Another crack in the accountability system?
Top government officials and loyalists may have dismissed it as a storm in a teacup. Yet a perfect political storm, although small, is looming over the citizenship of an undersecretary-designate, Greg So Kam-leung.
Mr So, one of eight undersecretaries named by the government last week, was embroiled in the controversy following media revelations that he holds a Canadian passport.
The story has added weight, given that he was a vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, which flies the 'love China, love Hong Kong' banner. He resigned from the top party post after being named undersecretary for economic development and commerce.
Not surprisingly, the controversy has emerged as a godsend political-cum-election issue for the pan-democratic camp, which can use it to embarrass Mr So and the government while attacking the 'accountability' system.
Lawmakers plan to raise the issues in the legislature, including the selection criteria used and the exact salaries of the undersecretaries and political assistants.
Pressure for Mr So to give up his foreign nationality has also come from within the pro-Beijing camp, including the DAB.
In a not-so-subtle comment, Executive Council Convenor Leung Chun-ying noted that there were previous cases of Legco candidates and people who had joined the government taking the initiative and giving up their foreign passports. 'It's a choice by individuals,' he said.
Since the controversy erupted, Mr So has kept his head down. Top officials, including Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen and Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Secretary Stephen Lam Sui-lung, have come to his defence. They stuck to the official line that the Basic Law does not ban undersecretaries from holding a foreign nationality.
But you don't need to be an expert in the mini-constitution to know that, since the post of undersecretary is part of a newly installed layer of ministers under the accountability system, introduced in 2002.
To defend the case of Mr So solely from the legal point of view, however, risks missing the political ramifications and doing more harm to the credibility of the political appointment system and the government.
Since taking office, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has talked about the goal of building a ruling team that can 'love China, love Hong Kong' and is committed to serving the community. He praised the 'passion and commitment' of the newly appointed undersecretaries and political assistants when they were named last week.
With the political credentials and the professional backgrounds of the undersecretaries already in doubt, Mr So's dual nationality and the secrecy surrounding the nationality of other appointees have further undermined their credibility and image.
Worse, it makes a mockery of Mr Tsang's pledge that the appointees are full of passion and commitment to serve Hong Kong.
The issue has become more complicated and sensitive given the fact that undersecretaries will act on behalf of principal officials during any absence.
In view of the sensitivity of the nationality issue and the thoroughness of the government's integrity checks, it seems inconceivable that officials could have overlooked Mr So's nationality.
Ostensibly, therefore, they found it acceptable, as the deputies are not subject to the nationality ban under the letter, if not also the spirit, of the Basic Law.
But now that Mr Tsang and his top aides have stressed the two tiers of appointees are part of the ruling team, and commended their sense of commitment, they have only themselves to blame when some quarters of society feel uneasy about the contradiction between their words and deeds.
Chris Yeung is the Post's editor-at-large.
