the ebbs and flows of prince richard: from autonomy hero to mini magnate
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one. - A.J. Liebling
One never gets bored watching the ebb and flow of reputations in Hong Kong.
A case in point is Richard Li Tzar-kai.
Think back a few weeks. Prince Richard was being hailed as a hero by people who saw his bid to sell PCCW's telecommunications and media assets out from under mainland partner China Netcom as a laudable example of twisting the tiger's tale and striking a blow for local autonomy and the interests of small shareholders.
Now cut to yesterday. With the ink on his contract to buy half of the Hong Kong Economic Journal barely dry, he was already doing the interview rounds, defending himself against charges that he planned to emasculate what some were calling with hyperbolic abandon the last truly free newspaper in the city. Go figure.