Last laugh on satirists
Judging by the tone of his delivery of the budget - a monotonous, sleep-inducing drone - you would never have known Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah is a witty chap at heart. But recent events have revealed his willingness to be made the butt of jokes. Take the example of the budget promotion video late last year that depicted Tsang as listening to people's opinions. It later showed up in an edited version on YouTube making it look as if he was eavesdropping on their conversations. Some august ministers might have seen it as an affront to their dignity, but not our John. At the weekend, Tsang wrote on his official blog that not only did he not mind being made fun of like that, he thought it was a sign of flourishing creativity. His boss and buddy, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, is an even more frequent butt of jokes but has yet to give the public a licence to make fun of him.
Withdrawal symptoms
Blackouts are commonly associated with alcohol abuse, not smoking. But things got not just hazy but distinctly black when Financial Secretary John Tsang was questioned on why he did not raise tobacco tax in his budget. As a questioner at a forum at the University of Hong Kong was lecturing Tsang on the harm of smoking, the lecture hall lights suddenly went out. Tsang was heard mumbling something about electricity. Perhaps he was wondering whether it had something to do with another budget decision - not to extend the HK$1,800 subsidy on electricity bills.
Reds to stay under the beds
The Chinese Communist Party may in effect have been ruling Hong Kong since 1997, but why haven't people seen it operating openly since the change of sovereignty? It is because working 'underground' is more acceptable to the people, according to Civic Exchange head Christine Loh Kung-wai. In her new book Underground Front: The Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, Loh says people in Hong Kong had been split between the communists and the nationalists before they took refuge in the city and were not keen to open a can of worms even after the handover. Citing a Baptist University survey, Loh said when it came to whether party membership should be declared, almost 50 per cent thought 'things should continue as they are'. So Beijing's Liaison Office should continue to organise public support for the Article 23 security bill, and its stated million-signature campaign backing the government's political reform proposal. As for whether executive councillor Leung Chun-ying is a member - an allegation he denies - Loh says she doesn't know.
