Who is not on the Bauhinia award list?

July 27, 2022 10:21
Photo: China Daily

A record number of people made to the Bauhinia Honours List of public service this year.

A total of 493 people were honoured as members of the community and public servants who have made significant contributions to the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic but still some who frequently showed up in media are missing.

To begin with, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, a media darling who showed up in the public health press conference for over two years since COVID-19 started.

The head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong offered words of caution and assurance almost every day at 430pm did not make it to the 2022 honour list but she was made Justice of Peace 10 years ago.

Dr Chuang is the public face of the government’s pandemic fight as she was credited for delivering unambiguous messages in a clear and unusually calm way.

To be fair, none of her colleagues on the daily report team including Dr Ho Yuen-ha and Dr Lau Ka-hin made it to the list.

Among the medical commentators on the pandemic missing from the list, Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist who won public trust for his scientific and speak-his-mind approach, was already awarded Gold Bauhinia in 2018.

Gabriel Leung, former dean of the HKU Medical School and an epidemiologist, was not honored but he had already received a Gold Bauhinia Star when he served as the Undersecretary for Food and Health in 2012.

Instead, three vocal medical specialists – Ivan Hung, Wallace Lau and Lau Yu-lung – all from the University of Hong Kong made to the list of Bauhinia Bronze with their contributions in the pandemic.

Also on the list of Justice of Peace were the Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor David Hui and Hospital Authority Chief Executive Tony Ko.

An unusual name still stood out. Uncle Ray Cordeiro, the world’s most durable disc jockey, made it to the list after his famous TV ad for taking vaccination in mid-90s. His testimonial came at a time when many Hong Kong elderlies were skeptical of vaccination.

Bravo!

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EJ Insight writer