Just Saying | Regina Ip for chief executive? Why not, Hong Kong?

On Monday morning, I was asked to moderate an exclusive breakfast gathering of senior Hong Kong business executives with legislator and executive councillor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee  as the guest speaker.

The meeting, organised by the Post, was held behind closed doors under the Chatham House Rule, which means I can’t reveal the details of what was said, but suffice to say she gave us a fascinating insight into what the city is facing as it prepares to pick a new leader in 2017.

She was candid, eloquent and incisive in dissecting what has gone wrong in Hong Kong over the past years and in proposing possible solutions to pull us out of the political, economic and social morass we find ourselves in these days.

She was also, understandably, evasive about whether she will run in the chief executive election, but it got me thinking that she’s probably the best candidate for the top job. I’m being a realist here.

We can rule out the pan-democrats, because after rejecting the government’s political reform proposals, there’s no point fielding a candidate from their camp. Thanks to them, the status quo remains, and Hong Kong’s next leader will be picked by the same Election Committee – a small circle of 1,200 special-interest representatives – that crowned incumbent Leung Chun-ying with just 689 votes in 2012.  

Among the motley crew of pro-establishment figures who are likely to run, much is being made of Antony Leung Kam-chung of the “Lexusgate” scandal. He left the government in disgrace in 2003 after he was exposed for buying a luxury car just weeks before he sharply raised taxes on new vehicles as financial secretary. That kind of baggage comes back to drag you down in these highly politicised times when chief executive candidates are expected to be whiter than white.

Leung Chun-ying himself must be into self-flagellation if he’s running for a second term.