Just Saying | Why Hong Kong’s new justice minister should either step down or be fired on the spot
Yonden Lhatoo argues that Teresa Cheng’s position as secretary for justice has become untenable, no matter which way you look at it, because of the scandal over illegal structures at her house and persisting questions about her conduct
So this is the tone Hong Kong is setting for the rule of law for 2018? Fabulous.
As we settle into a new year fraught with ticking time bombs triggered by constitutionally contentious government moves and unprecedented public attacks on the judiciary over court rulings that upset one polarised faction of society or the other, the post of justice minister has become the most politically sensitive job in the city.
Sitting in that hottest of seats is Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, the newly appointed guardian of the rule of law who has just been exposed for breaking the law, and we’re all being asked to get over it, so to speak, for the greater good.
There is apparently no question of Cheng stepping down or being fired on the spot as a pressing matter of principle, even after Buildings Department inspectors, following up on media inquiries, identified 10 illegal structures at Cheng’s luxury home and her husband’s next door, including 538 sq ft basements in both.
Where do I even start? While it may be the norm in this city for rich and powerful people to ignore inconvenient laws and illegally expand their already opulent homes, you would imagine those among them destined for high office would be well versed in the cautionary tale of Henry Tang Ying-yen.