By Chris Yeung<\/p>\n
Flashed back to 2000, short piles found in home ownership scheme buildings had shocked and rocked the then Tung Chee-hwa administration. Amid a massive public outcry, the then Housing Authority chairwoman Rosanna Wong Yick-ming stepped down. The then housing department head Tony Miller, a civil servant, kept his job. Tung promised to find ways to improve \u201cexecutive accountability.\u201d In 2002, the principal official accountability system was inaugurated to enhance political and executive accountability.<\/p>\n
Since then, accountability became a buzzword in the city under a partial democracy. Walking the talk of accountability, former health minister Yeoh Eng-kiong stood down in the wake of the outbreak of Sars, which killed 299 people. Former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung resigned after the 2003 July 1 march when more than 500,000 people vented out their anger over a litany of government failures and official mistakes. One of which was Leung\u2019s untimely purchase of a luxurious vehicle before he imposed a rise of vehicle registration fee in his 2003-2004 Budget.<\/p>\n
16 years on, the promise of accountability has turned sour. The system and culture of accountability is faced with a fresh big test. This time over a scandal involving a list of public housing estates, where lead was found in residents\u2019 drinking water.<\/p>\n
Full article:<\/p>\n
Tainted water muddles accountability<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n