Political Appointments System - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Political Appointments System is a scheme introduced in 2008 by the Hong Kong Government to reinforce its ministerial team by superseding the Principal Officials Accountability System

Principal Officials Accountability System

Principal Officials Accountability System , commonly referred to as the Ministerial system, sometimes the Accountability system, was introduced in Hong Kong by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002...

and inserting two layers of politically-appointed officials below the secretaries

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

, who are political appointees. These appointees reports only to the secretaries, but not the permanent secretaries

Permanent Secretary

The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...

, the highest-ranking civil servants. The appointment of undersecretaries and political assistants is an extension of the previous RPAS that was initially confined to principal officials. Prior to the introduction, there were 14 political appointees—3 Secretaries of Departments and 11 Directors of Bureaux.

The 24 newly created non-civil-service positions under this system comprise 11 undersecretaries

Undersecretary

An under secretary is an executive government official in many countries, frequently a career public servant, who typically acts as a senior administrator or second-in-command to a politically-appointed Cabinet Minister or other government official...

and 13 political assistants. All the posts were created, ostensibly to work closely with bureau secretaries and top civil servants to implement the Chief Executive

Chief Executive of Hong Kong

The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...

's policy blueprint and agenda in an executive-led government. Eight new undersecretaries were named on 20 May, and nine political assistant appointments were announced on 22 May 2008.

There was widespread criticism of four aspects of the appointments: the nationality, salary, experience of appointees, and the transparency

Transparency (humanities)

Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed...

of the recruitment process. The government admitted that "the announcements were poorly handled". Donald Tsang was forced to make a grudging apology. The public furore led Chinese Vice President

Vice President of the People's Republic of China

The Vice President of the People's Republic of China , formerly called Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China from 1954 to 1975, or abbreviated Guójiā Fù Zhǔxí 国家副主席, literally State Vice-chairman) is a senior position in the government of the People's Republic of China.-Selection and...

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping is a high ranking politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the top-ranking member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, the country's Vice President, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of the Central Party School and the...

to refer to "the recent difficulties", and to urge Tsang to "govern sensibly and reasonably".

Background

In mid 2005, Chief Executive Donald Tsang

Donald Tsang

Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....

mooted a system for developing political career path for aspiring politicians by creating middle-ranking posts. Constitutional Affairs minister Stephen Lam said he hoped arrangements would help extend opportunities for political participation and widen the pool of talent whilst preserving a permanent, professional and politically neutral civil service. He promised more ideas would be announced in the Chief Executive's Policy Address in October, saying proposals would be open for consultation by the civil service, political groups and the community.

On 26 July 2006, the government issued its proposal for political appointees, under which two new posts, Deputy Directors of Bureaux and Assistants to Directors would be added to the political appointment layer for each of Hong Kong's 11 policy bureaux. Thus, each Director will be assisted by the two new appointees constituting the political team; civil servants would carry out the administrative and executive tasks of the Government.

There was some confusion on the launch of the consultation paper: Donald Tsang had informed the press corps on 17 July, during his Singapore trip, that the proposal would be launched at the end of the summer vacation. However, its passage through the Executive Council

Executive Council of Hong Kong

The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...

was reportedly hastened as a result of the heightened debate on universal suffrage

Democratic development in Hong Kong

Democratic development in Hong Kong has been a major topic since the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997. The One country, two systems principle allows the Hong Kong government to administer all areas of government except foreign relations and defense separately from the national Chinese...

driven by Regina Ip

Regina Ip

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, GBS JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , as well as the co-founder and current chairwoman of the New People's Party and Savantas Policy Institute....

and Anson Chan

Anson Chan

Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang GBM GCMG CBE JP was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for Hong Kong Island, succeeding the late legislator Ma Lik....

, undeclared candidates in the Hong Kong Island by-election, 2007

Hong Kong Island by-election, 2007

The Hong Kong Island by-election, 2007 was precipitated by the death of the then chairman of the Pro-Beijing DAB, Ma Lik on 8 August 2007.It was the second by-election in a geographical constituency to be held since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997 and the largest remainder proportional...

Premise of the system

Launching a four-month public consultation, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Stephen Lam

Stephen Lam

Stephen Lam Sui-lung GBS JP is the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and formerly Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs....

, said all current permanent

Permanent Secretary

and deputy secretaries would continue with their duties such as studying, justifying and designing government policies, while the newly appointed deputy directors would assist bureau chiefs in liaising with legislators and provide political input in policy formulation and implementation; the assistants to bureau directors would line up suitable appointments to help bureau chiefs reach out to the community. Lam further argued that Hong Kong's political team of 14 Policy Secretaries was too thin compared with Canada and the United Kingdom, for example, where two or three layers of ministers speak on behalf of the government. The changes would strengthen governance and preserve the civil-service system. The proposal appeared to coincide with the ideas contained in a study by the Bauhinia Foundation to increase civic engagement launched in early July 2007.

