Hong Kong’s former chief secretary Henry Tang distance himself from niece’s viral poem on Hong Kong protests
Henry Tang: It doesn’t reflect my political stand
Hong Kong’s former chief secretary was quick to distance himself from a poem posted by his niece in social media that went viral. The poem was expressing support towards the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Henry Tang’s office explained, what Stefani Kuo, the daughter of his brother in law, expressed in her poem piece is a matter of “personal opinion” and does not reflect the stand of Mr Tang or his family in general.
2047
The poem Kuo wrote was titled “2047.” A video of her reading the poem went viral on social media after being posted by the group New Yorkers Supporting Hong Kong. It is not clear if Kuo was a member of the group or her video was just used to deliver the same sentiments the group has.
The six-minute video mentioned key controversies within the seven-month protest in Hong Kong. Unfortunate events include the death of students Alex Chow and Chan Yin-Lam, attacks on university campuses and other violence-related incidents during the span of the protest.
Stefani Kuo is the granddaughter of Hong Kong’s 20th-century textile businessman, Stanley Kuo.
Henry Tang got married to Lisa Kuo, Stefani’s aunt, which affiliates Tang to the Kuo family.
Stefani is a graduate from Yale University; she is currently a New York-based playwright, actress, poet, and a member of the writer’s group Interstate 73 with Page 73.
I wanted to write a beautiful poem, but another student has died. I have watched countless videos of cracked skulls and broken bones, taunted citizens, and innocent screams.
Is it a matter of international concern?
In the poem, Kuo also criticized the United States for not supporting the call for democracy in HongKong. Neither the United Nations was spared from the backlash of Kuo’s poem, for not standing up against China.
The US is a country founded on freedom and democracy. Why does it lay in bed with a communist regime in China?
These are strong words coming from Kuo, pointing out the inaction from the US on the Hong Kong crisis.
Kuo is continuously gaining support from protestors and the international community that believes with the same cause as she is.
There are two sides to the story of the Hong Kong crisis.
The international community is usually dependent on what social media portrays and traditional media reports.
The poem is from the standpoint of someone who lives miles away from Hong Kong. It might be the reason why Henry Tang chooses to distance himself since maybe as a Hong Konger, he has a different point of view.
What do you think?
