Now the media reports make things look worse than if they had simply report the matter to the authorities, no matter if that was the law of the land or not.
I do wonder if part of it is the idea that they cannot be seen to respond by change from the outside. That things must come from the top-down.
Another thing is that even if a majority of the Governing Body were in favor of changing this, a minority can keep things as they are because they require a two thirds super majority (6 out of 8). It would take 3 people and the rest would be obligated to support the decision. I'm not sure what the majority consensus is, but I wonder if their hands are tied.