Commentary: Hong Kong must demand accountability to rebound after deadly fire
As Hong Kong takes stock of the deep-rooted issues exposed by the flames, it was unavoidable that the deadly Tai Po blaze became politicised, says former SCMP editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei.
by Wang Xiangwei · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
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HONG KONG: The horrendous fire came just as Hong Kong was beginning to believe its worst days were behind it.
Tragedy struck on Nov 26, when flames tore through Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district, engulfing seven high-rise residential towers in a hellish blaze. As of Tuesday (Dec 2), 156 are confirmed dead, with about 40 people still unaccounted for. Hong Kong's deadliest fire in over seven decades has thrust the city into yet another test of resilience.
After the 2019 anti-government upheavals and the grip of COVID-19 restrictions, Asia’s World City has staged a defiant economic revival. Forecasts of terminal decline have proven premature: The battered financial hub is rebounding with vigour. Tourists and dealmakers once again swarm iconic harborside promenades and convention halls.
In the inferno's wake, Hong Kong's indomitable spirit shone through. Over 2,000 firefighters and police officers battled the conflagration for days, their heroism a bulwark against despair. Volunteers ferried water, meals and garments to the displaced. Blood donation queues snaked through streets.
Relief efforts had sheltered more than 1,500 homeless survivors. The support fund for victims reached a staggering HK$1.1 billion (about US$141 million), with the government seeding HK$300 million and private donors – corporations and individuals alike – covering the rest.
What began as routine renovation work turned into a heartbreaking tragedy and exposed fissures in the city's public housing projects and regulatory safeguards.
Yet amid the grief, that this tragedy should turn political is perhaps unavoidable.
PUBLIC FURY
Mere hours after the flames ignited, President Xi Jinping conveyed his deepest condolences, directing central ministries to bolster Hong Kong's rescue efforts.
As the fire made global media headlines, some outlets questioned Hong Kong's governance model and Beijing’s grip on the city, which officials in both cities worry could breed public anger against the local government.
This can be traced back to June 2020, when Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to the 2019 protests' descent into violence. The measure quashed opposition voices, paving the way for a "patriots only" governance model. Proponents hailed it as a pivot from chaos to stability, freeing the administration from political wrangling to prioritise prosperity for the city's 7.6 million residents.
But the scale of the tragedy has made this narrative difficult. Public fury – over apparent oversight lapses over building codes and unchecked renovations – is mounting. Whispers of negligence are amplifying calls for further scrutiny.
Compounding the strain, Hong Kong's national security apparatus has swung pre-emptively. On Saturday, police detained university student Miles Kwan on suspicion of inciting sedition.
Local reports detailed how Kwan and associates formed the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Fire Concern Group, launching an online petition that outlined four demands: robust victim support, a review of construction oversight, an independent inquiry commission and accountability for officials. He was reportedly released on bail and no formal charges have been filed.
The move dovetailed with a stern warning from the Office for Safeguarding National Security, decrying "anti-China forces" and "malicious actors" for peddling falsehoods, undermining rescue operations, and fomenting division against authorities and Chief Executive John Lee.
Such tactics, even if intended as deterrence, risk backfiring.
Security officials may have their own reasons to act. The 2019 protests began with legitimate grievances over a flawed policy to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland but escalated into broader demonstrations against the government.
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.
GRENFELL’S LESSON – DON’T DELAY JUSTICE
Rushing to judgment is folly: The probe must unfold methodically, and accountability must be pursued to win back trust.
Beijing's playbook offers a model – and a warning. The central government routinely disciplines provincial brass for disasters claiming many lives, from mine collapses to bridge failures, in the name of taking overall responsibility. Punishments range from demerits to demotions.
Hong Kong would do well to heed London's experience with Grenfell Tower, a chilling parallel. In 2017, flames devoured a 24-story public housing block in West London, killing 72 in Britain's worst residential blaze since World War II.
At the time, there were calls for anyone held responsible for the disaster to be quickly brought to justice. But the process has been protracted, with a lengthy public inquiry wrapping last year and criminal charges against key figures unlikely to surface until late 2026, nearly a decade post-tragedy.
The Tai Po fire has laid bare some deep-rooted issues. Hong Kong must probe deeply, reform boldly and hold the culpable to account.
Only then can the flames forge a stronger, fairer Hong Kong – resilient not just in rebound, but in reckoning.
Wang Xiangwei is a former Editor-in-Chief of South China Morning Post. He now teaches journalism at Hong Kong Baptist University.
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