HONG KONG -- Chief executive Donald Tsang, a Beijing-approved political leader and Asia’s most famous wearer of bow-ties, has lashed out in annoyance that scandals have splashed him. He expresses discontent that the media has tainted him in a “groundless smear campaign” aimed at damaging his administration’s credibility. But credibility is one thing that Tsang and his team never possessed.

The media reveals that Tsang’s sister-in-law collected compensation for losses from the Lehman Brothers collapse much sooner than other investors did. Other news reports stress that a leading lighting supplier, the father of Tsang’s daughter-in-law, will benefit from the CE’s latest policy address that unveiled a voucher plan to promote low-energy light bulbs.

“Some media agencies have questioned my integrity," Tsang said. “I deeply regret the groundless attack, which is aimed at undermining the credibility of the government.”

In “yes-man” style, executive councillor Cheng Yiu- tong added that “some media agencies have been attacking him continuously. It should not be allowed in a lawful society.”

From Tsang’s willing participation in a tainted CE-election process, one designed to keep political power away from most Hong Kong people, the public knows that his sense of fair-play and public accountability have serious shortcomings. Only 800 voters among Hong Kong’s more than seven million people could cast ballots in the farcical election that Donald “won” back in 2007. That’s a huge injustice.

The biggest scandal happens not when newspapers devote ink to Hong Kong’s political leader. Instead, it’s when Tsang arrives at work and slides behind his desk each day.

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