Stuart Wolfendale

 I don’t think the gleeful stridency of the television news reports or the massive coverage by the press of the ‘doomed’, ‘disastrous’ , ‘debacle’ of a  system quite did justice to the scale of the disaster.

Even public figures involved failed to register sufficient outrage. Andrew Chan of the Legco Panel on tourism, who always seems to want punish people severely, stopped  short of asking for the execution of the Skyrail management. Stephen Ip, minister responsible for the cable car and likely increasingly uneasy over who was going to take the fall for signing off on this fantasy to start with, suffixed all his assurance to the English press with a falsetto  “Okay?”James Tien of the Tourist Board, who normally likes detailed knowledge of events before they take place, seemed very happy for the Chairman of the MTR to just send round the precise causes of the accident the following morning with his driver.

But was it an accident? My personal view is that it was sabotage by a person or flying saucers unknown. Apart from passing UFOs, envious of the strong streak of unreality in the 360, the most obvious suspect is Alan Zeman, Chairman of Ocean Park and operator of his own rival cable car who had plenty of reason to be out there in the dark with a hacksaw. However, hundreds of witnesses can testify that he was seen at the time roaming Lan Kwai Fong checking his restaurants’ takings, clearly a more pressing priority than climbing up a pylon with a tool between your teeth.

The most likely suspects are the hundreds of customers who have already been  stranded with straining bladders for hours on 360 during  previous stoppages.Of course, no tourist will ever again come to Hong Kong after this. It’s all they ever knew about the place and all they wanted to see. 89% of tourists who arrived at Chek Lap Kok went immediately to the 360, took the ride and went straight back to the airport. An amazing 99.43% of all Mainland tourists who successfully broke out of penal shopping tours made it to the 360 and then went home.

I am very glad that I did go on the contraption once, a few months ago, because I have a strong suspicion that no one ever will again. It will be taken down and given away to Guizhou or some such place. Nong Ping Village will be over run by tumbleweed and feral dogs. Starbucks are probably packing their mugs as I write.