Hong Kong's leader said in his first public address yesterday that the city's move toward full democracy should be gradual and orderly, but he stopped short of giving a timeline for political reforms.
Donald Tsang (曾蔭權), who took office four months ago, reminded the public that Beijing still has a major say in the city's affairs and that keeping a good relationship with the Communist leadership was important to economic growth and political change.
"We and our mainland compatriots are of the same blood," Tsang said. "We share a common interest and destiny. We ride on the same boat."
Minutes before the speech, radical Legislator Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), nicknamed "Long Hair," was kicked out of the legislature for wearing a gold cape and accusing Tsang of being a self-appointed emperor.
Tsang hasn't pushed hard for full democracy for the former British colony. And the lack of full democracy galls many Hong Kongers, who argue that the city -- one of Asia's most affluent, stable and literate societies -- is ready for universal suffrage.
In his speech yesterday, Tsang said that a taskforce was studying constitutional reforms aimed at creating greater democracy. But he provided no timeline for the political changes.
"Our constitutional development should be taken forward in a gradual and orderly manner toward the ultimate objective of universal suffrage," he said.
After his speech, he said at a news conference that Hong Kong's political system has its faults.
"It is far from perfect. We realize it. This is an interim step. We realize it and we have a destination of universal suffrage," he said. "That is a national policy. We are marching toward that final policy. The important thing is that we're always on the move."
Tsang took over as chief executive in June, replacing the unpopular Tung Chee-hwa (
Tsang, a former finance minister and Tung's right hand man, has been savvier than his predecessor, who was viewed as aloof and insensitive to the needs of the public. Tsang has mixed more with the public and has been more accessible to the media -- which Tung frequently ignored.
Tsang used his speech to hit on several of his administration's themes: building a more responsive government, creating greater social harmony, cleaning the city's polluted skies, retraining workers and stoking economic growth by becoming more competitive.
"Strong government is a prerequisite for economic development," Tsang said.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a