Hong Kong leadership rivals trade blows

The facade of cabinet unity fell apart yesterday as Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying launched into open warfare against his potential rival and subordinate, Financial Secretary John Tsang, upping the stakes in the Hong Kong leadership race.

Tsang, who spent mid-morning deflecting verbal blows Leung and another potential contender, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, had tried to inflict on him the day before, indicated he was inching towards a decision that was now “heaven’s secret”.

In the late afternoon, Leung published a blog ­titled “The buck stops here”, quoting from former American president Harry Truman, about a common phenomenon in Hong Kong – and in the government – where people liked “passing the buck” to each other. Unlike them, he would not shirk from his responsibility, he said.

“Many people in power want to be the good guy. They keep ducking their responsibilities and won’t make a decision,” he wrote.

“As the head of the government I can’t shirk from it, though I may offend people in dealing with controversies. It’s easy to be the good guy, and it takes courage and responsibility to be the ugly guy.”