Political Animal
Further proof that it's tough at the top
What is the source of Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's popularity woes and how can they be solved? 'Perhaps people would say the greatest mistake I ever made was to take on the job as chief executive,' Tsang joked at a leadership conference in Singapore yesterday. Lamenting that people usually looked for qualities among political leaders 'beyond the reach of any human being' he said this was why he went to church every day to pray for wisdom and patience. Of course, Tsang can now afford to be less jittery after his better-than-expected meeting with President Hu Jintao at the weekend, during which he was given conditional support by the state leader who praised him for the economy while demanding improvements on livelihood issues.
Something of a guarded response
Being a security guard has always been a high-risk business, even in the legislature. So maybe that's why only one of three new recruits the Legco Secretariat had been expecting has showed up for work. Legco secretary-general Pauline Ng Man-wah conceded that perhaps the two were put off by events in the past two months that had left two guards injured. Since applications for security guard jobs were invited in early October, a guard badly injured his lower spine when removing lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung from the chamber, while another suffered a similar injury clearing people protesting against removal of villagers in Tsoi Yuen Chuen to make way for the new express rail link to Guangzhou. With two guards incapacitated, and only one new recruit available, Ng says she is considering amending the contract terms - such as including better medical benefits.
'Long Hair' draws up his revenge strategy
Leung Kwok-hung is fighting another battle with Beijing-friendly newspaper Wen Wei Po, more than two weeks after a row with its reporter Yip Wing-yee. The newspaper and Yip complained that Leung called her 'a dog', after she confronted him with questions about an alleged corruption scandal in the League of Social Democrats. The lawmaker said he was collecting the newspaper's recent articles that contained attacks on himself and the league. He would also invite 'informed' people, such as Xu Jiatun, a former head of Xinhua in Hong Kong who now lives in Los Angeles, and veteran local journalist Ching Cheong, who used to work at Wen Wei Po, to give evidence proving to the public that the paper was funded by the Communist Party. 'This paper has persecuted so many people after the June 4 incident. How is it qualified to talk about press freedom?' he asked.
The heat is lowered on Kam Nai-wai
Will Democratic Party legislator Kam Nai-wai get off the hook after the public uproar over his sacking of his female assistant who rejected his alleged advances? The deadline for the assistant to respond to lawmakers drafting a motion condemning him elapsed last Tuesday, and the extended deadline is today. Failing any further detailed response from her, Legco House Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau Kin-yee will go ahead with charges on Friday, although lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun has already indicated he will do everyone a favour and move a motion to close the investigation. Further taking the heat off Kam, newspapers which had been most critical of him have turned their attention to alleged scandals swirling around Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and to the political reform consultation.
