The wisdom of Australians has been ringing in the ears of Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen as he braces for the challenge of resolving differences over the democratic development of Hong Kong.
Bombarded by conflicting and confusing readings into the relevant provisions of the Basic Law over the past three weeks, Mr Tsang raised his eyebrows when Australian Consul-General David O'Leary made a reference to constitutional talk on Wednesday.
Speaking at a post-national-day celebration, Mr O'Leary said the expression to 'take a constitutional' in Australia carried the meaning of 'take a walk'. 'It means good for health. We wish you good health in the coming year,' he said as Mr Tsang looked on.
In reciprocal remarks, Mr Tsang admitted that the term 'constitutional' was given different meanings by different people. He said he would keep the Australian version in mind.
Having been reduced to a marginal role since the ministerial system was introduced 19 months ago, Mr Tsang has found himself in the political spotlight since last month. In a surprise move, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa named Mr Tsang to lead a three-member team to meet mainland officials to codify the political and legal implications concerning electoral arrangements for choosing the next chief executive in 2007 and the legislature in 2008.
Mr Tung described Mr Tsang as the most suitable person for the job. Analysts attributed the selection to the fact the veteran ex-civil servant has been consistently the most trustworthy and popular official in the cabinet in opinion polls.
Grilled by reporters at a post-policy-address press conference, Mr Tsang pledged he would not betray the interests of Hong Kong people when talking to Beijing on the issue of democratisation.
