Political Animal
Look out, Lantau, the Democrats are coming
Democratic Party members may get into the occasional embarrassing scrape away from home but by and large they're not known as big-time gamblers or hell-raisers. And even if they were, one would assume their money would be as welcome as anyone's in a place that exists to separate people from it. So they've been scratching their heads over the Macau authorities repeated denials of entry to their members. But the latest such case may have been the last straw. Since party district councillor Leung Li was turned away this month, members have been looking for an alternative venue for their retreats. 'We just wanted to meet for an overnight leadership retreat in a relaxing atmosphere, and the last thing we want is for some of us to be thrown back to Hong Kong,' one party leader said. They are thinking of meeting somewhere closer to home - possibly at a hotel on Lantau Island. They'd still like to know what the Macau authorities have against them, but officials in the city remain close-lipped.
Tsang casts his eye on the history books
Who should get the credit for the passage of the constitutional reform package? The Democratic Party for striking a deal with Beijing? No. It should be none other than the chief executive's own administration, according to Donald Tsang Yam-kuen. On the eve of a standing committee meeting of the National People's Congress next Monday, which is expected to formally approve changes in the 2012 electoral system, Tsang wrote in the explanation of his reform report to the NPC that after 'pro-actively' engaging the public and different political parties, his government 'managed to forge consensus in the overall interest of Hong Kong' by coming up with a compromise proposal. In the absence of any statement from Beijing to confirm reports that the compromise deal was the central government leadership's final call, Tsang's account could become official state records.
A charitable take on Tien's new venture
Cynics might suggest that mounting horror among the city's tycoons and businessmen at the apparently intensifying public sentiment against rich people has spurred former Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun to spearhead a new charity seeking donations for the underprivileged. But not all his affluent friends think so. 'Hate rich people? You must be joking,' said lawmaker Jeffrey Lam Kin-fun, a former party colleague. 'Everyone in Hong Kong wants to get rich. When you are a boss of a small company, you want to become boss of a bigger company. Only those who can see no future have some grievances.' Lam said businessmen had long been charitable - but they tended to avoid donating money to 'political party-led charities'. Any hints for Mr Tien? 'Of course I am not talking about him,' Lam said.
Can Israel show HK the way ahead?
There may be little for Hong Kong to learn from the Middle East's peace process, but apparently Legco president Tsang Yok-sing found something worthwhile to report on his first official visit to Israel during the Legco summer break. During a meeting with an Israeli deputy foreign minister, Daniel Ayalon, Tsang reportedly said since both Hong Kong and the Israeli parliament shared the unicameral parliamentary system and the proportional representation electoral system, Hong Kong could learn from its history. Perhaps Tsang could tell lawmakers that the 120-member Knesset has no functional constituency lawmakers.
