Hong Kong finance chief John Tsang says he ‘doesn’t fear challenges ahead’, hinting at aim to be next leader
He reflects on his decade in public service and anecdotes shared in blog post, two days after CY Leung announced he would not seek re-election
Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, a potential contender for the city’s top job, has said he “will not fear challenges lying ahead” as long as Hongkongers support him, dropping yet another hint of his aspiration even though he may have to face a strong rival in his colleague.
Tsang had yet to make a speech two days after Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced that he was not seeking re-election, and a day after the government’s No 2 official Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor stated she would “reconsider” running to be the next leader, emerging as the strong contender.
He chose to go online instead: in his latest blog entry published this morning, he reflected, not without pride, on his nearly decade-long service as financial secretary and the anecdotes he shared on his blog, which he said was started to get closer to the people of Hong Kong.
He recalled an encounter with a woman on the MTR eight years ago right before the Asian financial tsunami.
On that day in August 2008, Tsang was on the way to a salon and was talking to a colleague on the phone. The woman then slipped him a note, which read: “Inflation. Hong Kong dollar devaluation.”
“This citizen hoped to remind me to take appropriate measures to relieve the pain of grassroots’ lives,” he wrote.
“One month later, the financial tsunami swept the world. We decisively launched a series of measures to stabilise the financial system, support businesses and protect employment.”
In his blog post, Tsang added a hyperlink to a 2008 entry about the encounter which had a photo of the note.
“The slip remained on my desk for some time to remind me of people’s expectations of me and that I must have the people in mind in my public service. It is this sense of responsibility and mission that drove me to deliver my best over the years,” he concluded. “[During] the nine years of my tenure as financial secretary, Hong Kong was able to maintain economic stability and a sound finance ... despite fluctuations in the global economy and financial markets.
“As long as you continue to walk with me, why should I fear the challenges lying ahead,” he concluded in his blog.
Some observers said that the possible participation of Chief Secretary Lam had put Tsang in an awkward situation, with rumours that Beijing had signalled a “red light” against Tsang to run.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung said that no matter what happened, those in the government would continue to work “with all their hearts”, given the possibility that both secretaries might resign for the election.
Former commerce secretary Fred Ma Si-hang dismissed talk that he was also considering joining the race. Ma, who quit the government in 2008 due to health reasons, said his family had long opposed him rejoining the government.
Maria Tam Wai-chu, a local deputy of the National People’s Congress and a Basic Law Committee member, said she believed Leung Chun-ying’s family reasons were real as she had “not heard that the central government is not happy with him”.
“He has been working hard for Hong Kong. And I believe that whoever will be the next chief executive, he or she will attach great importance to such important issues as housing, transport, or people’s livelihood,” she added.
Meanwhile, Standard Working Hours Committee chairman Edward Leong Che-hung welcomed the decision by Carrie Lam to reconsider whether she would participate in the chief executive race, and praised her for having “courage and passion”. He also said he was “shocked” and “found it a pity” that Leung was not seeking a second term, adding that he only learnt about the shock decision online.
Leong also said that in the last few years, Leung had put in a lot of heart to do things for Hong Kong, but criticism was targeted at him rather than the issue at hand, which Leong said was “unfair”.
He also believed that a change in the government would not affect the progress in standardising working hours – a part of Leung’s election platform.