Political Animal
A hidden message in the seating plan?
The fight against climate change that was promoted vigorously by Margaret Beckett might well be a noble cause but the British foreign secretary left some Hong Kong legislators unhappy that it obscured the cause of democratisation during her visit. The seating plan for a lunch with the minister also left some guests wondering whether it reflected their parties' latest international standing.
Lee Wing-tat, former chairman of the Democratic Party, said he was disappointed with Mrs Beckett's repetition of Britain's 'routine' line: that it wished to see universal suffrage introduced as soon as possible. At the other end of the spectrum, Choy So-yuk, the only legislator from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, complained that she got no chance to speak to Mrs Beckett because she was asked to sit at a side table, next to Mr Lee. 'I actually changed my appointment schedule to come to this lunch,' Ms Choy said.
Civic Party leader Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, however, found the gathering 'quite positive'. Well, she might, as she had plenty of opportunity to talk to the minister, being seated on Mrs Beckett's left, with Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun on the other side. 'I even updated Mrs Beckett on the latest developments of the Queen's Pier's demolition,' Ms Eu said.
Teetotallers cross political divide
Lu Ping's handover anniversary interview has revived long-held secrets and dusted-off memories among key players who helped shape Hong Kong's future two decades ago. Democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming remembered how he managed to make friends with the former Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office chief, just because they were invariably placed at the same dining table and both didn't drink. 'We were similar in that sense,' said Mr Lee. Former executive councillor Allen Lee Peng-fei confessed he did not know there was such an agency in Beijing when asked to meet Mr Lu in 1979.
Just a smokescreen for Rafael Hui
One thing you can be sure of, in the manoeuvring over who will join Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's next government, nothing is ever what it seems. Rumours in the past couple of months have been fairly unanimous that Rafael Hui Si-yan does not want to stay on as chief secretary. He's even booked himself and his wife on the first flight to Japan after the inauguration, hasn't he? Now we're told it's all a smokescreen raised by people close to the chief secretary and Mr Hui would very much like to stay on as the No2 official. 'Mr Hui is quite keen to stay on. But he and his aides have to keep on saying he wants to quit so as to relieve the pressure on him, particularly possible attacks from forces eyeing the job,' a government source said. The source described Mr Hui's tactic as a classic example of 'retreating in order to advance'. There's more. 'I think among the people on the political stage, Mr Hui is the most qualified person to succeed Donald Tsang as chief executive in 2012,' the source said.
Anson Chan too clever to take the bait
She might have retired from the daily cut and thrust of political life but former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang showed yesterday her skills are undimmed. She refused to take the bait when pan-democrats tried to lead her into denouncing her former government subordinates during a Legco meeting on constitutional reform. 'I have infinite patience,' Mrs Chan said, when Democrat Albert Chan Wai-yip tried to draw her out on why officials - 'people who did not even have the rank to help carry your briefcase' - dismissed Mrs Chan's proposal to broaden the electorate base for Legco in 2008 as not viable.
