Gaffe leaves Tsang dangerously exposed
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has kept his head down since his remarks on the June 4 crackdown caused a storm of criticism. Asked by reporters on Friday about his response to the June 4 candle-light vigil, Mr Tsang grinned but said nothing.
The government's terse response to the vigil was already clear from the words of Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung, when he was asked to comment shortly after it ended on Thursday night. Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen repeated them the following day: Hong Kong was a pluralistic society and the government respected freedom of speech and assembly. Asked why the government had refused dissidents entry to the city, Mr Tang said he would not comment on individual cases.
With no sign anyone is ready to forgive and forget - despite Mr Tsang's swift apology for his remarks last month - the chief executive and his team are keen not to add fuel to the fire.
Mr Tsang was roundly criticised for saying, when asked in the Legislative Council about the verdict on the protests 20 years ago in Tiananmen Square, that people needed to assess what happened in 1989 in the light of China's subsequent development, and claimed he was speaking for all Hongkongers. The pan-democrat lawmakers walked out of the Legco chamber in protest. Mr Tsang said soon afterwards that he was sorry if his remarks had caused any misunderstanding.
The remarks have proved far more damaging than he or his aides could have imagined. At Thursday's vigil in Victoria Park, the Civic Party was selling T-shirts emblazoned with the words 'Donald Tsang, you don't represent me'. The slogan was one of many the crowd chanted during the annual commemoration of those killed by PLA troops in Beijing on June 4, 1989.
Chinese dissidents including Wang Dan , an exiled former leader of the student protesters, and Ding Zilin of the Tiananmen Mothers movement, have condemned Mr Tsang for using China's phenomenal economic growth since 1989 as a justification for the bloody suppression.
Allen Lee Peng-fei, a political commentator who attended the June 4 vigil for the first time last week, said Mr Tsang's gaffe had cost him dearly. But he said it was unlikely he would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Tung Chee-hwa, who stepped down prematurely in 2005.
True, the Tsang-bashing campaign did not play a big part in the June 4 vigil. A poll conducted by the Chinese-language daily Ming Pao found about 7 per cent in the record crowd at the vigil had been motivated to attend by their discontent with the chief executive.
And despite the higher-than-expected turnout, it is too early to say there is a rising tide of public dissatisfaction with Mr Tsang and his administration. That the student-led movement is marking a watershed this year - its 20th anniversary - was the compelling factor behind the big vigil crowd.
For all that, the Tsang-bashing campaign has struck a chord in some quarters. The Civic Party's slogan 'Donald Tsang, you don't represent me' may be dismissed by some as a mere gimmick. But the mood among those seeking to dissociate themselves from the chief executive following his remarks could turn into outright opposition the next time Mr Tsang is enveloped in controversy.
This group insists Mr Tsang has no popular mandate because he was elected by an 800-member committee, not by the people. When he failed to reflect the views of the people on the June 4 movement, the fact he lacks a broad electoral mandate made him more vulnerable to criticism and more open to challenge.
Given the record turnout on Thursday, it looks likely that the July 1 rally will be big. Mr Tsang does not need another reminder that the political heat is rising and that his situation is growing more precarious as he enters the third year of his second term.
