A rookie in politics, the action hero is known for his body rather than his brains. He was not even born in America and his heavy accent has become a laughing point on talk shows. The former Mr Universe has even been repeatedly accused of sexual harassment.
Yet Schwarzenegger has managed to unseat Gray Davis and defeat the latter's deputy, Cruz Bustamante, in the polls. The developments in the sunshine state have been hailed as a source of inspiration for local democratic activists.
Had the HKSAR been blessed with genuine democracy, the chief executive would have been recalled. In contrast, even a motion to reprimand Tung sponsored by Emily Lau Wai-hing was scuppered by the functional legislators in the assembly's first sitting after the summer recess.
In the wake of Sars, officials have insisted that no one should be held responsible for the loss of 299 lives. The Government's spin doctors have churned out the argument that those in power should be kept in position, because of their accumulated crisis experience.
To swap horses midstream, they argued, would be a blow to efforts to prevent a second outbreak. Those in charge, it follows, are irreplaceable.
The more mistakes an official makes, the more secure his job becomes.
Schwarzenegger has demystified this faulty logic. It is the system not the individual that counts in the running of any metropolis. And it is the credibility of those in office that makes the system legitimate.
The report released by the Government-appointed Expert Committee on Sars, which fails to hold anyone accountable, has virtually been rejected by the public. The popular demand to replace the secretary for health, welfare and food Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong is loud and clear.
It is wishful thinking that public grievances would be eased as Sars fades out of the political agenda. The fact is, the thorny topic is to stay for a long time, even if predictions of a recurrence of the virus fail to materialise.
Victims have pledged to sue the authorities. The proceedings are likely to drag on for months, while officials could be summoned to give evidence.
More significantly, Legco has also decided to conduct its own investigation into the outbreak. The lawmakers are empowered to demand even Tung to be questioned. Should this happen, it will be a major embarrassment.
Despite the delicate situation, the best the Government's PR team can come up with is the line-to-take that Yeoh and others are too valuable to be replaced. This will only pour oil over fire and further incite public discontent.
The least they should consider is some form of restitution, which may take the form of a voluntary goodwill gesture on the part of Yeoh to donate, say, a year of his salary to charity. This can at least buy him a second chance to "earn merits to pay for his guilt", as the Chinese saying goes.