Accountancy sector lawmaker Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong is planning to propose a bill to protect whistle blowers who leak secrets out of public interests, reports Ming Pao.
The proposal follows a recent incident in which a student representative leaked details of a closed door meeting by the governing body of the University of Hong Kong.
Billy Fung Jing-en, chairman of the HKU Student Union, drew controversy after revealing what was said during discussions at an HKU Council meeting last week about the appointment of law professor Johannes Chan Man-mun as pro-vice-chancellor.
But Leung, a pan-democrat, said his proposal is not directly related to the HKU incident, as he came up with the idea two years ago and started drafting the bill a month ago, according to Apple Daily.
Leung said the proposed law is aimed at protecting those who violate corporate and institutional confidentiality rules to leak information concerning public interests.
As to what constitutes public interests, it’s up to the courts to decide, Leung said.
However, Leung expects the bill to face resistance from the business sector as well as the government, who are unlikely to welcome whistle blowers.
Leung said civil servants could be excluded from the bill as they have access to a large amount of confidential government information.
