MCLC: scandal taints Henry Tang

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: scandal taints Henry Tang
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Source: NYT (2/19/12):
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/world/asia/in-race-to-run-hong-kong-scand
al-taints-beijings-choice.html

In Race to Run Hong Kong, Scandal Taints Beijing¹s Choice
By KEVIN DREW 

HONG KONG ‹ An unauthorized addition to a luxury house may be sinking the
hopes of the man thought to be China¹s favorite to be Hong Kong¹s next
leader.

Henry Tang, a former senior government official, is facing increasing
pressure to end his campaign to become chief executive, Hong Kong¹s top
government position.

Long seen as the candidate favored by Beijing, Mr. Tang has seen his
popularity plummet over months of missteps, capped last week when he
acknowledged that structures built at his wife¹s home did not have
government approval. Mr. Tang insists on continuing his candidacy, but the
unauthorized construction, a favorite topic in local media coverage of
public figures, was seized on by his political opponents.

³I don¹t think he can hope to salvage his credibility,² said Alan Leong of
the Civic Party. ³If he can¹t handle his own affairs, how can he run a
government?²

The scandal has provided more than just tabloid headlines. Political
observers say the concerns dogging Mr. Tang reveal a growing public
frustration that the local political and economic system is ruled by a
small elite out of touch with the rest of the population. Mr. Tang¹s
candidacy, analysts add, also suggests a need to rethink the vetting
process for candidates, and has fueled a growing local anxiety over Hong
Kong¹s relationship with mainland China.

The challenge facing all Hong Kong candidates ³is whether they can be seen
defending Hong Kong¹s interests and autonomy,² said Jean-Pierre Cabestan,
head of government and international studies at Hong Kong Baptist
University. ³One of the themes of the campaign should be addressing social
inequalities and creating a fair competition law. I don¹t know if there¹s
anyone willing to fight these forces, any politician with the courage to
speak out.²

This year¹s election for Hong Kong chief executive was expected to be like
previous campaigns since the territory was returned to China in 1997, a
buttoned-down affair that would have little drama. A 1,200-person election
committee representing various business and social constituencies across
Hong Kong will elect the chief executive on March 25. The majority of the
committee¹s members are seen by many political observers and academics as
taking their cues from Beijing as to whom to support.

Both Mr. Tang and his main rival in the campaign, CY Leung, a former
convener of Hong Kong¹s Legislative Council, are viewed as acceptable
candidates by the establishment in Beijing. A third candidate, Albert Ho
of the Democratic Party, is seen as having little chance of winning the
election.

Last week, Mr. Tang labored to explain the structures built at the home
owned by his wife. Local news reports said that one of them, a basement
occupying 2,200 square feet, or roughly 200 square meters, contained
features like a wine cellar, a home movie theater and a Japanese-style
bath. Mr. Tang has rejected those claims and said the basement was used as
a storage space. He said his wife had carried out the work without his
knowledge.

But the reported extravagance and Mr. Tang¹s explanation, seen by many as
shifting blame onto his wife, have sharply influenced public opinion. A
poll conducted by the University of Hong Kong showed that most people
surveyed doubted the integrity of Mr. Tang, the 59-year-old scion of a
wealthy family from Shanghai. The poll was published by The South China
Morning Post over the weekend.

The sagging ratings culminate months of gaffes by Mr. Tang, who last
September resigned as chief secretary, the government¹s No. 2 position, to
run for chief executive. In October, amid public speculation about an
extramarital affair, he acknowledged simply that he had made a mistake in
his romantic life.

Last May, Mr. Tang said Hong Kong¹s youth should try to emulate
Li-Ka-shing, Hong Kong¹s wealthiest tycoon, rather than complain about the
growing gap between the rich and the middle class. The remarks were made
during a year in which Hong Kong residents staged several demonstrations
to protest housing prices and what they have called an economic system run
by a small group of wealthy individuals.

Analysts say those protests were part of a larger movement reflecting
growing frustration among Hong Kong residents over their voice in the
political system and access to housing and public services.

³In Hong Kong, you have a coterie of people who are rich and powerful,²
said Michael DeGolyer of the Hong Kong Transition Project, an independent
research organization. ³You have a rigged economy that is full of cartels,
not truly open and competitive. People are concerned by that.²

That sense of frustration has spilled into public perceptions of mainland
China. Many observers say Hong Kong residents fault people from the
mainland for driving up the costs of housing and clogging public services.
The number of mainland women coming to Hong Kong to give birth has grown
so dramatically that the local government placed a cap on how many
pregnant mainland women are allowed into hospitals.

Surveys by both the Transition Project and the University of Hong Kong
have shown that a growing number of people identify themselves as Hong
Kong residents rather than Chinese. Such studies do not surprise local
analysts and politicians, who say the existing system for choosing Hong
Kong¹s chief executive presents many challenges for mainland China¹s
leadership.

³Beijing has to be careful,² said Mr. Cabestan of Hong Kong Baptist
University. ³Local society is more frustrated than ever, and an increasing
number of people feel sidelined by the mainland nouveaux riches coming
here.²

Added Mr. Leong of the Civic Party: ³The cultural differences between Hong
Kong and the mainland have not been properly addressed for the past 15
years,² a reference to the period since the territory¹s handover to China.
³Beijing should bring some humility when dealing with Hong Kong.²