I refer to the article written by Ambrose Leung on the appointment of Rosanna Wong as chairman of the Education Commission (South China Morning Post, April 13). Mr Leung said Ms Wong's decision to resign as chairman of the Housing Authority last June in the wake of the piling scandals was to her credit and a demonstration that senior officials were willing to be held accountable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ms Wong decided to resign after months of public outcry, culminating in the no-confidence motion in the Legislative Council against her and the Director of Housing, Tony Miller. In the end when she realised the motion would be passed by Legco, she resigned a few days before the debate was held. By then, substantial damage had been done to her credibility. Mr Leung said the appointment of Ms Wong, noted for her pragmatism and willingness to compromise, showed the Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, was serious about tackling education reforms. I fail to see the logic of this statement. If Mr Tung really wants to tackle the problems within the education system, he should not have appointed someone whom the legislature showed no confidence in only 10 months ago. Instead of proving Mr Tung's determination to institute education reforms, Ms Wong's appointment is seen as Mr Tung's revenge: Although Legco and the public forced Ms Wong out, he cannot wait to rehabilitate her. Mr Leung said lawmakers who passed the motion of no confidence in Ms Wong last June did not oppose the appointment. This clearly does not include me. Mr Leung interviewed me on April 12 and I told him I disagreed with the appointment. I said it appears that Mr Tung has a habit of choosing his appointees from a small clique of people who are loyal to him. To Mr Tung, loyalty is what matters and ability and accountability are quite irrelevant. Unfortunately, my comments were excluded from Mr Leung's articles, thereby giving the wrong impression that all legislators support Ms Wong's appointment. EMILY LAU Legislative Councillor
