In my past public service, I witnessed the inauguration of three governors and two chief executives. But I have seen nothing like the first two weeks of the fourth term of the SAR government, when there is so much public resentment caused by the alleged misconduct of new chief executive Leung Chun-ying and some of his team members.
Henry Tang Ying-yen lost the last chief executive election to Leung mainly because he denied the presence of an illegal basement in his house - a devastating integrity issue which made Leung the least worst of two undesirable candidates. The public were rightly outraged when a newspaper which supported Leung during the campaign revealed a number of illegal structures at his Peak mansion shortly before his inauguration. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people joined the July 1 protest calling for his resignation.
Thus far, Leung has continued to dodge the crucial question of whether he lied when he once said he had arranged for a thorough inspection of his house, confirming that there were no illegal structures. Also, an aerial picture taken by the Lands Department showed that at least one illegal structure was erected after Leung moved into the house.
When Leung attends the Legislative Council meeting on Monday to explain his policy agenda, the media will focus on his answers regarding the illegal structures. The outcome will determine to what extent he can still be trusted as Hong Kong's leader.
While public resentment over Leung's illegal structures is understandable, the public statements made by his most senior ministers since they took office have been most intriguing. When asked about the chief executive's case, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor urged reporters not to come to the conclusion of dishonesty until they had heard the whole story. She said she would persuade her boss to make a full disclosure as early as possible. She added that if it did eventually involve a matter of integrity, she would act in accordance with her conscience.
This reminded me of the first chief secretary after the handover, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, who was dubbed 'Hong Kong's conscience' for her outspoken and sometimes defiant remarks as Tung Chee-hwa's deputy. She eventually resigned in protest against the introduction of the accountability system by Tung.