Lam said that the appointments would not be limited to members of pro-government political parties. He said, however, that candidates for the new posts must support the manifesto and ruling philosophy of the Chief Executive. The government declared a broader objective of widening and grooming the pool of political talent, in preparation for universal suffrage. These new posts would be open to candidates from within or outside the civil service, and with or without political background. Offered as a further safeguard to neutrality of the civil service, Lam further detailed that there would be no "revolving door

Revolving door (politics)

The revolving door is the movement of personnel between roles as legislators and regulators and the industries affected by the legislation and regulation and on within lobbying companies. In some cases the roles are performed in sequence but in certain circumstances may be performed at the same time...

" – civil servants taking up these political posts would leave the civil service and be barred from returning.

It was proposed that a Deputy Director be paid 65–75% of the salary received by a bureau chief, or between HK$

Hong Kong dollar

The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

193,774 and $223,586 (US$ 25,000–28,700) a month; an assistant would receive 35–50% of the bureau chief's salary, or between HK$104,340 and $149,057 a month. Their contracts would expire no later than 30 June 2012. In addition to HK$11.9 million for personal secretaries and drivers, the total annual cost would be about HK$60 million.

Initial reaction to the proposals

Lau Kong-wah, vice chairman of the government-friendly Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) remarked that two more directorate-level layers may make it less easy to implement government policies. He was also concerned that the extra spending be value for money.

Frontier

The Frontier (Hong Kong)

The Frontier was a relatively radical pro-democracy political group in the Hong Kong. It was established on 26 August 1996. The group was headed by former convenor Emily Lau Wai-hing since its establishment as a loose group of individual pro-democracy activists.On 23 November 2008, the Frontier...

convenor Emily Lau

Emily Lau

Emily Lau Wai-hing JP is one of two vice-chairmen of Democratic Party.She was the convenor of The Frontier...

said the requirement for new appointees to agree with the chief executive's philosophy suggested the government was merely looking for a way to offer well-paid jobs to its supporters. Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Hong Kong)

The Democratic Party is a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. It was established on 2 October 1994. The party is currently the second largest party in the Legislative Council, headed by Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and, following the November 2008 merger with the Frontier, had around 745...

chairman Lee Wing Tat

Lee Wing Tat

Lee Wing-tat is a Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , returned by direct election as representative of the New Territories West constituency. He was the third Chairman of the Democratic Party...

said the proposal was tailor-made for the DAB.

Margaret Ng

Margaret Ng

Dr Margaret Ng Ngoi Yee is a politician, barrister, writer and columnist in Hong Kong. She has been a member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong since 1995....

of the Civic Party

Civic Party

Civic Party is a liberal democratic political party in Hong Kong.The Civic Party is currently the third largest political party in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, with five members securing seats in the 2008 Hong Kong Legislative Council elections...

expressed concern that the political appointments would only further delay the move towards universal suffrage, as it would encourage people to align themselves to a pro-government party. She doubted that it would nurture independent and civic-spirited individuals, as it "excludes those who do not blindly support the chief executive."

Finalised proposals

The government released a report on the subject, ostensibly after taking into account the views received during the public consultation. On 14 December 2007, the Legislative Council Finance Committee approved the government expenditure for the appointments.

Announcement of appointments

The government named eight newly-appointed undersecretaries on 20 May, and nine Political assistants on 22 May 2008 as part of the Chief Executive

Chief Executive of Hong Kong

's policy blueprint and agenda in an executive-led government. Tsang described the appointments as a millstone in the development of Hong Kong's political appointment system.

Three appointees were members of the Beijing-friendly DAB, one from the Liberal Party

Liberal Party (Hong Kong)

Liberal Party is a business-friendly liberal conservative political party in Hong Kong.-Party beliefs:The party is known for its conservative and business-friendly policies. Despite being a political party friendly with Beijing, it fits in the centre-right political spectrum...

, two were associated with the Bauhinia Foundation. According to corporate governance

Corporate governance

Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...

activist David Webb

David Michael Webb

David Michael Webb , usually known as David Webb, is a well-known activist and share market analyst in Hong Kong. He is a retired Investment Banker, and now devotes much of his time to advocating solutions for better corporate and economic governance in Hong Kong...

, no fewer than 7 of the appointees had been identified by the press as being close to the Foundation, which lobbies for a range of big business and Beijing central government friendly proposals.

