LOOKING AT HONG KONG’S FUTURE POSITIVELY

We had an email last week from a group of students and young designers who wished to show what racing in Hong Kong might look like in 30 years time.

Along with this, they wanted to show what Hong Kong might look like in 30 years time- and which would be interesting to say the least.

Later that evening we were with some Hong Kong Belongers who asked what the Hong Kong Government does with all the taxes the HKJC pays for the “privilege” of organizing horse racing meetings.

We are the first to admit that we have no idea how it works, but from what we know, this money is ploughed back into benefitting and enriching the lives of the people of Hong Kong.

CENTRAL POLICE STATION

All this falls under the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and, over the years, we don’t believe the work of this organization has been given the credit and the “media space” it deserves.

Despite building hospitals, schools, supporting the arts, helping the elderly, helping to improve the environment and many other projects, there lies this stigma of the HKJC being perceived as Hong Kong’s “official bookie.”

The Government, which gladly takes from the HKJC, should right this misconception.

It should be their duty.

Instead, they sit on their backsides being hypocritical, old school and sanctimonious.

We are approaching 2012 and the word “gambling” was been erased from the vocabulary of many.

Today, it’s all about online gaming- which sounds far more respectable and technology-driven.

Even saying one has been to a casino sounds “respectable.”

But, to some, horse racing still conjures up some very negative imagery.

We think these people have not gone out much and are living their lives wearing blinkers.

Horse racing has come a very long way from the amateur days of jockeys like Kenny Kwok and Cheng Tai-chee.

It has moved on from the dark shadow cast by the so-called Shanghai Syndicate, and characters like Peter Miers, Gary Moore and the “fall guy” for all that was David Brosnan.

Much of that murky past seems to have gone to live in Macau and grow like fungi under the Macau Jockey Club.

We have an astute German running the Hong Kong Jockey Club- and thank gawd for that.

We have seen what “localization” has done and what has happened to Hong Kong since the Handover in 1997.

“Asia’s World City” has been on a downhill slide ever since with “leaders” like Tung Chee-hwa.

Today, there is “The Donald” and tomorrow, most likely “Horseface” Henry Tang.

Gawd help us all.

Surrounding them are equally inept legislative counsillors and rural leaders like former Hong Kong Champion Trainer Brian Kan ping-chee.

And we all know what happened to him recently.

This brings us back to the Hong Kong Jockey Club and horse racing.

Both are like the late American comedian Rodney Dangerfield whose punch line was, “I never get any respect around here.”

Hong Kong needs to start up all over again.

No matter what anyone says, there has been a brain drain.

The creativity which snapped, crackled and popped in the eighties in advertising, movies and entrepreneurialism is nowhere to be found.

Just look at those who have titles today of Creative Director, or Head Of Marketing or Brand Manager.

They are total tossers with no creativity in their DNA.

Plus, Singapore is opening its doors and making it easy for people to come in there, setup shop and do business.

And many are taking up their offer.

Singapore is already the international media hub of Asia.

HBO, CNN, CNBC, MTV etc, they are all there.

Singapore’s nightlife and concert scene makes the monthly gigs in Hong Kong look and sound like wet farts.

What’s Hong Kong “USP”? Greedy landlords, fools who will pay absurd big bucks for cubicles and rents gone outta whack with reality.

It’s come down to the Haves and the Have-Nots and with the former frequenting way over-priced and average restaurants like Sevva and Tosca.

Showing “face” can be an expensive and full-time job.

If Hong Kong has one bona fide USP, it is horse racing.

No other racing club comes within sniffing distance of the HKJC.

At the same time, the HKJC is more than “just racing”- although it helps pay the bills to do more for the public at large.

It can also do far more if the government removes the shackles from the Club and allows something called co-mingling to happen.

But if you’re not following horse racing, you would not know how this works.

Pity- because you should and realize what Kong Kong is losing out by the government running its own internal “Just Say No” campaign.

It is buffoonery at its most Monty Pythonesque, “Yes, Minister” and “Fawlty Towers” level.

In a nutshell, if the government allows the HKJC and the co-mingling of bets, all of Hong Kong benefits.

There will be more of everything.

Far more than those dullards running local organizations like InvestHK, BrandHK and CreateHK are doing.

Listen to head of CreateHK speak.

Tell us if you know what the hell the man is waffling on about.

While all this is going on, the HKJC carries on carrying Hong Kong.

It’s something we must all realize- the work of this club CARRIES Hong Kong.

At one time, there was going to be an advertising campaign which would have shown what Hong Kong would NOT have without the financial support of the HKJC.

It was shelved.

Perhaps it should be “de-shelved”.

More than anything else, the government should remove the shackles from the HKJC.

It has been Kunta Kinte for too long.

And at a time when Hong Kong needs a new injection of creativity, this is where horse racing- and the taxes from the sport- can help.

In the meantime, show us what you think horse racing and Hong Kong might look like in, let’s say, 2050.

It might be something which the HKJC will support.

It will also be something positive to think about and work on rather than bitching about rents and a stubborn government which the public does not understand nor trusts.