Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Ajero: It can be done By Antonio M. Ajero The sentry post
HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HSAR) celebrated the 10th anniversary of its handover from the British to the rulers of mainland China.
When the handover occurred on July 1, 1997, nobody gave the city a Chinaman's chance to succeed.
Many of the world's biggest firms left the city and relocated their regional headquarters mostly to Singapore.
They were all proved wrong as Hong Kong today continues to be one of the most progressive cities of the world. It has been able to survive the difficult years of the Asian financial crisis and the terrible SARS epidemic in 2003.
Hong Kong's success reportedly caused former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to voice her regrets over the handover a decade ago.
In her first interview for almost five years, the 81-year-old told BBC about her sadness over not being able to persuade China's late leader Deng Xiaoping to let Britain extend its lease on parts of the colony.
In its July 9,2007 issue, Fortune magazine virtually apologized for saying the handover would spell Hong Kong's death as an international commercial and financial hub.
In an advance cover story about the then impending handover, Fortune's "The Death of Hong Kong" (June 29, 1995) predicted that under Chinese rule Hong Kong would lose it role as the financial and commercial hub in this part of the world.
Citizens credit Hong Kong's economic success to their "freedoms, good governance, strong rule of law, low levels of corruption and value of life" among others.
Observers say Deng Xiaoping's "one country, two systems" model has worked both for Hong Kong, and its other special administrative region, Macau. Under the unique setup, Hong Kong and Macau are allowed to enjoy economic and political freedoms in a democracy, while being under the control of communist China.
Ramon M. Maxey, this paper's editorialist and columnist, turned a year older last Sunday. At 85, he could be the world's oldest working journalist today. My compadre was born to an American father and a Mandaya mother on August 12, 1922 in Surigao City.
Ram shares birthdays with such greats as Cecil B. DeMille, director of The Ten Commandments and the Greatest Show on Earth who would have been 126 years old were he alive today; John Derek, the actor husband of movie sex goddesses Ursula Andres and Bo Derek, who would have been 81; George Hamilton, the Hollywood actor friend of the Imeldific who turned 68; and Pete Sampras, 36, the colorful tennis champion.
While about half of his more than a dozen brothers and sisters opted to settle and die in the United States, Ram preferred to be pure Filipino, refusing to list up as a war veteran and enjoy the benefits, arguing it was his duty to defend his country in time of war, not expecting to be paid in whatever way in return. He has not yet gone to the USA.
Aside from Flor Ranido of the Mindanao Daily Mirror, Ram is the only other senior journalist in Davao who has a diploma of journalism. Ram got his from the Far Eastern University, while Flor, who is in his 70's, from the University of Sto. Tomas.
By the way, two journalists who became quite close to me wrote "30" almost the same week recently. They were Bert Pacate of Tandag, Surigao del Sur and Pons Basan of Davao City. Bert and Pons used to write columns for Sun.Star Davao. They were both in their mid 60's. So long, my friends.
