Rita Fan asks for evidence to support allegations that chief executive lied
Beijing loyalist calls on Lew Mon-hung to back up the claims he made in damning interview
Former Legco president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai yesterday called for a showdown over allegations against Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying by his former staunch supporter Lew Mon-hung, which she said showed "a rather ugly side of politics".
Fan, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, suggested both sides step forward to put their cases.
"If there is evidence, [Lew] should bring it out. Otherwise, it is hard for the public to trust him," said Fan. "To be honest, I totally do not know whom to trust. My only feeling is that I am a bit upset about it."
She described the controversy as a gathering of "dark clouds" which "should be blown away as soon as possible".
Fan had been tipped as a possible candidate in last year's battle to become chief executive in the event of Leung's main rival and the one-time frontrunner - Henry Tang Ying-yen - standing down amid the infamous illegal basement scandal at his Kowloon Tong mansion.
Lew, a member of China's top political advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, turned from friend to foe in a damning interview with the Chinese-language magazine published last week. He claimed Leung had lied over his handling of unauthorised extensions at his Peak homes, and had failed to honour a promise to appoint him to the Executive Council in reward for his support during the election campaign.
So far he has not presented any written evidence to substantiate his claims, although he has dared Leung to take a lie detector test - and said he would jump off the 420-metre-high Two IFC building if Leung passed.
