Maybe it's time for Donald Tsang to step back and relax
Missing out on CPPCC job may be a pity for the ex-chief executive, but his options are plentiful
Take a step back and you will see the vastness of the sky and the boundlessness of the sea," goes an ancient Chinese proverb, perhaps the equivalent of the English saying, "when God closes a door, He opens a window".
Former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, a staunch Catholic, may have a fresh understanding of these two phrases after he missed out on a place in China's top political advisory body recently.
The omission of Tsang's name from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's list of new members may also serve to remind him of the cruel reality of politics: that nothing can be taken for granted.
Speculation that Tsang would, like his predecessor Tung Chee-hwa, become a CPPCC vice-chairman had been circulating since his term of office ended last year.
But unlike Tung, whom Beijing saw as having positively contributed to the "one country, two systems" principle, general opinion on whether Tsang should get a post that would elevate him to "state leader" status was more divided.
The reasons Tsang missed out on the job are both complex and understandable.
One of the most-discussed issues is that he remains under an Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation for allegedly accepting advantages from tycoons during his tenure.