July 16 (Bloomberg) -- Two senior Hong Kong politicians
resigned from their government jobs today.
Security Secretary Regina Ip, whose introduction of a
proposed anti-subversion law caused one of the city's biggest
protests and a government retreat, handed in her notice to Chief
Executive Tung Chee-hwa.
Later, Financial Secretary Antony Leung, who bought a luxury
car shortly before announcing an increase in vehicle tax, quit
his post, he said in a statement posted on the official
government Web site.
The anti-subversion law, known as Article 23, prompted
500,000 people to march on July 1, with some carrying effigies of
Ip. Leung's car purchase prompted much comment in the local
media. A report following an investigation into the incident by
the Independent Commission Against Corruption is currently with
Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie, while a decision is
made on whether to prosecute.
Ip had dismissed the rally in advance as a holiday activity
for those with no other plans. A poll shows her popularity has
since plummeted.
Following the march, the government deleted some clauses in
the bill and then delayed its passage after its support in the
legislature disintegrated. Ip, in charge of forcing through the
law, said she resigned for personal reasons. She is the first
cabinet member to resign since the protest.
Striking a Balance
``We have tried our best to strike a balance between
protecting national security and safeguarding rights,'' Ip said
today in a statement, referring to the law against treason,
subversion, sedition and theft of state secrets. ``I firmly
believe the bill, with the various amendments, will be able to
achieve this goal.''
Ip's popularity fell 18.7 points in June to 34.6 out of 100,
according to a University of Hong Kong poll of 1,046 people
conducted July 2-4, according to the South China Morning Post.
The fall was the biggest of any of the 14 cabinet members whose
popularity was measured by the poll.
Even before the recent rallies, Ip was criticized by
opposition politicians for her handling of residency rights.
Under Hong Kong's constitution, the Basic Law, Ip is
officially appointed by China's central government in Beijing,
and Tung has requested Beijing remove her from the post.
Tung said Ip offered to resign on June 25. He said he asked
her to reconsider, only accepting her offer today. ``Mrs. Ip's
performance has been outstanding. With her exceptional abilities
and great wisdom, she has resolved many thorny issues,'' he said.
The justice secretary said she didn't know how long it would
take to decide on whether to prosecute Leung, according to the
South China Morning Post newspaper.
``The case of Mr. Leung is no different from other cases,''
the paper cited the justice secretary as saying. ``We will treat
it in the same manner.''