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Wikipedia

Donald Tsang

Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen GBM KBE[a][8] (Chinese: 曾蔭權; born 7 October 1944) is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012.

Donald Tsang
曾蔭權
Tsang in 2012
2nd Chief Executive of Hong Kong
In office
21 June 2005[b] – 30 June 2012
PresidentHu Jintao
PremierWen Jiabao
Preceded byTung Chee-hwa
Succeeded byLeung Chun-ying
Chief Secretary for Administration
In office
1 May 2001 – 31 May 2005
Chief ExecutiveTung Chee-hwa
Preceded byAnson Chan
Succeeded byRafael Hui
Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
In office
1 July 1997 – 30 April 2001
Chief ExecutiveTung Chee-hwa
Succeeded byAnthony Leung
In office
1 September 1995 – 30 June 1997
GovernorChris Patten
Preceded byHamish Macleod
Secretary for the Treasury
In office
7 May 1993 – 31 March 1995
GovernorChris Patten
Preceded byYeung Kai-yin
Succeeded byKwong Ki-chi
Personal details
Born
Tsang Yam-kuen

(1944-10-07) 7 October 1944 (age 79)
Hong Kong
Spouse
Selina Pou Siu-mei
(m. 1969)
Children2
Residence(s)111 Mount Butler Road, Jardine's Lookout
EducationWah Yan College
Alma materHarvard University (MPA)
ProfessionPolitician, Civil Servant
OriginNamhoi, Kwangtung[6]
Signature
Donald Tsang Yam-kuen
Traditional Chinese曾蔭權
Simplified Chinese曾荫权
Cantonese YaleJāng Yam-kyùhn or
Jàng Yam-kyùhn

Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967, occupying various positions in local administration, finance and trade before he was appointed Financial Secretary of Hong Kong in 1995, becoming the first ethnic Chinese to hold the position under British administration.[9] He continued to serve in the Hong Kong SAR government after 1997 and gained his reputation internationally for his intervention in Hong Kong's stock market in defending the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the US dollar during the 1997 financial crisis.

Tsang became the Chief Secretary for Administration in 2001 and ran for the Chief Executive in 2005 after incumbent Tung Chee-hwa resigned. He served the remaining term of Tung and was re-elected in 2007. He served a full five-year term until he stepped down in 2012. In his seven years of term, he proposed two constitutional reform proposals in 2005 and 2010 and saw the second ones passed after he reached a compromise with the pro-democracy legislators, making it the first and only political reform proposals to be passed in the SAR history. He carried out a five-year policy blueprint and ten large-scale infrastructure projects during his term. His popularity began to decline after the introduction of the Political Appointments System which was marked by controversies and scandals.

In the last months of his term, Tsang was embroiled by various corruption allegations. He was subsequently charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption and was found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office in February 2017 and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment, becoming the highest officeholder in Hong Kong history to be convicted and imprisoned. His name was later cleared when the Court of Final Appeal unanimously quashed his conviction and sentence in June 2019, on the ground that the trial judge had misdirected the jury.[10]

Early life and government career edit

Tsang was born in Hong Kong on 7 October 1944 to a Hong Kong police officer. His family ancestry is from Foshan in Guangdong. He spent his childhood living in the Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters in Central, Hong Kong. After completing his secondary education at Wah Yan College, Hong Kong, a Jesuit school in Hong Kong, he worked briefly as a salesman at US drug company Pfizer Inc. before joining the civil service.[11]

Tsang joined the Civil Service as an Executive Officer in January 1967 and held many positions dealing with local administration, finance, trade and policies relating to the return of Hong Kong to China. In 1977, Tsang was attached to the Asian Development Bank in Manila for a year and worked on water supply and railway development projects in the Philippines and Bangladesh.[12] He was subsequently sent by the government to complete a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of the Harvard University in 1981.

Tsang was responsible for implementing the Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed in 1984 to decide the Hong Kong's sovereignty to be transferred to China in 1997, and the promotion of the British Nationality Selection Scheme as Deputy Secretary of the General Duties Branch between 1985 and 1989. In 1989, he was appointed Director of Administration to oversee the functioning of the Government Secretariat. In 1991 he became Director-General of Trade and in charge of all facets of trade negotiation and administration affecting Hong Kong. In May 1993, he was promoted to Secretary for the Treasury, responsible for the overall resource allocation, the taxation systems and the cost effectiveness of the Hong Kong government.[12]

Financial Secretary edit

In September 1995, Tsang was appointed Financial Secretary, becoming the first Chinese to hold the position in 150 years of colonial history. He went on to become the first Financial Secretary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 1997. Shortly before the handover, he was knighted by Prince Charles at the Government House in June 1997.[12]

During his term as Financial Secretary, Tsang coined the term "caring capitalism" in 1996, which describe the governments's approach of giving priority to economic growth and then using the new-found wealth to develop social infrastructure and welfare services.[13] Hong Kong's public spending grew steadily as public revenue remained robust and government budget in surplus. Public expenditure to GDP rose to as high as 23%, though still the lowest among developed economies. He also approved a raise in civil servants' salaries at the beginning of the Asian economic crisis. The salary raise was finally reversed, aligning civil servants' salaries to 1997 levels.[citation needed]

Tsang was known for his role in defending the Hong Kong dollar's peg to the US dollar during the Asian financial crisis in 1998 from attacks by hedge funds led by George Soros who he dubbed "crocodiles".[14] He joined hand with Joseph Yam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and bought over $15 billion in Hong Kong stock to defend Hong Kong's exchange rate and to make the government the biggest shareholder in many blue chip firms.[15] Tsang's action successfully led to the retreat of the hedge funds and earned his reputation internationally.[citation needed]

Chief Secretary edit

In 2001, Tsang succeeded Anson Chan who retired citing personal reasons to be the Chief Secretary for Administration, the second-ranking position in the government. It was widely believed that Chan resigned from the government in protest against Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System, which made the capacity of the Chief Secretary from civil servant to political appointee.[16]

Under the new system, the power of the Chief Secretary as the head of the civil service was largely taken away by the Chief Executive and all ministers would only report to the Chief Executive directly. Donald Tsang found his major task as Chief Secretary was to implement Tung's order to launch a "Team Clean Campaign" to clean up the city in May 2003 after the SARS outbreak.[16]

As he was generally regarded as being sidelined by Tung, Tsang was untainted by major policy blunders, such as the controversy over the legislation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 which led to a historic massive demonstration on 1 July 2003. He remained topping in popularity polls among all the officials in Hong Kong as Chief Secretary.[citation needed]

Chief Executive bid edit

On 11 March 2005, incumbent Tung Chee-hwa announced his resignation, citing poor health. Tung's resignation was approved by the central government the next day and Tsang took over becoming the acting Chief Executive. After Tung's resignation, Tsang was tipped as Beijing's favoured next Chief Executive. On the afternoon of 25 May 2005, Tsang resigned as Chief Secretary and announced his Chief Executive candidacy on 2 June 2005 after his resignation was accepted by the central government. He was elected unopposed by the 800-member Election Committee on 16 June 2005 and was formally appointed by the central government as the Chief Executive on 21 June 2005. However, the term of the Chief Executive was disputed, which led to the interpretation of the Basic Law by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on 27 April to clarify that Tsang would only serve out the remaining two years of Tung Chee-hwa's term, rather than the full five years as some legal professionals argued.

Chief Executive edit

First term (2005–07) edit

2007/08 constitutional reform edit

Tsang developed a warm relationship with the pan-democrats during the early months of his first term. Pan-democrat legislator Albert Chan gave his nomination to Tsang in the Chief Executive election, while Albert Cheng was seen as Tsang's friend in the Legislative Council. Tsang also appointed some members from the pan-democracy camp to the government positions, including Lau Sai-leung to the Central Policy Unit which drew the criticism from the traditional Beijing-loyalists. On 30 August 2005, Tsang announced that the Guangdong Provincial Government invited all 60 members from the legislative council to visit Guangdong between 25 and 26 September 2005. This was the first chance for most of the pro-democrats such as Martin Lee to visit the mainland China since 1989.

