The fire undercuts the government’s insistence it can cater to people’s needs without giving them a greater say.

By Christian Shepherd, Rudy Lu and Lyric Li | The Washington Post

For the original article this summary is based on, see the publisher’s website here.

Summary by Probe International

In the wake of the devastating blaze that tore through a cramped Hong Kong apartment complex killing at least 128 people, this piece published by the Washington Post reflects on Beijing’s framing of the narrative: the city’s new political order as a means to restore stability and address public discontent over economic inequality and ineffective governance.

These pressing issues (affordability, housing, governance) will be leveraged by the official narrative from China and portrayed as the root of public discontent, asserts the Post.

The leadership in Beijing will view the Wang Fuk Court fire as a failure of local authorities rather than a reflection of its own priorities, Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London, tells the Post. “The more they can say it is a local government matter, the more they can deflect blame from themselves,” said Tsang.

As investigations continue, the cause of the fire remains undetermined, and focus has shifted to whether construction materials met safety standards. Concerns have been raised about the use of bamboo scaffolding, plastic mesh safety netting, and solid foam window covers, which may have exacerbated the fire’s spread. Analysts cited by the Post warn that blaming these materials could backfire, as it may appear to the public that the government is deflecting attention from the underlying issues that led to the disaster.

As a result of tensions, the Post notes local elections scheduled for December 7 may be postponed to prevent the recent tragedy from affecting voter turnout and choices, particularly in the Tai Po constituency where the fire occurred.

The Post argues Beijing will seize on the current moment to create further distance from the events of 2020, when China quashed large-scale pro-democracy protests with the implementation of sweeping national security laws that restricted election candidates in the former British colony to “patriots” approved by Beijing.