Political rivalry between CY Leung and John Tsang sharpens over latest Legco oath drama

Ill-fated snub of four lawmakers by finance chief exposes conflicts with Hong Kong’s leader that may not be easily resolved

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Carrie Lam exits as John Tsang (left) is greeted by Leung Chun-ying before the storm over questions broke. Photo: Sam Tsang

Gary Cheung

Published: 12:30am, 7 Dec 2016Updated: 10:08am, 7 Dec 2016

The city has been rocked by a political storm since Monday and it appears there is no end in sight.

It was triggered by the refusal of Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah to take questions from four pan-democratic lawmakers facing disqualification from the Legislative Council for improperly taking their oaths of office.

Watch: John Tsang refuses to take queries from four lawmakers

A government source said at a top-level “morning prayer” meeting with ministers on Tuesday that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying backed a November 8 statement by development minister Paul Chan Mo-po, who claimed that answering the lawmakers’ questions did not mean their oaths had been recognised as valid.

Chan acted after discussions with top officials, and Leung queried why Tsang had not informed fellow ministers before making his controversial move.

The seeds of the “to-answer-or-not-to-answer” saga were sown on Sunday afternoon when Tsang’s office sought advice from the Department of Justice, which he cited at a Legco panel meeting the next day to justify his snubbing of the four legislators.