Antony Leung urges government and rival camps to set aside differences and strive to achieve Beijing's wish of creating a harmonious Hong Kong
TONY CHEUNG AND GARY CHEUNG
PUBLISHED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 12:10am
UPDATED : Monday, 30 November, 2015, 2:01am
Antony Leung says although he no longer has any power or political influence, "the good thing is that I am free. This might be the best position for me". Photo: Nora Tam
The government and rival political camps must stop battling each other in order to achieve Beijing's aim of unity in Hong Kong, former finance minister Antony Leung Kam-chung says.
Leung is tipped as a possible candidate for the 2017 chief executive election but says he has no plan to run because being the city's leader is too difficult a task.
"It would be best if I do not do it," he said in an exclusive interview with the Post.
In August, the CEO of developer Nan Fung Group suggested that whether he ran "depends on God" as he had never planned the events that changed his life. Some commentators took this as a hint that he was waiting for Beijing's endorsement, a suggestion that Leung laughed off.
"As a devout Christian, I would not turn Beijing into God, it would be blasphemous … I don't know what plan God has for me, but I really enjoy what I am doing now.
"I don't have any plan to run … I don't have any official title, position, power or political influence, but the good thing is that I am free. This might be the best position for me."
He declined to say whether he was interested in the top job.
On Tuesday, Leung said for the first time that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying must seek to unite Hongkongers because "it is a pity if we only resort to struggles" rather than devoting energy to solve the city's problems.
Some commentators believe that Leung Chun-ying and the Beijing-loyalist camp have been tough on the pan-democrats to suit President Xi Jinping , but Antony Leung warned they could have been mistaken.
"The nation always expects Hong Kong to be harmonious and doing things," he said. "From the business sector's perspective, and as a person who understands Hong Kong, I also think society should unite, otherwise it will miss many opportunities."
He said the pan-democrats also shared the responsibility to unite Hong Kong. When asked to name an incident that the government and pro-establishment camp handled as if it was a political struggle, he replied: "I can only cite Lu Xinhua's answer: you know what I mean."
In March last year, Lu, plenum spokesman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was asked to comment on the fate of former security tsar Zhou Yongkang . Lu gave the party line before adding that intriguing comment.
One of most controversial conflicts in the city recently has been the University of Hong Kong's governance crisis, which has worsened since its ruling council voted down the appointment of former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as a pro-vice-chancellor.
Chan has close links to academic Benny Tai Yiu-ting, co-founder of Occupy, and council members appointed by Leung Chun-ying were understood to oppose Chan's promotion.
Antony Leung, an adviser of former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's Our Hong Kong Foundation think tank, echoed Tung's call this month for the city's young generation to understand more about China.
Leung was finance chief for two years before quitting in 2003 amid criticism after he bought a luxury car before sharply raising tax on new cars in his budget.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1885089/hong-kongs-rival-camps-should-stop-squabbling-and-create