The Tsang administration's relationship with the pan-democrats deteriorated after the pro-democrats' rejection of the constitutional reform package in December 2005. Bounded by the decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in 2004 which ruled out the 2007/2008 Chief Executive and Legislative Council universal suffrage, the Tsang administration put forward a reform package which would expand the 800-member Election Committee to 1,600 members and add 10 seats to the 2008 Legislative Council, with five directly elected through geographical constituencies and five functional constituencies elected by District Councillors. The government claimed that this was the best deal they could muster given the constraints of the NPCSC verdict.[17] The proposal failed to gain two-thirds majority of the Legislative Council with four votes short, as 24 pan-democrats vetoed it. He angered democrats, who voted down his proposals, when he referred to them as "horrid animals".[18]

Action Blue Sky Campaign edit

In mid-2006 Tsang launched the "Action Blue Sky Campaign" and outlined a comprehensive plan to tackle air pollution in Hong Kong and in collaboration with the neighbouring Guangdong. Scepticism however remained among the expatriate and local population of Hong Kong and, in late November 2006, they ridiculed Tsang for citing the long life expectancy of Hong Kong residents as evidence of Hong Kong's high quality of life relative to other major cities in the East Asian region.[19]

2007 re-election edit

Tsang announced he would seek for the second term on 1 February 2007 with the campaign slogan "I'll get the job done". He submitted his nomination on 16 February, with 641 of the 796 Election Committee members nominated him which guaranteed his electoral victory before the polling day. He faced challenge from the pan-democrats who backed Civic Party legislator Alan Leong to run against him.

Tsang was elected by the 796-member Election Committee on 25 March 2007 with 649 votes, compared to Leong's 123 votes. It was seen as the first competitive Chief Executive election featuring two candidates from different political camp with debates held between the candidates which changed Hong Kong's political culture.

Second term (2007–12) edit

Five-year policy blueprint edit

 
Donald Tsang meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the APEC Australia 2007.

Following his re-election as the Chief Executive in 2007, Tsang set out the 5-year blueprint for the third term of the SAR government in his 2007–08 policy address. He stressed the importance of "progressive development", a core element of which is the promotion of community development through revitalisation of the built heritage in the city which is to be realised by promoting economic development through infrastructure projects. Ten large-scale infrastructure projects were also proposed within his term of office to boost economic activities to improve the living environment in Hong Kong: (1) MTR Southern District Extension; (2) MTR Sha Tin to Central Link; (3) Tuen Mun Western Bypass and Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link; (4) Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link; (5) Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge; (6) Hong Kong-Shenzhen Airport Co-operation; (7) Hong Kong-Shenzhen Joint Development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop; (8) West Kowloon Cultural District; (9) Kai Tak Development Plan; and (10) New Development Areas at Kwu Tung North, Fanling North, Ping Che and Ta Kwu Ling and Hung Shui Kiu.

Heritage conservation edit

The Tsang administration embattled with the conservation movement which reach its peak in the late 2000s, including the protests against the demolitions of the Star Ferry Pier and the Queen's Pier. In response to it, Tsang set up a Commissioner for Heritage Office and earmarked $1 billion to revitalise historic buildings. He also proposed a series of revitalisation projects that would add a new dimension to Central. For instance, to reduce the development density of the Central Ferry Piers site and open up the public space along the waterfront for entertainment, recreational and cultural uses; to remove the Central Market from the Application List and hand it over to the Urban Renewal Authority for conservation and revitalisation; and to convert the Murray Building into a hotel through open tender etc.

Political Appointments System edit

In 2008, the Tsang administration introduced the Political Appointments System, by superseding the Principal Officials Accountability System (POAS) and inserting two layers of politically appointed officials below the secretaries, who are political appointees. The appointees' foreign nationalities, experience and remuneration levels, and transparency of the selection process were widely criticism by the public, which led to Tsang to offer a public apology, saying: "With hindsight, I admit the arrangements in this regard did not fully meet public expectations, and I apologise for the controversy this has caused."[20] The controversy became the turning point of the popularity of the Tsang government. A poll showed Tsang's popularity declining sharply following the three-week row over the introduction of the Political Appointments System; his disapproval rating rose from 18% to a record 24%, while his approval rating declined from 66% to 60.8% in the space of three weeks.[21] His approval/disapproval rating continued to deteriorate, and stood at 39/41% as at late August 2008.[22]

2008–10 financial crisis edit

After 2008 global financial crisis which led to the steep rise in unemployment especially among the banking and finance industries, Tsang announced on 8 December 2008 to create 60,000 jobs in 2009 by speeding up infrastructure projects and a ten-fold increase in its loan guarantee scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Tsang government also quickly formed a Task Force on Economic Challenges to deal with the crisis. Tsang came up with six economic sectors to explore with the recommendations of the Task Force in his 2009–10 policy address: (1) testing and certification, (2) medical services, (3) innovation and technology, (4) cultural and creative industries, (5) environmental industry, and (6) educational services. The government pledged to provide more concrete support in those sectors and called them as the "new economic pillars". After a year of negative record of GDP growth rate, the Hong Kong economy recovered quickly from 2010, despite the poverty population keep growing under Tsang tenure.[23]

Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link edit

In 2009, the government proposal of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section sparked concerns over the significant cost escalations compared to estimates made one year previously, the conservation of the Choi Yuen village and the increasing Mainland–Hong Kong integration. The government's plan drew more than 10,000 people protesting against the construction of the rail link in late 2009 and early 2010.[24] Despite the controversy and strong opposition from the community, the Executive Council approved the implementation on 20 October 2009.[25] Appropriations for the project of $64 billion were passed by the Legislative Council on 16 January 2010 with the objections of the pro-democracy legislators.[26]

2012 constitutional reform edit

The Tsang administration launched the proposals for electoral reform for the 2012 Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections in November 2009 which largely similar to the 2005 proposals.[27] To oppose the proposal, five pan-democrat legislators resigned from the Legislative Council to trigger a territory-wide by-election in which they campaigned as the "Five Constituencies Referendum" for universal suffrage and the abolition of the functional constituencies.

Following the by-election, the government stepped up efforts to gain support for the reform package. It commissioned two television advertisements which emphasised the need to move forwards with democratisation. Tsang began to campaign via radio interviews, and he and his ministers took to the streets to mobilise support. On the weekend of 29/30 May, Tsang and his ministers toured Hong Kong on an unpublicised itinerary to deliver flyers and meet the public.[28] Tsang described as "myths" which surrounded the proposals – that it is regressive, it makes little difference whether it is passed or not, and that ordinary people are not concerned by political developments. He said they were "the first step as well as the last opportunity" to lay the foundation for a chief executive elected by universal suffrage in 2017. He expressed his fear that "a mood of pessimism and cynicism will take root" if there was no progress this time.[29] Tsang also invited Audrey Eu of the Civic Party, the spokesperson of the "Five Constituencies Referendum" to a one-hour televised debate on 17 June. Pundits were unanimous that Eu had trounced Tsang in the debate, with the University of Hong Kong poll showed that 45% of people were "more opposed" to the government's proposals after the debate, while 20% said they were more supportive.[30]

The central government made a U-turn on the moderate democrats' modified proposal tabled by the Democratic Party on 19 June, after South China Morning Post (SCMP) revealed that Donald Tsang had written a letter the previous week to Xi Jinping, vice-president in charge of Hong Kong affairs. "The chief executive warned in the letter that Hong Kong could face a serious governance crisis if the electoral reform package was vetoed by Legco again, and his ability to govern Hong Kong effectively would be in doubt". The SCMP source said Chinese Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao personally approved the Democratic Party's proposals.[31] With the moderate democrats' support, the proposals were approved by the Legislative Council, making it the first and only electoral reform to be passed in the SAR history.

