Tung office backs Regina Ip over sexism

The security chief's complaint that women officials are being unfairly attacked over their appearance won sympathy from the Chief Executive's office yesterday, but a human rights lawyer accused her of being too sensitive.

Tung Chee-hwa's office said abusive personal attacks were unacceptable, but a spokeswoman declined to say if she agreed with Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee's remark that Hong Kong was one of the most sexist places in the world, with women officials subjected to Cultural Revolution-style abuse.

The Secretary for Security, writing in the South China Morning Post yesterday, was making her first response to a comic book called Broom-head that poked fun at her appearance.

The spokeswoman for Mr Tung's office said: 'Hong Kong is a society with freedom of speech. The most important thing about any form of expression of opinion is mutual respect. Society will not accept abusive personal attacks.'

Female colleagues of Mrs Ip would not comment yesterday, while a human rights barrister and political analyst said the security chief was being over-sensitive as the issue was not about sexual discrimination.

The Post yesterday contacted 13 female heads or acting heads of bureaus and departments. Five were out of town or on holidays, one could not be reached and six others declined to comment.

Only the acting Secretary for Civil Service, Anissa Wong Sean-yee, responded: 'Personally, I think the public should make comments based on work performance and the relevant ethical standards rather than appearance and gender.' But Ms Wong said she did not want to comment on Mrs Ip's other opinions expressed in the article.