Financial Times: HK chief accused of mishandling SARS outbreak

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.

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