Minimum Wage legislation edit

Facing the increasing disparity between rich and poor in his term, Tsang set up a Minimum Wage Provisional Commission in February 2009 to research and eventually set a proposed wage floor.[32] The Minimum Wage Bill was passed on 15 July 2010 and a HK$28 (~US$3.60) per hour rate was recommended by the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission and adopted by the Chief Executive-in-Council on 10 November 2010.[33]

Corruption allegations edit

In the last months of his tenure, Tsang was embroiled in a series of corruption allegations. In February 2012 during the Chief Executive election in which contender Henry Tang, the former Chief Secretary in Tsang's government suffered in wide range of scandals, Tsang was also discovered by the Oriental Daily News to have received favours and hospitality from business tycoons on various occasions, including private jet and yacht trips and was labelled as "Greedy Tsang".

The allegations of preferential allocation of a luxury three-storey penthouse in Shenzhen surfaced after Tsang addressed the press by saying that he and his wife had chosen to live in Shenzhen for a period after his retirement as they wanted to stay away from the limelight. Tsang was accused for allocating the Shenzhen penthouse owned by Bill Wong Cho-bau to Tsang in exchange for granting of a broadcasting licence to the Wong's Digital Broadcasting Corporation (DBC, then Wave Media).[34] It was reported that Tsang was set to rent the flat at a substantially discounted rate while renovation works, provided by the developer, were tailored to the demands of Tsang's wife. Tsang argued that declaration was not necessary and that his lease did not affect the government's decision on granting the broadcasting licence to DBC. He also argued that the lease was at market value.[34]

Tsang was later summoned to answer questions from an open inquiry by the Legislative Council. This unprecedented revelations and move to impeach him launched by a pro-Beijing legislator Paul Tse shook the confidence in integrity of the city's officials.[35] Tsang also set up an Independent Review Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Potential Conflicts of Interests chaired by former Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Li on 26 February 2012 to review the existing frameworks and procedures for preventing and handling of potential conflicts of interests concerning the Chief Executive and other top officials.

In the last month of his office, Tsang fought back tears as he offered "sincere apologies" on 1 June, when he said: "I know that my mishandling of the various events has undermined the community's confidence in the integrity of the system and has disappointed my colleagues in the civil service. For this I would like to, once again, offer my sincere apologies."[36] He stepped down as the Chief Executive on 30 June 2012 under the cloud of an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).[37] Compared to his predecessor Tung Chee-hwa who was appointed vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) after stepping down as Chief Executive, Tsang was not appointed any position by the central government after his retirement.

Conviction, imprisonment, and acquittal edit

On 5 October 2015, Tsang was charged with two counts of misconduct in public office after failing to disclose plans to rent a luxury penthouse for his retirement from Bill Wong Cho-bau applying for a broadcasting licence for the Digital Broadcasting Corporation (then Wave Media) by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), as well as failing to declare renowned interior designer Barrie Ho Chow-lai's engagement for decorating the penthouse when he recommended to the relevant government committee that Ho should receive an honour.[38][39] An extra count of accepting an advantage from an agent for violating the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance over the Shenzhen penthouse was added on 11 October 2016.[40]

After entering pleas of not guilty to all charges, his trial began before a jury on 10 January 2017.[41] On 17 February 2017, the jury found Tsang guilty on one charge of misconduct in public office over the penthouse rental and not guilty on the misconduct charge for the penthouse decoration, but failed to reach a verdict on the count of accepting an advantage from an agent.[42][43] He was sentenced to a 20-month imprisonment on 22 February 2017.[44] When he announced Tsang's sentence, Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai said "never in my judicial career have I seen a man fallen from so high."[45]

On 24 April, Tsang granted bail by court after his health was fluctuating and had to be sent to the Queen Mary Hospital.[46] Regarding the charge which had a guilty verdict, Tsang gets bail pending appeal.[47] Regarding the charge which "failed to reach a verdict", a retrial was carried out, and the Judge dismissed the retrial-jury on 3 November 2017 after they too were unable to reach a verdict.[48] Prosecution has not applied for a third trial.[49]

On 11 January 2019, Tsang was admitted to hospital for health reasons, a few days ahead of his scheduled release from prison.[50] On 15 January, Tsang was released from hospital and also from jail.[51] Upon his release, Tsang refused to compare his case with that of his successor Leung Chun-ying, who was also accused of corruption for his recipient of HK$50 million from Australian firm UGL without disclosure, even though Leung's case was dropped by the government in a controversial manner. "If I make comparisons, it may revive my anger and hatred in my heart. I have cleared these through working hard to pray and receive blessings from the heavens a few months ago," Tsang said. He also said he would persist in seeking justice and clear his name.[52]

On 26 June 2019, the Court of Final Appeal unanimously quashed his conviction and sentence, after finding that the trial judge had failed to direct his jurors properly.[10] The Court found that the trial court trial did not adequately instruct the jury on required elements of the crime.[53] Since Tsang was not convicted for bribery, the elements of "wilfulness" and "seriousness" in the misconduct in public office charge became especially important, and an adequate explanation was not given to the jury.[53] The Court also decided that the interests of justice did not require a new trial.[53]

As a result of his successful appeal, Tsang should be able to reclaim some of the estimated HK$40 to 50 million of legal costs over two trials and two appeals.[54] Tsang had said he and his wife spent almost all their savings on the lawsuit.[54] But Tsang is unlikely to reclaim his costs fully, including the initial trial and legal costs related to his investigation.[55][54] Another outcome of the appeal is that Tsang's entitlement to HK$80,000 a month in civil servants' pension will no longer be in jeopardy.[55] Retired Hong Kong civil servants could lose all or part of their pension if they were convicted of an offence related to their office, subject to the chief executive's approval.[54]

Personal life edit

 
Donald Tsang and his wife, Selina, Lady Tsang, in 2008.

Tsang is the eldest of the five sons and one daughter. His younger brother Tsang Yam-pui, retired as the Police Commissioner in December 2003, after a career with the police in which he worked his way up to the top job from the rank of Probationary Inspector. His younger sister Katherine Tsang is chairperson of Standard Chartered Hong Kong.[56][57] He married Selina Pou Siu-mei in 1969 and has two sons, Simon Tsang Hing-yin and Thomas Tsang Hing-shun.

Tsang is a devout Roman Catholic and goes to Mass every morning, though his political viewpoints were bluntly criticised at times by Joseph Cardinal Zen, who was the Bishop of Hong Kong during Tsang's term as Chief Executive.[58]

Tsang is well known for his preference of wearing bow-ties. According to Associated Press, "the bow tie is such an integral part of Tsang's identity that he is nicknamed "Bow-tie Tsang".[59] His nickname is widely known among Hong Kong people. According to a television interview, this preference started somewhere between 1988 and 1993, when Tsang's office was adjacent to Deputy Political Adviser Stephen Bradley, who himself wore bow-ties. Tsang felt comfortable with a bow-tie Bradley gave him, saying that its design brings fewer hurdles to its wearer than a necktie.[60]

Tsang is well known for keeping koi. He had a pond built for them in the garden of his official residence, Government House, at a cost of HK$300,000.[61] His other hobbies include swimming, bird-watching and hiking.[62][63]

