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Tony Kwok
Tony Kwok is an adjunct professor at HKU SPACE and an adviser to the Our Hong Kong Foundation. A former deputy commissioner of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption, he is now an international anti-corruption consultant.
Under the district council revamp, district officers will see their role expanded from public liaison to executive duties. Assured of competent district councillors to work with, these officers must live up to public expectations of better service.
Marcos Jnr must work to gain public trust – starting by assuaging fears of a return of the widespread corruption of his father’s government. For this, he should build closer ties with China, which has benefited from Xi Jinping’s decade-long anti-corruption campaign.
More consumption vouchers are welcome, but there are concerns money is being wasted on emigrants and not leveraged in the fight against Covid-19. The vouchers should be an incentive for the elderly to get vaccinated, and the voucher system can be used to introduce sales tax.
Election of ICAC chief to head the global anti-graft body is an opportunity for Hong Kong to cement its leading role in anti-corruption training, and catalyse a stronger, more cohesive global agency.
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Light sentences stemming from Occupy Central and those so far in the current unrest have prompted accusations of unfairness. By speeding up the court process and ensuring judicial independence, we can bring this crisis to a close.
Opponents of the extradition bill have launched a campaign of misinformation to incite mass hysteria. The government should take broad measures to ease minds and ensure extradition requests meet international standards.
Singapore caught up with Hong Kong living standards years ago, apparently by setting Hong Kong as a benchmark. Now it’s time for the Hong Kong government to work towards what Singapore has achieved in public housing and health care.
Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption has come a long way in its 45 years, and to meet future challenges the government could turn its review committee into a statutory body and set up an ICAC Greater Bay Area academy.
Criticism that the justice department did not seek private counsel should not overlook the lack of evidence to prosecute in the first place.
The incoming head must guide the University of Hong Kong to adopt an attitude of zero tolerance towards disrespectful and rowdy conduct in the name of academic freedom.
