Tung conservative and stubborn, says barrister

A prominent barrister yesterday described Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa as a 'stubborn and conservative' person.

Ronny Tong Ka-wah, SC, a former chairman of the Bar Association, also said Mr Tung's right-hand man, Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, had been less 'outspoken' in defending freedom of expression and the rule of law than his predecessor, Anson Chan Fang On-sang.

Mr Tong was asked in an RTHK interview about his dealings with top officials over human rights and rule of law issues in the past five years.

He said: 'Mr Tung is rather stubborn and conservative.

'Sometimes when we see him to express our views on the implications of the rule of law on some policies, he first takes a defensive position and says our views are different from the legal advice he has sought, so what we say is not necessarily right.

'It makes discussion with Mr Tung rather difficult.'