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ a b Donald Tsang was awarded KBE in 1997 for the 30-year service to Hong Kong,[1][2] and therefore entitled to use the title of "Sir". Tsang, however, chooses not to use the title in official capacity.[3] If the knighthood is used in the title, the individual shall be called (The Honourable) Sir Donald Tsang.[4][5]
  2. ^ Tsang became Acting Chief Executive on 12 March 2005 following Tung's resignation. Tsang stepped down from this role on 25 May 2005 to run in the election to succeed Tung; Henry Tang became Acting Chief Executive until Tsang was appointed Chief Executive on 21 June 2005.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Hong Kong". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 1283–4. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 27 June 2005.
  2. ^ "Sir Donald Tsang". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 878. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 12 July 2005.
  3. ^ "Hong Kong". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 736. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 17 October 2005.
  4. ^ "Legislative Council of Hong Kong – Meeting record, bottom of the page listed: "Patron: The Honourable Sir Donald Tsang, GBM, KBE"" (PDF). Legislative Council of Hong Kong. 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Donald TSANG Yam Kuen - Citation - HKU Honorary Graduates". HKU. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  6. ^ "曾荫权家乡南海九江镇变成旅游热点" (in Chinese (China)). China Internet Information Center. 17 June 2005. from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  7. ^ . Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Association for Conversation of Hong Kong Indigenous Languages Online Dictionary for Hong Kong Hakka and Hong Kong Punti (Weitou dialect)
  8. ^ "Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Biography". Hong Kong Government. 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  9. ^ "A Rarity in Hong Kong: Budget Is in Deficit". The New York Times. Reuters. 7 March 1996. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  10. ^ a b Lau, Chris (22 July 2019). "Hong Kong's former leader Donald Tsang to find out whether his misconduct conviction will be quashed in Court of Final Appeal judgment". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  11. ^ Zhang, Wenxian; Alon, Ilan (2009). Biographical Dictionary of New Chinese Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  12. ^ a b c "Biography – Chief Executive". Hong Kong Government.
  13. ^ Lau, Chi Kuen (1997). Hong Kong's Colonial Legacy. Chinese University Press. pp. 79–80.
  14. ^ "Smooth operator takes helm in Hong Kong". China Daily. 18 March 2005.
  15. ^ . Thomas White. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  16. ^ a b Cheng, Joseph Y. S. (2007). The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Its First Decade. City University of HK Press. pp. 32–33.
  17. ^ Cheng, Joseph Y. S. (2007). The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Its First Decade. City University of HK Press. pp. 64–8.
  18. ^ Yau, Cannix (22 December 2005), Back to square one for Tsang 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard
  19. ^ Jonathan Cheng (4 December 2006). . The Standard. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  20. ^ Bonnie Chen (11 June 2008). . The Standard. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
  21. ^ Eva Wu, "Chief's ratings fall", Pg A3, South China Morning Post, 11 June 2008
  22. ^ . RTHK. 27 August 2008. Archived from the original on 17 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  23. ^ Cheng, Joseph Y. S. (2013). "The Second Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR: Evaluating the Tsang Years 2005–2012". City University of HK Press.
  24. ^ Angry rail-link protesters clash with police 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 30 November 2009
  25. ^ ExCo approves implementation of high-speed rail link, Hong Kong Government, 20 October 2009
  26. ^ Song, Shengxia (18 January 2010), Hongkongers protest vote on high-speed rail, People's Daily, Global Times. Retrieved 28 January 2010
  27. ^ Chiang, Scarlett (19 November 2009), 'Don't miss this crucial step' 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard
  28. ^ Moy, Patsy & Siu, Beatrice (31 May 2010). "Slow start in ground attack" 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard
  29. ^ Moy, Patsy (31 May 2010). "Tsang turns up heat" 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ Bloomberg (18 June 2010). "Hong Kong's Tsang Loses Democracy Debate, Polls Show (Update1)"[dead link], Bloomberg BusinessWeek
  31. ^ Cheung, Gary (22 June 2010) "Beijing's U-turn 'to thwart radicals'", South China Morning Post
  32. ^ Provisional Minimum Wage Commission appointed, Government of Hong Kong, 27 February 2009, retrieved 18 April 2011
  33. ^ Chief Executive-in-Council adopts initial statutory minimum wage rate, Government of Hong Kong, 10 November 2010, retrieved 12 November 2010
  34. ^ a b Luk, Eddie (27 February 2012). "Tsang denies license link to penthouse deal" 7 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The Standard
  35. ^ Luk, Eddie (29 February 2012). "Impeachment pressure grows" 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. The Standard.
  36. ^ "CE's remarks at media session". Hong Kong Government. 1 June 2012.
  37. ^ Enid Tsui (29 February 2012). "Hong Kong's Tsang faces corruption probe". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  38. ^ "Hong Kong ICAC – Press Releases – Ex-Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen faces charges of misconduct". icac.org.hk. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  39. ^ "The rise and fall of 'Hong Kong boy' Donald Tsang". South China Morning Post. 17 February 2017.
  40. ^ "Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang faces additional bribery charge over Shenzhen penthouse". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  41. ^ "Ex-Chief Exec. Donald Tsang abused power and was 'hopelessly compromised', prosecutors say". Hong Kong Free Press. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  42. ^ "Ex-Hong Kong leader guilty of misconduct in corruption trial". Hong Kong Free Press. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  43. ^ "HKSAR v. TSANG YAM KUEN, DONALD [2017] HKCFI 640; HCCC 484/2015 (22 February 2017)". Court of First Instance; Hong Kong Legal Information Institute. 22 February 2017.
  44. ^ "Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang jailed 20 months for misconduct in high-profile corruption trial". The Straits Times. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  45. ^ "A man fallen from so high – Former chief executive Donald Tsang jailed for 20 months". The Standard. 23 February 2017.
  46. ^ "Former leader Donald Tsang granted bail by Hong Kong court". South China Morning Post. 24 April 2017.
  47. ^ "Donald Tsang gets bail pending appeal". EJ Insight. 26 April 2017.
  48. ^ "Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang avoids conviction on bribery charge – for now – as jury unable to reach verdict". South China Morning Post. 3 November 2017.
  49. ^ "(Donald Tsang trial) Prosecutors will not seek retrial". The Standard. 6 November 2017.
  50. ^ "Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang taken to hospital ahead of release from prison". SCMP. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  51. ^ "Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang says time with wife is top priority after completing 12-month jail term for misconduct in public office". SCMP. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  52. ^ "Ex-Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang released from jail, vows to persist in 'seeking justice'". Hong Kong Free Press. 15 January 2019.
  53. ^ a b c "Donald Tsang wins final appeal against criminal misconduct sentence". South China Morning Post. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  54. ^ a b c d "What now for Donald Tsang after quashed misconduct conviction?". South China Morning Post. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  55. ^ a b Standard, The. "Counting the cost of agonizing $40m struggle". The Standard. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  56. ^ Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited Appoints Katherine Tsang as New Chairperson 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, SCB press release, 10 January 2011
  57. ^ Tsang sister moves up the ladder 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 11 January 2011
  58. ^ "Donald Tsang's faith is no guarantee of good leadership, says Bishop Zen". AsiaNews.it. 12 March 2005.
  59. ^ [1] No byline, "Tsang loves his bow ties", article attributed to the Associated Press appearing in The Age, July 15, 2005, accessed January 18, 2007
  60. ^ Episode 17, Be My Guest, originally broadcast on 23 September 2006
  61. ^ "Scales of fortune". South China Morning Post. 7 August 2007.
  62. ^ (PDF). The 12th Hong Kong Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  63. ^ "BIG SPENDER:誰趕走了家燕". 蘋果日報. 10 January 2013.

External links edit

  • BBC News: Profile: Donald Tsang
  • Corpus of Political Speeches : Free access to political speeches by Donald Tsang and other Chinese politicians, developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary for the Treasury
1993–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by Financial Secretary of Hong Kong
1995–2001
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Secretary for Administration
2001–2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Executive of Hong Kong
2005–2012
Succeeded by
President of Executive Council
2005–2012
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Tung Chee-hwa
Former Chief Executives
Hong Kong order of precedence
Former Chief Executives
Succeeded by
Leung Chun-ying
Former Chief Executives

