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  • Walter's Blog.
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • About Walter
    • 1980 Joining Up - Grafton Street >
      • Arrival and First Impressions
      • First Week
      • Training
      • Passing Out
    • Yaumati Cowboy >
      • Getting on the Streets
      • Tempo of the City
      • Jumpers, pill poppers and the indoor BBQ
      • Into a Minefield.
    • Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon? >
      • Baptism By Fire
      • Kai Tak with Mrs Thatcher.
      • Home; The Boy Returns
  • 1984 - 1986
    • PTU Instructor & Getting Hitched
    • Having a go: SDU
    • Starting a Chernobyl family
    • EOD - Don't touch anything
    • Semen Stains and the rules
  • 1987 to 1992 - Should I Stay or Go?
    • Blue Lights, Sirens & Grenades
    • Drugs, Broken Kids & A Plane Crash
    • 600 Happy Meals Please!
    • Hong Kong's Best Insurance
    • Riding the Iron Horse
  • Crime in Hong Kong
    • Falling Crime Rates - Why?
    • Triads
  • History of Hong Kong Policing
    • History 1841 to 1941
    • History 1945 to 1967
    • Anatomy of the 50 cent Riot - 1966
    • The Fall of a Commissioner.
    • History 1967 to 1980
    • Three Wise Men from the West
    • The Blue Berets.
    • The African Korps and other tribes.
    • Getting About - Transport.
    • A Pub in every station
    • Bullshit Bingo & Meetings
    • Godber - The one who nearly got away.
    • Uncle Ho
  • Top 20 Films
    • 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
    • The Godfather.
    • Blade Runner
    • Kes
    • Star Wars
    • Aliens
    • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    • The Life of Brian
    • Dr Strangelove.
    • Infernal Affairs
    • Bridge on the River Kwai.
    • This Is Spinal Tap.
    • Chung King Express
    • An Officer and a Gentleman
    • PTU
    • Contact
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Family Guy Star Wars
    • Zulu
    • Hard Day's Night
  • The Long Read
    • How The Walls Come Down
    • War in Ukraine - the narrative and other stuff.
    • The Hidden Leader
    • The Big Game
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Walter's Blog

"But how can you live and have no story to tell?" Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Reflections on recent events, plus the occasional fact free rant unfiltered by rational argument. 

"If you want to read a blog to get a sense of what is going on in Hong Kong these days or a blog that would tell you wh at life was like living in colonial Hong Kong, this blog, WALTER'S BLOG, fits the bill."  Hong Kong Blog Review

26/2/2017

A Fall from Grace : Donald Tsang.

PictureDonald Tsang
Donald Tsang is a character of legend. Yet, his story is more a tragedy than it is a morality tale. The Hong Kong lad born to a strict police father, raised in a relentless Jesuit school. He had a stellar career that saw him rise to the top of the pile and he threw it away on petty greed. Serving a 20-months jail term for misconduct in public office, he now sits in a tiny cell. His reputation in tatters. The former Chief Executive, saviour of Hong Kong’s economy has had a fall from grace of epic portions. But why?

By all accounts, Donald was good at what he did. As District Officer Shatin, he proved an able administrator in the colonial mode. Keeping the locals appeased, whilst steering various government initiatives through to successful conclusion. The new town was undergoing a period of rapid growth. It needed a deft hand, which Donald provided. 

A spell with the Asian Development Bank affirmed his status as a flyer. Held in high regard, next came the monumental task of implementing the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Again, he excelled. By 1995 he was Financial Secretary. The retreating British, in the closing moment of colonial rule, had Prince Charles dab his shoulders with a sword. “Arise Sir Donald”.  

This bauble presented by the most fatuous member of the House of Windsor gave an insight that marked the true Donald. He’d insist on being ‘Sir Donald’ and woe betide any feckless member of staff who forgot it. Then when the hapless TUNG Chi-wah stood aside as Chief Executive in 2005, Donald took the job. He immediately moved into Government House, where he spent $300,000-HK building himself a fish pond. When asked the merits of keeping fish he replied: “They don’t answer back”.

With memories of rampant corruption still fresh in the minds of folks, Donald fronted the campaign for clean governance. Lambasting civil servants to maintain the highest standards. The advice he should have taken himself. 

In 2009 he stood accused of implementing 
initiatives that favoured his family members. This ignited a war of words with the media. A truculent Tsang did not back down.

It was towards the end of his second term as Chief Executive that the rumours started. Tsang and wife were allegedly enjoying entertainment and travel from powerful business people. Stories of travel on private jets and luxury yachts did not play well. The public suspicious of government and big business collusion. Tsang feigned innocence. Then the bombshell landed. Tsang had taken a flat in Shenzhen at a discounted rate from a businessman. A businessman bidding for a broadcasting license. Whilst deliberating the license bid Tsang failed to declare this deal. In 2015, two counts of 'misconduct in public office' and one count of 'accepting an advantage' resulted. 

Pure greed can be the only explanation for Tsang’s actions. It's evident he enjoyed the adornments of wealth. With his large civil service pension, he’d have enjoyed a retirement beyond the means of the majority. This was not enough. The trapping of wealth fed a vainglories personality and took him off the path of virtue. Even a Jesuit background could not steer him on a straight path. 

The trial this month saw the entire Hong Kong establishment turn out for Tsang. The evidence and letters of support revealed the top echelons of Hong Kong’s government have a perverse take on accountability.  The fact that Tsang is a devote Catholic was cited as reasons for clemency. One wonders if Buddhists and the like are liable for the same indulgence. Others hung their pleas on the fact he’d done good work in the past. 
​

Fortunately, the Court appears to have ignored these puerile attempts to derail justice. Tsang received a sentence that is commensurate with the crime and the power he wielded. The establishment has seen fit to continue bleating with requests for special treatment. It was thus pleasing to see Tsang taken to prison in a brown uniform and handcuffed. The same as other criminals. Such observations are not petty nor vengeful, but rather an affirmation of equality before the law. ​

This sorry episode has blown the curtain back on the attitudes of senior personalities in the Hong Kong establishment. The sight is unedifying.  It reveals an outlook of privilege and sense of immunity because of one’s position. Hopefully, the conviction of Tsang will blow some holes in these sanctimonious beliefs.


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    Walter De Havilland was one of the last of the colonial coppers. He served 35 years in the Royal Hong Kong Police and Hong Kong Police Force. He's long retired. 

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