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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

2/9/2020 1 Comment

Foot In Mouth?

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"Basic Law: Article 85 - The courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall exercise judicial power independently, free from any interference."
There's an excellent reason Hong Kong people are concerned about the separation of powers. In a place with a democracy deficit, the 'separation of powers' at least ensures that 'check and balances' exist and that our judiciary remains independent. Carrie Lam, our Chief Executive, knows this very well or at least I thought she did.

​Then this week we get a statement in which she contradicts herself. On the one hand, she says we have 'checks & balances', and then in the next utterance, she asserts we have no 'separation of powers'. Which is it? Am I missing something here?


Unfortunately, it is precisely these blunders that cause even her supporters — the few that remain — to despair. This mess comes on the back of what was turning out to be a fine week for Carrie. She'd seen off the ludicrous opposition to the Covid-19 testing scheme from a lunatic fringe of medical workers. Their attempts to sabotage this critical public health initiative failed.

For the sake of clarity, if we don't have 'separation of powers', then I'm afraid Hong Kong's much-trumpeted 'rule of law' is over. Simple as that. So either Carrie Lam doesn't understand the concept or something has changed because she frequently cites 'the rule of law' as our great strength.  

Let's not forget that business people and ordinary citizens take much reassurance from this principle. They know disputes or criminal charges will face adjudication in an open, transparent manner without one party or another exercising undue influence. It's called justice.

​After all, the Basic Law says this at Article 85 : "The courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall exercise judicial power independently, free from any interference. Members of the judiciary shall be immune from legal action in the performance of their judicial functions."


Unfortunately, Carrie has form for such blunders with a long list behind her. She'll usually refuse to admit she's said anything wrong. Then she'll clarify her position with a subtle statement down the line. Although, in fairness to her, she did recently admit on TV that she's unqualified for her job. Bless her!
1 Comment
Chris Emmett
2/9/2020 02:38:12 pm

From my lofty position in the Yorkshire Dales, it seems that Hong Kong has a sad history of Chief Executives. Despite being adequate administrators, they have been politically inept, corrupt, or turtle-like in their handling of civil unrest. Is it just me, or was Tung Chee-hwa Hong Kong’s only half-decent Chief Executive?

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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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