donald, tsang, this, hong, kong, name, surname, tsang, accordance, with, hong, kong, custom, western, style, name, chinese, style, name, tsang, kuen, kuen, chinese, 曾蔭權, born, october, 1944, former, hong, kong, civil, servant, served, second, chief, executive,. In this Hong Kong name the surname is Tsang In accordance with Hong Kong custom the Western style name is Donald Tsang and the Chinese style name is Tsang Yam kuen Sir Donald Tsang Yam kuen GBM KBE a 8 Chinese 曾蔭權 born 7 October 1944 is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012 The Honourable Sir a Donald TsangGBM KBE曾蔭權Tsang in 20122nd Chief Executive of Hong KongIn office 21 June 2005 b 30 June 2012PresidentHu JintaoPremierWen JiabaoPreceded byTung Chee hwaSucceeded byLeung Chun yingChief Secretary for AdministrationIn office 1 May 2001 31 May 2005Chief ExecutiveTung Chee hwaPreceded byAnson ChanSucceeded byRafael HuiFinancial Secretary of Hong KongIn office 1 July 1997 30 April 2001Chief ExecutiveTung Chee hwaSucceeded byAnthony LeungIn office 1 September 1995 30 June 1997GovernorChris PattenPreceded byHamish MacleodSecretary for the TreasuryIn office 7 May 1993 31 March 1995GovernorChris PattenPreceded byYeung Kai yinSucceeded byKwong Ki chiPersonal detailsBornTsang Yam kuen 1944 10 07 7 October 1944 age 79 Hong KongSpouseSelina Pou Siu mei m 1969 wbr Children2Residence s 111 Mount Butler Road Jardine s LookoutEducationWah Yan CollegeAlma materHarvard University MPA ProfessionPolitician Civil ServantOriginNamhoi Kwangtung 6 Signature Donald Tsang Yam kuenTraditional Chinese曾蔭權Simplified Chinese曾荫权Cantonese YaleJang Yam kyuhn orJang Yam kyuhnTranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinZeng YinquanIPA tse ŋ i ntɕʰɥɛ n HakkaRomanizationZen1 Yim4 Kien2 7 Yue CantoneseYale RomanizationJang Yam kyuhn orJang Yam kyuhnJyutpingZang1 Jam3 kyun4IPA tsɐŋ jɐm kʰyːn or tsɐ ŋ jɐ m kʰy ːn Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967 occupying various positions in local administration finance and trade before he was appointed Financial Secretary of Hong Kong in 1995 becoming the first ethnic Chinese to hold the position under British administration 9 He continued to serve in the Hong Kong SAR government after 1997 and gained his reputation internationally for his intervention in Hong Kong s stock market in defending the Hong Kong dollar s peg to the US dollar during the 1997 financial crisis Tsang became the Chief Secretary for Administration in 2001 and ran for the Chief Executive in 2005 after incumbent Tung Chee hwa resigned He served the remaining term of Tung and was re elected in 2007 He served a full five year term until he stepped down in 2012 In his seven years of term he proposed two constitutional reform proposals in 2005 and 2010 and saw the second ones passed after he reached a compromise with the pro democracy legislators making it the first and only political reform proposals to be passed in the SAR history He carried out a five year policy blueprint and ten large scale infrastructure projects during his term His popularity began to decline after the introduction of the Political Appointments System which was marked by controversies and scandals In the last months of his term Tsang was embroiled by various corruption allegations He was subsequently charged by the Independent Commission Against Corruption and was found guilty of one count of misconduct in public office in February 2017 and was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment becoming the highest officeholder in Hong Kong history to be convicted and imprisoned His name was later cleared when the Court of Final Appeal unanimously quashed his conviction and sentence in June 2019 on the ground that the trial judge had misdirected the jury 10 Contents 1 Early life and government career 2 Financial Secretary 3 Chief Secretary 4 Chief Executive bid 5 Chief Executive 5 1 First term 2005 07 5 1 1 2007 08 constitutional reform 5 1 2 Action Blue Sky Campaign 5 2 2007 re election 5 3 Second term 2007 12 5 3 1 Five year policy blueprint 5 3 2 Heritage conservation 5 3 3 Political Appointments System 5 3 4 2008 10 financial crisis 5 3 5 Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link 5 3 6 2012 constitutional reform 5 3 7 Minimum Wage legislation 5 3 8 Corruption allegations 6 Conviction imprisonment and acquittal 7 Personal life 8 Footnotes 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksEarly life and government career editTsang was born in Hong Kong on 7 October 1944 to a Hong Kong police officer His family ancestry is from Foshan in Guangdong He spent his childhood living in the Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters in Central Hong Kong After completing his secondary education at Wah Yan College Hong Kong a Jesuit school in Hong Kong he worked briefly as a salesman at US drug company Pfizer Inc before joining the civil service 11 Tsang joined the Civil Service as an Executive Officer in January 1967 and held many positions dealing with local administration finance trade and policies relating to the return of Hong Kong to China In 1977 Tsang was attached to the Asian Development Bank in Manila for a year and worked on water supply and railway development projects in the Philippines and Bangladesh 12 He was subsequently sent by the government to complete a master s degree in public administration from the John F Kennedy School of Government of the Harvard University in 1981 Tsang was responsible for implementing the Sino British Joint Declaration signed in 1984 to decide the Hong Kong s sovereignty to be transferred to China in 1997 and the promotion of the British Nationality Selection Scheme as Deputy Secretary of the General Duties Branch between 1985 and 1989 In 1989 he was appointed Director of Administration to oversee the functioning of the Government Secretariat In 1991 he became Director General of Trade and in charge of all facets of trade negotiation and administration affecting Hong Kong In May 1993 he was promoted to Secretary for the Treasury responsible for the overall resource allocation the taxation systems and the cost effectiveness of the Hong Kong government 12 Financial Secretary editIn September 1995 Tsang was appointed Financial Secretary becoming the first Chinese to hold the position in 150 years of colonial history He went on to become the first Financial Secretary in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 1 July 1997 Shortly before the handover he was knighted by Prince Charles at the Government House in June 1997 12 During his term as Financial Secretary Tsang coined the term caring capitalism in 1996 which describe the governments s approach of giving priority to economic growth and then using the new found wealth to develop social infrastructure and welfare services 13 Hong Kong s public spending grew steadily as public revenue remained robust and government budget in surplus Public expenditure to GDP rose to as high as 23 though still the lowest among developed economies He also approved a raise in civil servants salaries at the beginning of the Asian economic crisis The salary raise was finally reversed aligning civil servants salaries to 1997 levels citation needed Tsang was known for his role in defending the Hong Kong dollar s peg to the US dollar during the Asian financial crisis in 1998 from attacks by hedge funds led by George Soros who he dubbed crocodiles 14 He joined hand with Joseph Yam Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and bought over 15 billion in Hong Kong stock to defend Hong Kong s exchange rate and to make the government the biggest shareholder in many blue chip firms 15 Tsang s action successfully led to the retreat of the hedge funds and earned his reputation internationally citation needed Chief Secretary editIn 2001 Tsang succeeded Anson Chan who retired citing personal reasons to be the Chief Secretary for Administration the second ranking position in the government It was widely believed that Chan resigned from the government in protest against Chief Executive Tung Chee hwa s introduction of the Principal Officials Accountability System which made the capacity of the Chief Secretary from civil servant to political appointee 16 Under the new system the power of the Chief Secretary as the head of the civil service was largely taken away by the Chief Executive and all ministers would only report to the Chief Executive directly Donald Tsang found his major task as Chief Secretary was to implement Tung s order to launch a Team Clean Campaign to clean up the city in May 2003 after the SARS outbreak 16 As he was generally regarded as being sidelined by Tung Tsang was untainted by major policy blunders such as the controversy over the legislation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 which led to a historic massive demonstration on 1 July 2003 He remained topping in popularity polls among all the officials in Hong Kong as Chief Secretary citation needed Chief Executive bid editMain article 2005 Hong Kong Chief Executive election On 11 March 2005 incumbent Tung Chee hwa announced his resignation citing poor health Tung s resignation was approved by the central government the next day and Tsang took over becoming the acting Chief Executive After Tung s resignation Tsang was tipped as Beijing s favoured next Chief Executive On the afternoon of 25 May 2005 Tsang resigned as Chief Secretary and announced his Chief Executive candidacy on 2 June 2005 after his resignation was accepted by the central government He was elected unopposed by the 800 member Election Committee on 16 June 2005 and was formally appointed by the central government as the Chief Executive on 21 June 2005 However the term of the Chief Executive was disputed which led to the interpretation of the Basic Law by the National People s