Undersecretaries

The undersecretaries are appointed under the political appointment system on non-civil service terms for the period ending 30 June 2012.

Romanised name	Chinese name	age at appointment	Foreign nationality	Portfolio attachment	Prior occupation	Govt salary
Chen Wei-on, Kenneth Kenneth Chen Kenneth Chen Wei-on is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008.-Education:Chen attended Diocesan Boys' School from 1977 to 1982, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University, a Master of Science...	陳維安	43	N/A	Education	Director of Racecourse Business, HKJC Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, founded in 1884 to promote horse racing. It was granted Royal Charter and renamed to "The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club" in 1959...	HK$223,585
Hui Hiu-fai, Florence Florence Hui Florence Hui Hiu-fai is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008.-Education:Hui holds a Bachelor degree in business administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MBA from Cambridge University...	許曉暉	34	N/A	Home Affairs Home Affairs Bureau Home Affairs Bureau is one of the policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Government.One of the important roles of the Home Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public.Tsang Tak-sing has been the...	Head of Bus. Planning and Devt., Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...	HK$223,585
Leung Fung-yee, Julia Julia Leung Julia Leung Fung-yee is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008.-Education:Leung holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Master of Science degree in journalism from the Columbia University.-Career:Leung joined...	梁鳳儀	48	British	Financial Services and the Treasury Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau or FSTB is a part of the twelve policy bureaux for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They are responsible for developing and executing government policy on finance and treasury. The agency is establish on 1 July 2002...	Executive Director, HKMA Hong Kong Monetary Authority The Hong Kong Monetary Authority or HKMA is Hong Kong's central banking institution . It is a government authority founded on 1 April 1993 via the consolidation of "Office of the Exchange Fund" and the "Office of the Commissioner of Banking"...	HK$223,585
Leung, Gabriel Matthew	梁卓偉	35	Canadian Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	Food and Health Food and Health Bureau Food and Health Bureau is a government bureau that manages health programmes and immunisation programmes in Hong Kong.It oversees policies on food and health issues. The Department of Health, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the...	Professor, HKU	HK$208,680
Poon Kit, Kitty Kitty Poon Dr Kitty Poon Kit is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008.-Education:...	潘潔	45	US	Environment Environment Bureau The Environment Bureau is an executive agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for developing policies in environmental protection, nature conservation; enforcing environmental legislation...	Asst Professor, PolyU Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University specialises in professional education in Hong Kong. The University’s teaching units are grouped under six faculties and two schools; the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, Faculty of Business, Faculty of Construction and Environment, Faculty of...	HK$208,680
Tam Chi-yuen, Raymond Raymond Tam Raymond Tam Chi-yuen is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008. He has an educational background in engineering, and has worked in various capacities in the civil service since 1987.-Education:...	譚志源	44	British	Constitutional and Mainland Affairs	Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs	HK$208,680
So Kam-leung, Gregory Gregory So Gregory So Kam-leung is the current Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.-Education:So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University and a double degree of Master of business administration and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.-Early...	蘇錦樑	49	Canadian	Commerce and Economic Development Commerce and Economic Development Bureau The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for a range of activities such as commercial relations, investment, intellectual property enforcement, industry, tourism sector, consumer protection and market competition...	Solicitor	HK$223,585
Yau Shing-mu	邱誠武	48	N/A	Transport and Housing Transport and Housing Bureau The Transport and Housing Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for a range of activities such as the internal and external transportation, including air services, land transport, maritime transport and logistics in Hong Kong....	Executive Editor, Hong Kong Economic Times Hong Kong Economic Times Hong Kong Economic Times , the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, was founded by Mr. Fung Siu Por, Lawrence , Mr. Perry Mak , Mr. Arthur Shek and other founders with HK$20 million of foundation fund in 1988...	HK$ Hong Kong dollar The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies... 208,680

Political assistants

The political assistants are appointed under the expanded political appointment system on non-civil service terms for the term ending 30 June 2012.

