ANYONE who wants to know where the Government is going in its increasingly assertive relationship with the Legislative Council should ask Secretary for the Treasury Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.
Mr Tsang has taken the lead in saying what other officials are too timid to articulate: he believes it is high time legislators are reminded of their limited role under Hong Kong's constitutional set-up.
While Governor Chris Patten, hampered by past pledges of ''accountability to Legco'', has so far been somewhat sheepish about why his Government is increasingly at odds with legislators, his treasury chief is rather less reticent.
First there was Mr Tsang's controversial ''Silence of the Lambs'' speech, with its attack on ''free-lunch'' politicians. That paved the way for Mr Patten's rejection, three days later, of legislators' attempts to freeze the rates rise announced in the Budget. Mr Tsang insists there was no connection between the two events, and that his speech was not meant as an attack on the Legislative Council.
He is now busy lobbying legislators ahead of Wednesday's crucial vote on the revamping of duty on alcoholic drinks, which was also announced in the Budget.
Some councillors are opposed to the change: although it will cut the cost of the overwhelming majority of drinks, the price of a handful of more exclusive brands will soar.
Mr Tsang has also recently begun expanding on the theme of limiting legislators' role, suggesting they are only elected to provide ''checks and balances'' in Hong Kong's curious constitutional set-up.