Congress Standing Committee on 27 April to clarify that Tsang would only serve out the remaining two years of Tung Chee hwa s term rather than the full five years as some legal professionals argued Chief Executive editFirst term 2005 07 edit Main article First term of Donald Tsang as Chief Executive of Hong Kong 2007 08 constitutional reform edit Main article 2005 Hong Kong electoral reform Tsang developed a warm relationship with the pan democrats during the early months of his first term Pan democrat legislator Albert Chan gave his nomination to Tsang in the Chief Executive election while Albert Cheng was seen as Tsang s friend in the Legislative Council Tsang also appointed some members from the pan democracy camp to the government positions including Lau Sai leung to the Central Policy Unit which drew the criticism from the traditional Beijing loyalists On 30 August 2005 Tsang announced that the Guangdong Provincial Government invited all 60 members from the legislative council to visit Guangdong between 25 and 26 September 2005 This was the first chance for most of the pro democrats such as Martin Lee to visit the mainland China since 1989 The Tsang administration s relationship with the pan democrats deteriorated after the pro democrats rejection of the constitutional reform package in December 2005 Bounded by the decision by the National People s Congress Standing Committee in 2004 which ruled out the 2007 2008 Chief Executive and Legislative Council universal suffrage the Tsang administration put forward a reform package which would expand the 800 member Election Committee to 1 600 members and add 10 seats to the 2008 Legislative Council with five directly elected through geographical constituencies and five functional constituencies elected by District Councillors The government claimed that this was the best deal they could muster given the constraints of the NPCSC verdict 17 The proposal failed to gain two thirds majority of the Legislative Council with four votes short as 24 pan democrats vetoed it He angered democrats who voted down his proposals when he referred to them as horrid animals 18 Action Blue Sky Campaign edit In mid 2006 Tsang launched the Action Blue Sky Campaign and outlined a comprehensive plan to tackle air pollution in Hong Kong and in collaboration with the neighbouring Guangdong Scepticism however remained among the expatriate and local population of Hong Kong and in late November 2006 they ridiculed Tsang for citing the long life expectancy of Hong Kong residents as evidence of Hong Kong s high quality of life relative to other major cities in the East Asian region 19 2007 re election edit Main article 2007 Hong Kong Chief Executive election Tsang announced he would seek for the second term on 1 February 2007 with the campaign slogan I ll get the job done He submitted his nomination on 16 February with 641 of the 796 Election Committee members nominated him which guaranteed his electoral victory before the polling day He faced challenge from the pan democrats who backed Civic Party legislator Alan Leong to run against him Tsang was elected by the 796 member Election Committee on 25 March 2007 with 649 votes compared to Leong s 123 votes It was seen as the first competitive Chief Executive election featuring two candidates from different political camp with debates held between the candidates which changed Hong Kong s political culture Second term 2007 12 edit Main article Second term of Donald Tsang as Chief Executive of Hong Kong Five year policy blueprint edit nbsp Donald Tsang meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the APEC Australia 2007 Following his re election as the Chief Executive in 2007 Tsang set out the 5 year blueprint for the third term of the SAR government in his 2007 08 policy address He stressed the importance of progressive development a core element of which is the promotion of community development through revitalisation of the built heritage in the city which is to be realised by promoting economic development through infrastructure projects Ten large scale infrastructure projects were also proposed within his term of office to boost economic activities to improve the living environment in Hong Kong 1 MTR Southern District Extension 2 MTR Sha Tin to Central Link 3 Tuen Mun Western Bypass and Tuen Mun Chek Lap Kok Link 4 Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link 5 Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge 6 Hong Kong Shenzhen Airport Co operation 7 Hong Kong Shenzhen Joint Development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop 8 West Kowloon Cultural District 9 Kai Tak Development Plan and 10 New Development Areas at Kwu Tung North Fanling North Ping Che and Ta Kwu Ling and Hung Shui Kiu Heritage conservation edit The Tsang administration embattled with the conservation movement which reach its peak in the late 2000s including the protests against the demolitions of the Star Ferry Pier and the Queen s Pier In response to it Tsang set up a Commissioner for Heritage Office and earmarked 1 billion to revitalise historic buildings He also proposed a series of revitalisation projects that would add a new dimension to Central For instance to reduce the development density of the Central Ferry Piers site and open up the public space along the waterfront for entertainment recreational and cultural uses to remove the Central Market from the Application List and hand it over to the Urban Renewal Authority for conservation and revitalisation and to convert the Murray Building into a hotel through open tender etc Political Appointments System edit Main article Political Appointments System In 2008 the Tsang administration introduced the Political Appointments System by superseding the Principal Officials Accountability System POAS and inserting two layers of politically appointed officials below the secretaries who are political appointees The appointees foreign nationalities experience and remuneration levels and transparency of the selection process were widely criticism by the public which led to Tsang to offer a public apology saying With hindsight I admit the arrangements in this regard did not fully meet public expectations and I apologise for the controversy this has caused 20 The controversy became the turning point of the popularity of the Tsang government A poll showed Tsang s popularity declining sharply following the three week row over the introduction of the Political Appointments System his disapproval rating rose from 18 to a record 24 while his approval rating declined from 66 to 60 8 in the space of three weeks 21 His approval disapproval rating continued to deteriorate and stood at 39 41 as at late August 2008 22 2008 10 financial crisis edit After 2008 global financial crisis which led to the steep rise in unemployment especially among the banking and finance industries Tsang announced on 8 December 2008 to create 60 000 jobs in 2009 by speeding up infrastructure projects and a ten fold increase in its loan guarantee scheme for small and medium sized enterprises The Tsang government also quickly formed a Task Force on Economic Challenges to deal with the crisis Tsang came up with six economic sectors to explore with the recommendations of the Task Force in his 2009 10 policy address 1 testing and certification 2 medical services 3 innovation and technology 4 cultural and creative industries 5 environmental industry and 6 educational services The government pledged to provide more concrete support in those sectors and called them as the new economic pillars After a year of negative record of GDP growth rate the Hong Kong economy recovered quickly from 2010 despite the poverty population keep growing under Tsang tenure 23 Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link edit Main article Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong Section In 2009 the government proposal of the Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section sparked concerns over the significant cost escalations compared to estimates made one year previously the conservation of the Choi Yuen village and the increasing Mainland Hong Kong integration The government s plan drew more than 10 000 people protesting against the construction of the rail link in late 2009 and early 2010 24 Despite the controversy and strong opposition from the community the Executive Council approved the implementation on 20 October 2009 25 Appropriations for the project of 64 billion were passed by the Legislative Council on 16 January 2010 with the objections of the pro democracy legislators 26 2012 constitutional reform edit Main articles 2010 Hong Kong electoral reform and Act Now slogan The Tsang administration launched the proposals for electoral reform for the 2012 Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections in November 2009 which largely similar to the 2005 proposals 27 To oppose the proposal five pan democrat legislators resigned from the Legislative Council to trigger a territory wide by election in which they campaigned as the Five Constituencies Referendum for universal suffrage and the abolition of the functional constituencies Following the by election the government stepped up efforts to gain support for the reform package It commissioned two television advertisements which emphasised the need to move forwards with democratisation Tsang began to campaign via radio interviews and he and his ministers took to the streets to mobilise support On the weekend of 29 30 May Tsang and his ministers toured Hong Kong on an unpublicised itinerary to deliver flyers and meet the public 28 Tsang described as myths which surrounded the proposals that it is regressive it makes little difference whether it is passed or not and that ordinary people are not concerned by political developments