Sharing secrets and courting media is simply irresponsible

There has been a general breakdown of moral ethics in political behaviour in Hong Kong, and the situation is deteriorating quickly.

It began with the collapse of mutual trust. Nothing is secret, as no pledge or understanding is sacred - starting with the Executive Council's stringent code of confidentiality. Private phone conversations are liable to be leaked to the public, and off-the-record and anonymous comments are published with clear attributions.

The 'big mouth' is the hero for protecting the interests of the public and its right to know, and the one denying the quotes is called a liar.

With this in mind, no public figure will speak out unless they have a private agenda. Instead, they keep silent or, when they are forced to make comments, utter a few politically correct words.

Government officials in particular are trained to toe the line and avoid making mistakes, and they are accused of being 'human recorders'.

When mutual trust has evaporated, nobody can have any discretion in public decisions, which are supposed to be fully transparent in accordance with pre-set rules and after full consultation with all stakeholders.

As objections can be raised at any stage and existing rules can be challenged at any time, few decisions can be made. Things are only decided much later when there is no alternative but to reach a consensus as issues have become unbearable. With the loss of mutual trust, the populist media has risen to the occasion, posing as moral-gatekeepers and the Fourth Estate, resulting in the current prevalence of trial by media. Politicians of all sorts are only too happy to go along with this, as they gain media exposure, popularity and votes.