Donald Tsang (amusingly dubbed “Darth Bow Tie” by the chattering set) seems to have gotten himself in a bit of sticky wicket:
From AP: Hong Kong’s leader said Friday that too much democracy could lead to another Cultural Revolution, when gangs of youths were given free rein to persecute suspected government opponents in mainland China.
Donald Tsang’s comments quickly drew criticism from pro-democracy lawmakers who questioned his willingness to fight for democracy in Hong Kong. Days earlier, Tsang delivered an annual policy address that was criticized for lacking a timetable for establishing full democracy in the former British territory.
Tsang said Hong Kong must promote democratic development without compromising social stability and government efficiency.
“If you go to the extreme … you have the Cultural Revolution,” Tsang said on government-run RTHK radio. “For instance in China when people take everything into their hands, then you cannot govern the place.”
While the roots of the Cultural Revolution are complex, the cliff notes version* is that it occurred when Mao (put to pasture by a committee of leaders including Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping) and those in Mao’s inner circle decided to do