Infected Officials No Blow To Governance: Ronny Tong

Executive councillor and senior counsel Ronny Tong says he doesn’t think the Covid infections of two incoming top officials will affect the new administration’s governance whatsoever.

Speaking on Friday – a day after incoming chief secretary Eric Chan and constitutional and mainland affairs minister Erick Tsang tested positive for Covid – Tong said the pair could take their oath of office via video link.

“The law doesn’t actually specify whether the taking of oath can be done through two different venues, but the judiciary has long accepted taking evidence either from overseas or a remote venue via video link,” Tong noted.

“If the judiciary can accept the taking of oath through video link, I can’t see why the Hong Kong SAR government can’t administer the taking of oath via video link, provided that there is somebody properly authorised to be present at the remote venue to ensure that all the legal requirements would be properly complied with.”

Tong, who will stay on in the Executive Council under new CE John Lee, said that alternatively, Tsang and Chan could just wait until they fully recover and have their deputies act in their position in the meantime.

“Since we are just talking about a matter of days, and there will be a deputy available, I don’t think the fact that if two, or even more officials, were unable to take the oath on July 1, it will affect the administration of the Hong Kong SAR government at all.”

Meanwhile, an incoming Executive Council member, Chan Kin-por, said he hopes special arrangements can be made to allow officials infected with Covid-19 to swear-in on July 1, to put people’s mind at ease.

On a radio programme, Chan also said he hopes that through his new Exco role he can help the government explain more about its work and help build public trust in the administration.

He said the outgoing administration has not done well in public relations, but added that people also have to realise that they and the government are not against each other.