HK Magazine's Dubious Achievement Awards 2012

2012 has been a funny year, with protests and anger at the government on a scale that we’ve not seen in Hong Kong for almost a decade. Each successive scandal has exposed just what an old boys’ club it is in our top tiers of government—but hey, at the end of the day (or year), you just gotta laugh, right? We’ve rounded up some of the most ridiculous, juicily scandalous stories of the last 12 months.

Man of the Year:

Illegal Structures

In other countries, sex and money are usually the cause of a politician’s downfall. But here in Hong Kong, it was our officials’ illegal structures that ruined them. Former Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang—who had long been tipped as Beijing’s favorite candidate to succeed Donald Tsang as Chief Executive—found himself out of a job after his illegal “underground palace” was revealed by the press. The surprise discovery led to a media frenzy, with many news outlets hiring cranes to peer into Tang’s Kowloon Tong mansion. Rival CY Leung exploited the opportunity to attack Tang, portraying himself as someone with integrity, and eventually scored the top job. However, in June, local media discovered that Leung himself also had a bunch of illegal structures at his home in the Peak. Leung, a professional surveyor, had lied about the existence of his own illegal structures; he refused to explain the incident to the public for several months, citing a lawsuit. He has also refused to accept responsibility for the debacle.

The Golden Face Mask Award for Epidemic of the Year:

Blame My Wife (BMW) Syndrome

In addition to appearing on their husbands’ arms at public functions, politicians’ wives have a new role in Hong Kong: to take the fall for any indiscretions dear hubby has incurred while in office. The trend began with former Tang, who said it was his wife’s idea to build the aforementioned “underground palace” in his mansion. His old boss and former CE Donald Tsang adopted the same strategy when he was embroiled in a scandal for getting a bargain lease on his retirement home, a 6,000-square-foot flat in Shenzhen. Tsang said he needed so much space because his wife had so many posessions. Two new members of the BMW club include development minister Paul Chan and Executive Council member Franklin Lam. When it was revealed that Chan owned an illegally subdivided flat, he claimed that it was his wife’s business, while Lam said his wife was the one behind the selling his two luxury flats before the implementation of the special stamp duty.

Runner Up:

The Colonial Flag