In the end, it was Winnie Ho Wing-yin, housing secretary at the time of the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po, who took the rap. Her resignation came after weeks of talk within political circles suggesting that bureau chiefs would not have to bear responsibility for the tragedy that killed 168 people and displaced 1,984 families.
These suggestions were met with shock. Some spoke out against such talk, including Andrew Fung Wai-kwong, former information coordinator for the Chief Executive’s Office, and retired administrative officer Mike Rowse. Both reminded the public that Hong Kong has a ministerial system, and that political responsibility is very much part of the package.
The political accountability system created by the late Tung Chee-hwa demands that political appointees step down for failures on their watch, even if they were not personally responsible. Yet, for weeks, political accountability was hardly mentioned even though it was clear the report on the fire would implicate the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, the Development Bureau’s Buildings Department, the Security Bureau’s Fire Services Department and the Labour and Welfare Bureau’s Labour Department.