Political pureness an obstacle to new talent, says Arculli
An Executive Councillor-designate has called on Hongkongers to change their mindset towards the business elite's role in politics, saying society's demand for pureness may pose an obstacle to the grooming of new talent.
Ronald Arculli said Hong Kong was second to none in the world in demanding politicians be 'politically stainless'. He said most big companies in America were happy to let their executives enter politics.
'Suppose President George W. Bush phones an enterprise asking its chief executive to take up the post of secretary, the company would be honoured,' said Mr Arculli, who is also chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
'If the scenario happens in Hong Kong, many people and the media may label it as a case of 'collusion between the government and business'.'
The former Liberal Party vice-chairman pointed to the fact that there was a dearth of professional politicians in the city as most of the business elite and professionals were reluctant to spend the bulk of their time in public office during the prime of their career.
Mr Arculli, 66, recalled when the late barrister Sir Oswald Cheung, one of his best friends, was invited to sit on the Legislative Council in 1970, he advised against it.
'I remember talking to him for few hours to try and talk him out of accepting the appointment during the prime of his career, saying he should be engrossed in making money in his 40s,' he said.
Mr Arculli's political career started with a lunch at Government House in 1988 when he was offered an appointed seat in Legco by the then governor Sir David Wilson.
'I was 49 when I accepted the appointment to the Legco. I thought I had accumulated some wealth after working as a lawyer for 28 years and became interested in taking up public office,' he said.
Mr Arculli, who ended his 12-year Legco service in 2000, disagreed with the notion that political parties faced a bleak future.
He said the coalition of eight political groups had succeeded in forcing the government to introduce relief measures after the Asian financial crisis in 1998.
But he said the pro-democracy parties suffered from a lack of financial resources.
Mr Arculli, who maintained close ties with some pro-democracy camp leaders, had earlier described himself as 'a democrat inside the Executive Council'. He would like to see universal suffrage introduced 'as soon as possible'.
Mr Arculli vowed to initiate discussion on topics such as salaries and wages and benefits of civil servants.
He said some of the public's discontent with the government stemmed from the fact that many people suffered pay cuts and unemployment in the past few years.
'But the benefits enjoyed by civil servants are relatively better than those in the private sector.'
There was a need to strike a balance between public sentiment and the benefits currently enjoyed by the civil servants, he said.
