Leung's wind of change can stifle hollow howls of critics

Faithful followers of this column will note that all my predictions about the chief executive election have come true. That's quite a remarkable feat, if I may say so, given the extraordinary twists and turns that have taken place.

In fairy tales and cartoons, good invariably triumphs over evil. But, in the real world, the heroes may not live happily ever after.

Chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying won the fiercely contested battle, which featured daily attacks on his integrity and an accompanying fall in popularity. After his election, he was told he still had to face six time bombs, namely the alleged 'West Kowloon-gate', 'black- gold' politics, the alleged proposal to shorten the renewal of Commercial Radio's licence, the claims about suppression of protests against Article 23 legislation, his position on June 4, and the accusation that he is an underground Communist Party member.

On top of that, Leung was reminded that he would have to deal with four thorny issues: Article 23 legislation, national education, constitutional development and RTHK.

And, with the Legislative Council election coming up only two months after his swearing in, poor Leung is not expected to enjoy a honeymoon period with his people. As if those threats are not worrying enough, his opponents have warned of a mass rally of more than 100,000 participants on July 1, a rare scene in recent years. There is an old Chinese saying that 'biting dogs won't bark, and barking dogs won't bite'. It means that the noisier the hissing and rattling, the more hollow it all sounds and the less actual action there will be.

As we all know, most of Leung's opponents are in the business sector, and most businesspeople love to make money, not enemies. Behind the war cries, many have already paid secret tribute to the new chief and pledged their renewed allegiance.