One set of laws for us ...

Yet again the Hong Kong government is planning to exempt itself from legislation offering protection to the public. Even before the new competition bill reaches the legislature, the administration has made it clear that it intends to be above the law, in the same way that it exempted itself from employment requirements in equal opportunities legislation.

This demonstrates a worrying attitude towards the rule of law, undermining the principle of equality before the law. It suggests that, when it comes to protecting citizens' rights, the government is keen to exclude itself from legal measures that offer this kind of protection. And exemptions of this kind weaken the credibility of the legislation.

Cynics will say that there is no such thing as perfect equality under the law because rich people are better positioned to defend their interests by employing high-charging lawyers while those of lesser means may avoid litigation purely on the grounds of cost.

The cynics would not be wrong. But it is one thing to have an uneven playing field created by the hard realities of inequality in society, and quite another to have the state build inequality into the legal system to its own advantage.

Indeed, there must be considerable suspicion over exactly why, in the case of the new competition law, the government is so keen to seek exemption.

Although official propagandists spend a great deal of time trying to persuade the world that Hong Kong is devoted to free enterprise, the reality is that the state indulges in levels of intervention not seen even in societies that extol the role of government in commerce.