Accountability
17 April 2002

The hot issue in town this week is probably the Chief Executive's plan to make his Administration more accountable and transparent. Speculation had been rife on whom he would appoint and how many would be appointed. Politicians, academics and opinion formers had a field day, aided and abetted by a free, albeit sometimes irresponsible, press. One oft repeated though somewhat peculiar remark has been that Mr. Tung has created the new structure to ensure that all powers can be centralized under the Chief Executive and so that he can administer the government more effectively. In his reply to legislators today, Mr. Tung made it very clear that the Chief Executive derived his authority from the Basic Law and hence would require no further instruments or administrative device to wield more powers, adding that the primary motivation for the present move was to make his Administrative more accountable and transparent.

We have often heard that Rotary is not a political organization, but we have all seen that many Rotarians are concerned with best practices in public administration, corporate governance and civic duties. Indeed many Rotarians in the District have taken up onerous public offices voluntarily, very often at the expenses of their own private avocation and business. At critical times, should not Rotarians speak up individuals or collectively in the interest of the public and for social justice?

Back to the Rotary District, there were occasions when leaders in the District had brought in reforms to make the District Administration more accountable and transparent. However, as with most reforms in history, the passage had been difficult, not helped by a general apathy and perhaps ignorance among the membership. If this is how business and professional people handle the business of the organization to which they have voluntarily subscribed, little wonder why they would not speak up for the business of the wider community.