Executive Councillor Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee was in hot water this week: there were calls for her resignation after she breached cabinet rules by voting against a government bill in the legislature two weeks ago.
Some callers to a Commercial Radio phone-in programme said the veteran politician's failure to abide by the Exco rule of collective responsibility was unacceptable and indefensible.
At issue was a government bill on medical waste treatment, which the Legislative Council approved by 27 votes to 12 on March 29. Eyebrows were raised, however, when Mrs Chow emerged as one of the opponents to the bill, which had already been approved by Exco.
As soon as the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported on March 30 that there had been an apparent breach of the Exco rule, she acted swiftly to repair the damage. In a letter to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on the same day, she apologised for her failure to apply for an exemption from the voting rule.
She explained that she had to take account of the opinion of her constituents in New Territories West. Residents in Tsing Yi have fiercely opposed building in their neighbourhood a plant to dispose of medical waste.
Last week, she received a strongly worded reply from Mr Tsang, who made it clear that the Exco rule did not allow for exemptions.
