Calls for HK chief to quit despite apology
Many unconvinced by his claim of 'honest oversight' in building home
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HONG KONG - In cool, measured tones, Hong Kong leader Leung Chun Ying sought to convince the city and its legislature that the debacle over illegal structures at his home was a matter of "honest oversight" rather than integrity.
Even as cries of "professional conman" and "thief" rang out in the chamber during a 90-minute grilling session yesterday evening, Mr Leung apologised, for the third time, for his "negligence" that led to the discovery of illegal structures - 10, at final count - at his home at the Peak.
But his pedantic, almost lawyerly insistence that he had complied with the rules to the best of his knowledge, together with a refusal to be drawn into discussions on whether he did any soul-searching or felt any guilt, disappointed those who had hoped for a more whole-hearted and contrite apology for the six-month-long scandal.
It left the entire swathe of pan-Democrats - both moderates and radicals - excoriating him for his "arrogance" and issuing renewed calls for his resignation.