Political scandals in this city have finally reached the very top. The recent expose of dealings between Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and some business tycoons have left many citizens gasping.
To a lot of people, the term 'government-business collusion' was previously just a feeling, a suspicion, a conspiracy theory - and perhaps very few actually believed it to be true. These stories now at least serve as prima facie evidence; Tsang has been caught with his pants down.
At the time of writing, the scandals are still brewing, our citizens are beginning to feel angry after the initial shock, and our politicians are now pushing for an investigation using their prerogative granted by the Powers and Privileges Ordinance. The Independent Commission Against Corruption is looking into the matter, though, in this case, it is supposed to report to the subject of its investigation. The whole city has been turned upside down.
Most of us believe Hong Kong is very clean, and this proud image is time and again reinforced by external evaluations and international rankings. We apparently have incorruptible judges, vocal dissident lawmakers, a free and juicy media, and citizens who will take to the street at the slightest provocation. It would seem simply inconceivable that our government is corrupt from the top down.