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Financial Times: HK chief accused of mishandling SARS outbreak By Joe Leahy in Hong Kong May 14 2003 17:37
For his critics, the most embarrassing moment in Hong Kong chief executive
Tung Chee-hwa's handling of the territory's SARS crisis came last week.
The grandfatherly former shipping magnate went to the border to personally
accept a consignment of medical aid from Beijing - even though China's own
underfunded healthcare system was in far greater danger of being overrun by
severe acute respiratory syndrome than that of wealthy Hong Kong.
Albert Cheng, a prominent talk-show host, commented: "We are so rich, we are
such a modern city. Now we are going to China to draw on their resources. I feel
sad to be a Hong Kong person."
Mr Tung has faced numerous accusations of political ineptitude since he was
picked by China to run Hong Kong after its 1997 handover from Britain.
On Wednesday the allegations came to a head with a vote in Hong Kong's de
facto parliament, the Legislative Council, calling on him to step down.
The motion was defeated - Hong Kong's convoluted political system ensures the
house is heavily stacked with pro-government supporters. But the debate was
symbolic of rising frustration with Mr Tung, whose performance has come under
increasing scrutiny since China's new leadership last month fired two senior
officials, including the Beijing mayor, for mishandling the mainland's SARS
crisis.
Albert Chan, the opposition politician behind the motion, argues that SARS is
just the tip of the iceberg. He says Mr Tung should step down for problems
ranging from the territory's prolonged economic downturn since 1997 to the chief
executive's recent refusal to fire Antony Leung, the financial secretary, for
buying a Toyota Lexus just before releasing a budget that raised taxes on luxury
cars.
Mr Chan argues that when SARS was first discovered in a Hong Kong hospital in
March, the government tried to play it down by claiming the disease would not
spread to the community.
When it did, the government was too slow to introduce compulsory quarantine
procedures and implement health checks at the border with the mainland, the
source of the disease. It failed to provide enough protective gear for
healthcare workers, critics say.
Mr Tung was also accused of leading from behind, after he took the advice of
doctors and avoided morale-boosting visits to SARS-affected hospital wards.
The more serious accusation levelled at Mr Tung's handling of SARS, however,
is that he initially sought to play it down for fear of embarrassing Beijing,
which until mid-April was trying to cover up the outbreak.
"Tung's biggest problem is he is afraid of upsetting any Chinese officials,
be they central, provincial or even municipal," said Mr Chan. [...] ... with Mr Tung's popularity ratings sliding this month to
41.2 out of 100 from 47 at the end of last year, SARS has ensured his second
five-year term, which began last July, has got off to a rough start. http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1051390020971
Posting date: 5/15/2003 |