He said they were the first step as well as the last opportunity to lay the foundation for a chief executive elected by universal suffrage in 2017 He expressed his fear that a mood of pessimism and cynicism will take root if there was no progress this time 29 Tsang also invited Audrey Eu of the Civic Party the spokesperson of the Five Constituencies Referendum to a one hour televised debate on 17 June Pundits were unanimous that Eu had trounced Tsang in the debate with the University of Hong Kong poll showed that 45 of people were more opposed to the government s proposals after the debate while 20 said they were more supportive 30 The central government made a U turn on the moderate democrats modified proposal tabled by the Democratic Party on 19 June after South China Morning Post SCMP revealed that Donald Tsang had written a letter the previous week to Xi Jinping vice president in charge of Hong Kong affairs The chief executive warned in the letter that Hong Kong could face a serious governance crisis if the electoral reform package was vetoed by Legco again and his ability to govern Hong Kong effectively would be in doubt The SCMP source said Chinese Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao personally approved the Democratic Party s proposals 31 With the moderate democrats support the proposals were approved by the Legislative Council making it the first and only electoral reform to be passed in the SAR history Minimum Wage legislation edit Facing the increasing disparity between rich and poor in his term Tsang set up a Minimum Wage Provisional Commission in February 2009 to research and eventually set a proposed wage floor 32 The Minimum Wage Bill was passed on 15 July 2010 and a HK 28 US 3 60 per hour rate was recommended by the Provisional Minimum Wage Commission and adopted by the Chief Executive in Council on 10 November 2010 33 Corruption allegations edit In the last months of his tenure Tsang was embroiled in a series of corruption allegations In February 2012 during the Chief Executive election in which contender Henry Tang the former Chief Secretary in Tsang s government suffered in wide range of scandals Tsang was also discovered by the Oriental Daily News to have received favours and hospitality from business tycoons on various occasions including private jet and yacht trips and was labelled as Greedy Tsang The allegations of preferential allocation of a luxury three storey penthouse in Shenzhen surfaced after Tsang addressed the press by saying that he and his wife had chosen to live in Shenzhen for a period after his retirement as they wanted to stay away from the limelight Tsang was accused for allocating the Shenzhen penthouse owned by Bill Wong Cho bau to Tsang in exchange for granting of a broadcasting licence to the Wong s Digital Broadcasting Corporation DBC then Wave Media 34 It was reported that Tsang was set to rent the flat at a substantially discounted rate while renovation works provided by the developer were tailored to the demands of Tsang s wife Tsang argued that declaration was not necessary and that his lease did not affect the government s decision on granting the broadcasting licence to DBC He also argued that the lease was at market value 34 Tsang was later summoned to answer questions from an open inquiry by the Legislative Council This unprecedented revelations and move to impeach him launched by a pro Beijing legislator Paul Tse shook the confidence in integrity of the city s officials 35 Tsang also set up an Independent Review Committee for the Prevention and Handling of Potential Conflicts of Interests chaired by former Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal Andrew Li on 26 February 2012 to review the existing frameworks and procedures for preventing and handling of potential conflicts of interests concerning the Chief Executive and other top officials In the last month of his office Tsang fought back tears as he offered sincere apologies on 1 June when he said I know that my mishandling of the various events has undermined the community s confidence in the integrity of the system and has disappointed my colleagues in the civil service For this I would like to once again offer my sincere apologies 36 He stepped down as the Chief Executive on 30 June 2012 under the cloud of an investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption ICAC 37 Compared to his predecessor Tung Chee hwa who was appointed vice chairman of the Chinese People s Political Consultative Conference CPPCC after stepping down as Chief Executive Tsang was not appointed any position by the central government after his retirement Conviction imprisonment and acquittal editOn 5 October 2015 Tsang was charged with two counts of misconduct in public office after failing to disclose plans to rent a luxury penthouse for his retirement from Bill Wong Cho bau applying for a broadcasting licence for the Digital Broadcasting Corporation then Wave Media by the Independent Commission Against Corruption ICAC as well as failing to declare renowned interior designer Barrie Ho Chow lai s engagement for decorating the penthouse when he recommended to the relevant government committee that Ho should receive an honour 38 39 An extra count of accepting an advantage from an agent for violating the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance over the Shenzhen penthouse was added on 11 October 2016 40 After entering pleas of not guilty to all charges his trial began before a jury on 10 January 2017 41 On 17 February 2017 the jury found Tsang guilty on one charge of misconduct in public office over the penthouse rental and not guilty on the misconduct charge for the penthouse decoration but failed to reach a verdict on the count of accepting an advantage from an agent 42 43 He was sentenced to a 20 month imprisonment on 22 February 2017 44 When he announced Tsang s sentence Mr Justice Andrew Chan Hing wai said never in my judicial career have I seen a man fallen from so high 45 On 24 April Tsang granted bail by court after his health was fluctuating and had to be sent to the Queen Mary Hospital 46 Regarding the charge which had a guilty verdict Tsang gets bail pending appeal 47 Regarding the charge which failed to reach a verdict a retrial was carried out and the Judge dismissed the retrial jury on 3 November 2017 after they too were unable to reach a verdict 48 Prosecution has not applied for a third trial 49 On 11 January 2019 Tsang was admitted to hospital for health reasons a few days ahead of his scheduled release from prison 50 On 15 January Tsang was released from hospital and also from jail 51 Upon his release Tsang refused to compare his case with that of his successor Leung Chun ying who was also accused of corruption for his recipient of HK 50 million from Australian firm UGL without disclosure even though Leung s case was dropped by the government in a controversial manner If I make comparisons it may revive my anger and hatred in my heart I have cleared these through working hard to pray and receive blessings from the heavens a few months ago Tsang said He also said he would persist in seeking justice and clear his name 52 On 26 June 2019 the Court of Final Appeal unanimously quashed his conviction and sentence after finding that the trial judge had failed to direct his jurors properly 10 The Court found that the trial court trial did not adequately instruct the jury on required elements of the crime 53 Since Tsang was not convicted for bribery the elements of wilfulness and seriousness in the misconduct in public office charge became especially important and an adequate explanation was not given to the jury 53 The Court also decided that the interests of justice did not require a new trial 53 As a result of his successful appeal Tsang should be able to reclaim some of the estimated HK 40 to 50 million of legal costs over two trials and two appeals 54 Tsang had said he and his wife spent almost all their savings on the lawsuit 54 But Tsang is unlikely to reclaim his costs fully including the initial trial and legal costs related to his investigation 55 54 Another outcome of the appeal is that Tsang s entitlement to HK 80 000 a month in civil servants pension will no longer be in jeopardy 55 Retired Hong Kong civil servants could lose all or part of their pension if they were convicted of an offence related to their office subject to the chief executive s approval 54 Personal life edit nbsp Donald Tsang and his wife Selina Lady Tsang in 2008 Tsang is the eldest of the five sons and one daughter His younger brother Tsang Yam pui retired as the Police Commissioner in December 2003 after a career with the police in which he worked his way up to the top job from the rank of Probationary Inspector His younger sister Katherine Tsang is chairperson of Standard Chartered Hong Kong 56 57 He married Selina Pou Siu mei in 1969 and has two sons Simon Tsang Hing yin and Thomas Tsang Hing shun Tsang is a devout Roman Catholic and goes to Mass every morning though his political viewpoints were bluntly criticised at times by Joseph Cardinal Zen who was the Bishop of Hong Kong during Tsang s term as Chief Executive 58 Tsang is well known for his preference of wearing bow ties According to Associated Press the bow tie is such an integral part of Tsang s identity that he is nicknamed Bow tie Tsang 59 His nickname is widely known among Hong Kong people According to a television interview this preference started somewhere between 1988 and 1993 when Tsang s office was adjacent to Deputy Political Adviser Stephen Bradley who himself wore bow ties Tsang felt comfortable with a bow tie Bradley gave him saying that its design brings fewer hurdles to its wearer than a necktie 60 Tsang is well known for keeping koi He had a pond built for them in the garden of his