Being whiter than white is no easy task, as Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has discovered over the unfortunate light-bulb affair. On the advice of the environment minister, Tsang included an initiative in his annual policy address for a HK$100 voucher to be given to all households in Hong Kong to buy energy-efficient light bulbs as a way to promote energy saving.
Promoting highly efficient lighting has become a worldwide trend among governments, as they become much more energy conscious in the fight against global warming. Governments have provided various incentives to get people to switch - among them Britain, Denmark, Thailand, Brazil and Mexico - while others, such as Germany, are even phasing out the classic incandescent bulbs altogether. These schemes include subsidies for consumers or manufacturers; sometimes the new bulbs are given away.
No one has ever questioned the promoting of energy-efficient light bulbs. Some doubts have been raised about whether the Hong Kong scheme is the right one. The voucher scheme is not a subsidy because consumers will have to pay for the bulbs they buy through higher electricity charges in the future. Discussions may be needed about whether this is the right way to structure the scheme, but let's leave that aside for now as the controversy has centred around Tsang's political wisdom.
Politicians across the spectrum support the idea of energy saving. The controversy arose because, when this initiative was raised just before the policy address, Tsang did not declare to the Executive Council that the company of his son's father-in-law was a major distributor of a famous brand of these bulbs. Politicians have not questioned Tsang's integrity but they have questioned his political acumen for not declaring the relationship.
Following this line of thinking, it means that all senior decision-makers in public office would have to know - and remember - the interests of a wide circle of people beyond their immediate family. Even on the assumption that senior officials' parents, if still alive, are probably retired, they may still have property interests. As for siblings, it is not easy to be kept abreast of what they and their families are up to. It is probably possible to remain informed of the interests of adult children. But when it comes to the business interests of their spouses' families, then it becomes quite a challenge.
Commentators have suggested that the controversy surrounding Tsang shows a lack of political sensitivity within the administration over public concerns about collusion between government and business. Indeed, this is the crux of the matter. There is a pervasive impression in Hong Kong of a close and cosy relationship between senior officials and big business representatives because they rub shoulders with each other, both in the course of work and socialising. Some top civil servants have accepted cushy jobs with conglomerates after they have retired from public office.