OpinionDevelopment secretary Paul Chan's Bible reading was insulting
Alice Wu says that for the development minister to quote from the Bible to defend his integrity was insulting and offensive
To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God". The quote rolled off the tongue of development minister Paul Chan Mo-po last week as he tried to defend his honour and work at the Legislative Council. Apparently, that same passage - from Micah 6:8 - was printed on his business cards in 2008, Chan said.
I wonder whether this self-proclaimed Christian realises how whipping out Bible verses at a crisis like this serves zero purpose, other than to give fellow Christians and his religion a bad name. Chan may feel righteous in taking scripture passages out of context but the rest of us are not blind to the irony of it all.
The Book of Micah in the Old Testament calls out the dishonesty in the marketplace, deceitful business practices and the corruption of those in power. The most famous passage in Micah might have rolled easily off his tongue, but the meaning and purpose of the author's message seemed to be all but lost on Chan.
He had, on more than one occasion, been criticised by the media for not being forthcoming regarding his property investments. To use that particular biblical passage under these circumstances was insultingly offensive.
Nearly a year ago, he tried to fend off questions about his role in a subdivided flats scandal by pleading ignorance. Now under fire for his farmland investment, he again tried to hide behind "I don't remember, and don't have an idea". Clearly he forgot that, last year, he had had to retract his statement of ignorance just days after making it.
This year's farmland exposé seems to be following the same script.