official residence Government House at a cost of HK 300 000 61 His other hobbies include swimming bird watching and hiking 62 63 Footnotes edit a b Donald Tsang was awarded KBE in 1997 for the 30 year service to Hong Kong 1 2 and therefore entitled to use the title of Sir Tsang however chooses not to use the title in official capacity 3 If the knighthood is used in the title the individual shall be called The Honourable Sir Donald Tsang 4 5 Tsang became Acting Chief Executive on 12 March 2005 following Tung s resignation Tsang stepped down from this role on 25 May 2005 to run in the election to succeed Tung Henry Tang became Acting Chief Executive until Tsang was appointed Chief Executive on 21 June 2005 See also editPolitics of Hong Kong List of bow tie wearers List of heads of regimes who were later imprisonedReferences edit Hong Kong Parliamentary Debates Hansard Vol 1283 4 Parliament of the United Kingdom House of Commons 27 June 2005 Sir Donald Tsang Parliamentary Debates Hansard Vol 878 Parliament of the United Kingdom House of Commons 12 July 2005 Hong Kong Parliamentary Debates Hansard Vol 736 Parliament of the United Kingdom House of Commons 17 October 2005 Legislative Council of Hong Kong Meeting record bottom of the page listed Patron The Honourable Sir Donald Tsang GBM KBE PDF Legislative Council of Hong Kong 2011 Retrieved 31 October 2017 Donald TSANG Yam Kuen Citation HKU Honorary Graduates HKU Retrieved 13 May 2022 曾荫权家乡南海九江镇变成旅游热点 in Chinese China China Internet Information Center 17 June 2005 Archived from the original on 1 May 2015 Retrieved 11 June 2009 Search Archived from the original on 1 July 2015 Retrieved 17 May 2015 Association for Conversation of Hong Kong Indigenous Languages Online Dictionary for Hong Kong Hakka and Hong Kong Punti Weitou dialect Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Biography Hong Kong Government 2006 Retrieved 31 October 2017 A Rarity in Hong Kong Budget Is in Deficit The New York Times Reuters 7 March 1996 Retrieved 11 July 2012 a b Lau Chris 22 July 2019 Hong Kong s former leader Donald Tsang to find out whether his misconduct conviction will be quashed in Court of Final Appeal judgment South China Morning Post Retrieved 22 July 2019 Zhang Wenxian Alon Ilan 2009 Biographical Dictionary of New Chinese Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders Edward Elgar Publishing a b c Biography Chief Executive Hong Kong Government Lau Chi Kuen 1997 Hong Kong s Colonial Legacy Chinese University Press pp 79 80 Smooth operator takes helm in Hong Kong China Daily 18 March 2005 Donald Tsang Chief Executive Hong Kong Thomas White Archived from the original on 25 October 2016 Retrieved 20 February 2017 a b Cheng Joseph Y S 2007 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Its First Decade City University of HK Press pp 32 33 Cheng Joseph Y S 2007 The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Its First Decade City University of HK Press pp 64 8 Yau Cannix 22 December 2005 Back to square one for Tsang Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Standard Jonathan Cheng 4 December 2006 Lot of hot air on pollution claims Tien The Standard Archived from the original on 17 October 2007 Retrieved 13 March 2007 Bonnie Chen 11 June 2008 Chief apologises over salary secrecy The Standard Hong Kong Archived from the original on 22 May 2011 Eva Wu Chief s ratings fall Pg A3 South China Morning Post 11 June 2008 Approval rating for CE record low RTHK 27 August 2008 Archived from the original on 17 September 2009 Retrieved 27 July 2008 Cheng Joseph Y S 2013 The Second Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR Evaluating the Tsang Years 2005 2012 City University of HK Press Angry rail link protesters clash with police Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Standard 30 November 2009 ExCo approves implementation of high speed rail link Hong Kong Government 20 October 2009 Song Shengxia 18 January 2010 Hongkongers protest vote on high speed rail People s Daily Global Times Retrieved 28 January 2010 Chiang Scarlett 19 November 2009 Don t miss this crucial step Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Standard Moy Patsy amp Siu Beatrice 31 May 2010 Slow start in ground attack Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Standard Moy Patsy 31 May 2010 Tsang turns up heat Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Bloomberg 18 June 2010 Hong Kong s Tsang Loses Democracy Debate Polls Show Update1 dead link Bloomberg BusinessWeek Cheung Gary 22 June 2010 Beijing s U turn to thwart radicals South China Morning Post Provisional Minimum Wage Commission appointed Government of Hong Kong 27 February 2009 retrieved 18 April 2011 Chief Executive in Council adopts initial statutory minimum wage rate Government of Hong Kong 10 November 2010 retrieved 12 November 2010 a b Luk Eddie 27 February 2012 Tsang denies license link to penthouse deal Archived 7 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine The Standard Luk Eddie 29 February 2012 Impeachment pressure grows Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Standard CE s remarks at media session Hong Kong Government 1 June 2012 Enid Tsui 29 February 2012 Hong Kong s Tsang faces corruption probe Financial Times Archived from the original on 10 December 2022 Retrieved 25 July 2013 Hong Kong ICAC Press Releases Ex Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam kuen faces charges of misconduct icac org hk Retrieved 5 October 2015 The rise and fall of Hong Kong boy Donald Tsang South China Morning Post 17 February 2017 Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang faces additional bribery charge over Shenzhen penthouse South China Morning Post Retrieved 11 October 2016 Ex Chief Exec Donald Tsang abused power and was hopelessly compromised prosecutors say Hong Kong Free Press 11 January 2017 Retrieved 15 January 2017 Ex Hong Kong leader guilty of misconduct in corruption trial Hong Kong Free Press 17 February 2017 Retrieved 18 February 2017 HKSAR v TSANG YAM KUEN DONALD 2017 HKCFI 640 HCCC 484 2015 22 February 2017 Court of First Instance Hong Kong Legal Information Institute 22 February 2017 Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang jailed 20 months for misconduct in high profile corruption trial The Straits Times 22 February 2017 Retrieved 22 February 2017 A man fallen from so high Former chief executive Donald Tsang jailed for 20 months The Standard 23 February 2017 Former leader Donald Tsang granted bail by Hong Kong court South China Morning Post 24 April 2017 Donald Tsang gets bail pending appeal EJ Insight 26 April 2017 Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang avoids conviction on bribery charge for now as jury unable to reach verdict South China Morning Post 3 November 2017 Donald Tsang trial Prosecutors will not seek retrial The Standard 6 November 2017 Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang taken to hospital ahead of release from prison SCMP 12 January 2019 Retrieved 15 January 2019 Former Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang says time with wife is top priority after completing 12 month jail term for misconduct in public office SCMP 15 January 2019 Retrieved 15 January 2019 Ex Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang released from jail vows to persist in seeking justice Hong Kong Free Press 15 January 2019 a b c Donald Tsang wins final appeal against criminal misconduct sentence South China Morning Post 26 June 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2022 a b c d What now for Donald Tsang after quashed misconduct conviction South China Morning Post 26 June 2019 Retrieved 30 July 2022 a b Standard The Counting the cost of agonizing 40m struggle The Standard Retrieved 30 July 2022 Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong Limited Appoints Katherine Tsang as New Chairperson Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine SCB press release 10 January 2011 Tsang sister moves up the ladder Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Standard 11 January 2011 Donald Tsang s faith is no guarantee of good leadership says Bishop Zen AsiaNews it 12 March 2005 1 No byline Tsang loves his bow ties article attributed to the Associated Press appearing in The Age July 15 2005 accessed January 18 2007 Episode 17 Be My Guest originally broadcast on 23 September 2006 Scales of fortune South China Morning Post 7 August 2007 The Hon Donald Tsang GBM Chief Executive Hong Kong Special Administrative Region PDF The 12th Hong Kong Forum Archived from the original PDF on 25 April 2017 Retrieved 24 April 2017 BIG SPENDER 誰趕走了家燕 蘋果日報 10 January 2013 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Donald Tsang nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donald Tsang Official Biography about Tsang BBC News Profile Donald Tsang Corpus of Political Speeches Free access to political speeches by Donald Tsang and other Chinese politicians developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library Government offices Preceded byYeung Kai yin Secretary for the Treasury1993 1995 Succeeded byKwong Ki chi Preceded byHamish Macleod Financial Secretary of Hong Kong1995 2001 Succeeded byAntony Leung Political offices Preceded byAnson Chan Chief Secretary for Administration2001 2005 Succeeded byRafael Hui Preceded byTung Chee hwa Chief Executive of Hong Kong2005 2012 Succeeded byLeung Chun ying President of Executive Council2005 2012 Order of precedence Preceded byTung Chee hwaFormer Chief Executives Hong Kong order of precedenceFormer Chief Executives Succeeded byLeung Chun yingFormer Chief Executives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Donald Tsang amp oldid 1220737094, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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