozilla Firefox are created and owned by global citizens, Hong Kong is now an “Open” Society and increasingly being owned by Hong Kong citizens living in Hong Kong and abroad. The current situation is a sad case of irony. Underneath all the hypes, we know Beijing wants change. What they have done in “corporate” governance in recent decades has probably done more in propelling China to the world’s stage than any other action. Hong Kong is now ready for change in “civil” governance, but somehow our leaders in Hong Kong still practice antiquated governance and believe Alibaba is just a one-off event. Dr. G. Professor of Governance, Leadership, and Innovation