Was it just another minor incident of tourists being stranded abroad (say, in a situation similar to the breakdown of services in an airport troubled by a severe snowstorm)? Or rather it was a case of emergency? Should it be left to the broadly defined market to take care of these unforeseen matters? Or rather it should be a government initiative of coming to the rescue? Quite true, the fine line between being unresponsive and over-reacting is not that easy to draw. Yet, it is the top officials' responsibility, irrespective of their final decision, to take action swiftly and to draw the line. Hesitation is the last, and least desirable, option.

But apparently the HKSAR Government hesitated. Blunders followed. First, it failed to get it messages across. The rationale for its action, or rather inaction, was never clearly spelled out. Surely an ambiguous message would not convince the public. Second, it failed to give a reasonable assessment of the political situation in Thailand. By the time our officials explained to the media that, in view of potentials of escalation of violent confrontation in Bangkok, government-chartered flights would be arranged to bring the stranded Hong Kong tourists back home, the opposition in Thailand was about to vacate and to celebrate their victory. The delayed change in course of government response from inaction to action was totally embarrassed by the end of the airport siege in Bangkok.

The crux of the matter is political judgment. Our top officials espouse the belief that, which most of the time is more of an image than a reputation with any substance, the bureaucracy of our government runs like a machine, with its strength in dealing with day-to-day issue, be it a small matter requiring its notice or that of a crisis, at the operational level. In other words, the key competence of our government is believed to fall in the areas of administration and operation. However, in real life situations, the attempt to avoid making political judgment and to confine issues at stake to the administrative and operational levels would necessarily be a kind of wishful thinking. The HKSAR Government is expected by the public to be capable of making judgment. Avoidance of making such judgment is one of the main reasons for the government's failure in handling the Bangkok airport saga.