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Note: This article represents the view of the author and not the University of Hong Kong.

While the HKSAR Government was still pondering what to do with the outbreak of atypical pneumonia, with its senior officials all being reticent about the genesis of the disease so as not to displease the Beijing leaders, the Mainland Government unexpectedly announced the high-profile sacking of Health Minister Zhang Wenkang and Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong on April 20, as an exemplary move against the common practice of facts-hiding and deception.

The determination of the Beijing leaders not only benefits its people's well being, but has also won the wholehearted applause of many Hong Kong compatriots.

According to a regular survey conducted by the Public Opinion Programme (POP) directed by the author, Hong Kong people's trust in the Beijing Central Government has overtaken that of the HKSAR Government since October 2001. In mid-February this year, the two figures were 41% and 31% respectively. However, by April 16 to 17, after the outbreak of atypical pneumonia, the gap between them has already narrowed down to 28% and 27% respectively. This clearly shows that the SARS epidemic has already eroded people's faith in the Beijing Government, let alone the HKSAR Government.

Nonetheless, after the harsh punishment on the two officials for their grave dereliction of duty, the Beijing leaders have managed to turn the corner. Figures obtained from a survey conducted by POP on April 22 revealed that Hong Kong people's trust in the Central Government has rebounded. Although the difference was somewhat not statistically significant, analyzed together with other relevant questions, it became crystal clear that the public mood has already turned the other way.

People's confidence in Hong Kong's future and China's future is one fine example to demonstrate this. According to the findings of mid-February, only 42% of the people said they were confident in Hong Kong's future, whereas as high as 83% were confident in China's future. Between April 16 and 17, the figures have dropped to 35% to 74% respectively, but they swung back to 36% and 78% respectively on April 22. People's confidence in China's future has undoubtedly been strengthened by the dismissal incident.

To put it this way, although the determination of the Beijing Government could bring short-term woes to the realms of politics and economy, from the angle of public opinion, the Beijing Central Government has already outperformed the HKSAR Government, in terms of people's trust in the leadership core and their confidence in future development.

Beijing leaders' decision to straighten up the bureaucracy and pick up a practical and realistic style is very much in line with the wishes and mindset of the Hong Kong people. Now that the political culture of China is drawing closer to Hong Kong's, people's confidence in the "one country, two systems" formulation has naturally increased. Overwhelmed by the sackings of Zhang and Meng, Hong Kong people's confidence in "one country, two systems" has swiftly jumped by 7 percentage points, from 46% to 53%.

Zhang Wenkang was reportedly dismissed because of his poor leadership and not accurately reporting the figures over the epidemic. However, it was a retired doctor from Military 301 Hospital, Jiang Yanyong, who first unveiled Zhang's fraud. Had it not been for Dr Jiang's courage, coupled with western media's extensive coverage, and WHO's serious concern, and the open-mindedness of our Central leaders, the story would have been very different.

Hong Kong people should now be wondering with a quiet sigh: Why is our respectable leader not braver than a retired doctor? Why is our local media always under the lash? Why is our society incapable of anchoring firmly in the world? Why is our leading team becoming more and more conservative and old-fashioned?

The people in the "city of life" used to be dynamic and restlessly adventurous. Alas, under such incompetent governance, they are either crawling like slugs, or hibernating in a stagnant pond with their many gifts and talents restricted from giving full play. Via battling against atypical pneumonia, the professionalism of our medical experts, the first-rate achievement in the biological and medical fronts, the fact-finding belief of the news media, as well as the global vision of the whole society, could indeed have given a fresh impetus to the door-opening process of Mainland China, thereby letting "one country, two systems" function to the full.

To our dismay, between a misgivings-loaded HKSAR Government and a highly determined Beijing Central Government, we have already lost the advantages we once owned for aligning ourselves with the world. Should we not revive ourselves and take some bold moves now, the many Hong Kong symbols, like the deep magenta bauhinia, the rainbow flying dragon and the Chinese White Dolphin, just to name a few, would sadly become our reminiscences soon.