Once so close to becoming chief executive himself, Henry Tang discusses the city’s political scene, the current administration, and next year’s election
GARY.CHEUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Saturday, 14 May, 2016, 10:22am
Former favourite to become the city’s chief executive, Henry Tang, said he was ‘quite sad to see how the situation has been developing in Hong Kong’ since his electoral defeat in 2012 to Leung Chun-ying. Photo: Nora Tam
Flashback to the first half of 2011. Only a few people in the city doubted that Henry Tang Ying-yen, then the chief secretary and seen as Beijing’s favoured choice to be chief executive, would land the top job.
The post of was Tang’s to lose.
But the jockeying for position took an unexpected turn in early October of that year after Tang, son of the influential textile industrialist Tang Hsiang-chien, admitted having an affair.
His popularity plunged.
And in February 2012, it dropped even further in the wake of a scandal over illegal structures at his home in Kowloon Tong. He fell into disgrace and Leung Chun-ying, who enjoyed a wide margin over his arch-rival in public support, won the top job in March of that year with support from 689 election committee members.
Tang would be appointed to the standing committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in early 2013.
Four years after that defeat – and just 10 months before the next chief executive election – Tang talked about the art of leadership, the perceived gap between the Leung administration and the public, the split in Hong Kong society, and his expectations for next year’s chief executive election.
Q: Hong Kong society has witnessed growing polarisation and splits in recent years. As a Hong Kong-born person who has spent nearly three decades in public life, what do you think is the way out? What should the government do to address the problems facing our community? A: I strongly believe that the government must establish its credibility in the eyes of the public. The
government only enjoys authority and is accountable to the people after it establishes its credibility.
The three elements – credibility, authority and accountability – are very important.
When I talk about the government building up its authority, I am not saying it should simply act in accordance with the public’s views. Hong Kong is a pluralistic society and members of the public are not homogenous. You would not be doing your job if you just follow the public’s views.
Q: Is the current administration falling short on credibility, authority and accountability to the people? A: They can do much better. The current administration has failed to deliver effective governance and unite the people so far. I said the chief executive should bear the responsibility if the government failed to deliver effective governance and unite the people. Today I stick to my views.
I served in the government when Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang Yam-kuen were chief executive. Was there no conflict between government and community at the time? Of course not. Our society still moved forward despite the arguments.
The fundamental reason for some people resorting to radical means of protest is the mechanism for communication between the government and members of the public no longer works. Mutual trust is the prerequisite for communication.
That’s why credibility and authority are very important. Otherwise whenever the government says something or rolls out policy initiatives, some people are inclined to view them with suspicion. Then the government would face huge difficulties in implementing policies.
Leung Chun-ying’s policies in boosting the housing and land supply are good and I consider them constructive. But it appears not many people come out to give their thumbs-up. The trend of polarisation has become a global phenomenon and Hong Kong is no exception.
Tang faced scandal over illegal structures at his Kowloon Tong home in 2012. Photo: Dickson Lee
Q: Some people are advocating Hong Kong independence. How do you find this growing trend?A: I think it’s the way of some people expressing their discontent. Some protesters are inclined to push the envelope and pick some topics which could touch the nerve of those in power. They are tempted to press the button which could trigger the strongest reaction. For me, Hong Kong independence is a pseudo agenda as the scenario would not happen at all.
Q: Do you agree that the electoral reform process should restart in the near future? A: I agree there is such a need to restart the process in the near future. Whether to restart the electoral reform process is a question all candidates for next year’s chief executive election must be prepared to answer.
Q: HKTV chairman Ricky Wong Way-kay plans to run in the Legislative Council elections in September, with blocking Leung Chun-ying from serving another term as a key campaign platform. Do you agree with his election platform? A:[Laughs[ This single-issue platform may be really appealing. Do you note the Liberal Party topped the list of political groups in the survey released by the University of Hong Kong’s public opinion programme on May 3? The party also advocates “ABC [Anyone But CY]”.
Q: What are the qualities the next chief executive needs? A: He or she should be able to unite Hongkongers. You can only lead if you can unite people. Otherwise you would be pissing in the wind. The next chief executive should also have experience in government operation and the support of the central government. It appears the qualities I mentioned are simple but if potential candidates judge themselves against these, not many possess these qualities.
Q: How do you find potential candidates like Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and Executive councillor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee? A: All likely candidates have their own strengths. They are competent and love the country and Hong Kong. I wish them well.
Q: Do you favour more than one candidate from the pro-establishment camp contesting the chief executive election?
A: Of course I hope there will be more than one candidate from the pro-establishment camp. Hong Kong people value choices.
Q: Will you run in chief executive election again?
A: No, I won’t.
Q: There is a school of thought that Leung Chun-ying would enjoy an advantage in the chief executive race if the central government does not give any signal until after the Legco election in September? Some argue that in such a scenario, Leung’s contenders would not have time to prepare for the election campaign. Do you buy this analysis? A: If Beijing sends out a signal after September, other candidates may not have enough time to prepare for the race. Take my candidacy in 2012 as an example. I resigned as chief secretary in September 2011. I couldn’t handle the huge workload afterwards even if I had 48 hours a day.
Q: Four years since you lost in the chief executive race, have you ever breathed a sigh of relief that you are not in the hot seat now? A: Although I was not elected and spared the pressure arising from serving as chief executive, it doesn’t mean I am happy as I am quite sad to see how the situation has been developing in Hong Kong in the past few years.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1944679/cy-scandals-and-hong-kong-independence-henry-tang-laid-bare