Romanised name	Chinese name	age at appointment	Foreign nationality	Portfolio attachment	Prior occupation	Govt salary
Chan Chi-yuen, Paul	陳智遠	28	N/A	Food and Health	Research assistant, City University City University of Hong Kong City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...	HK$ Hong Kong dollar The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies... 134,150
Cheung, Raymond Man-to	張文韜	46	N/A	Education	Barrister Barrister A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...	HK$134,150
Choy Siu-min, Linda	蔡少綿	37	N/A	Environment	Director of Government Relations, Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...	HK$149,055
Lo Yik-kee, Victor	盧奕基	55	British	Security	Assistant Police Commissioner Police commissioner Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a... (ret'd)	HK$134,150
Mok Yee-tuen, Zandra	莫宜端	35	N/A	Labour and Welfare	Journalist;Senior Manager, Bauhinia Foundation	HK$134,150
Ng Kit-shuen, Katherine	伍潔鏇	34	Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... an	Financial Services and the Treasury	legal director, Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York... HK	HK$163,960
Tsui Ying-wai, Caspar	徐英偉	31	Canadian	Home Affairs	Investment Services Manager, Hang Seng Bank Hang Seng Bank Hang Seng Bank Limited is the second largest bank in Hong Kong. It is a listed company but it is majority owned by the HSBC Group via The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Hang Seng is also one of the constituent shares of the Hang Seng Index...	HK$134,150
Yip Kan-chuen, Frankie	葉根銓	38	N/A	Financial Secretary	Public Affairs Manager, HK Jockey Club Hong Kong Jockey Club The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, founded in 1884 to promote horse racing. It was granted Royal Charter and renamed to "The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club" in 1959...	HK$134,150
Young Chit-on, Jeremy	楊哲安	32	British	Food & Health	Logistician	HK$134,150

Nationality row

A row immediately ensued when the Democrats sought to attack Gregory So and other appointees over their foreign passports. The government maintained that this was not prohibited by the Basic Law

Hong Kong Basic Law

The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...

. Donald Tsang said the Basic Law's right-of-abode requirements only applied to a small number of principal officials of the Government and the Judiciary. Tsang added that restricting the posts to those without overseas abode rights would be detrimental to the aim of absorbing and grooming more talented political hopefuls.

"The Hong Kong situation is unique – as long as you live in Hong Kong for seven years, you can be a voter as well as undersecretary," Executive Council convener Leung Chun Ying

Leung Chun Ying

Leung Chun-ying GBM GBS JP , commonly known as CY, was the Convenor of the Executive Council of Hong Kong until his resignation in September 2011....

said. "The Basic Law does not differentiate political and non-political appointments. It only requires the chief judge to be a Chinese and less than of the Legislative Council

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...

members have foreign nationality," Leung added. He said it would be improper to add further requirements outside what the Basic Law has specified.

Albert Cheng

Albert Cheng

Albert Cheng Jing-han GBS , widely known as "Tai-pan" is a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He is the chairman of Wave Media Limited which is currently preparing to open and operate a new radio station. He was also the host of Now TV's talk show, Sunday Taipan, on the Now Hong Kong Channel...

argued that the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (Hong Kong)

's stance was putting the principle of "one country, two systems

One country, two systems

"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...

" at risk. An editorial in The Standard said that a nationality restriction would reduce the pool of potential talent available for government, and accused "the opposition" of singling out So because of his membership of the DAB.

However, there was a tide of criticism from three former senior government officials, amongst others, of the government's handling of the new political appointees: former Treasury Secretary John Chan said the government was "politically insensitive" while Regina Ip

Regina Ip

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, GBS JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , as well as the co-founder and current chairwoman of the New People's Party and Savantas Policy Institute....

said the administration displayed "political misjudgement"; former Secretary for the Civil Service

Secretary for the Civil Service

The Secretary for the Civil Service is the head of the Civil Service Bureau in Hong Kong. Unlike other secretaries for bureaux, the Secretary for the Civil Service is filled by an administrative officer from the civil service, who may choose to return to the civil service when his term expires...

Joseph Wong

Joseph Wong Wing Ping GBS JP was the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology and the Secretary for the Civil Service in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....

said the public has the right – and expectation – to know" about the nationalities and salaries of the appointees.

The government had asked appointees not to make individual comments on the matter. However, on 29 May, Gregory So broke silence and said he would renounce his Canadian citizenship; Raymond Tam surrendered his British Passport. As at 4 June 2008, five undersecretaries had declared they were giving up their foreign passports citing public opinion

Public opinion

Public opinion is the aggregate of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population. Public opinion can also be defined as the complex collection of opinions of many different people and the sum of all their views....

as an overriding factor, and one assistant had also initiated the renunciation process.

Speaking in the Legislative Council on 4 June, Stephen Lam defended the government stance. He said that the Basic Law made it clear that Principal Officials must be Chinese citizens and Hong Kong permanent residents with no right of abode in a foreign country. He pointed out that deputy directors of bureau were not principal officials, are not appointed by the Central People's Government, and as such are not prohibited from having right-of-abode in a foreign country. He added that even when deputising for Bureau Chiefs in their absence, the acting arrangement is "an administrative measure only" and does not contravene the Basic Law". Donald Tsang said that people returning from emigration have helped make Hong Kong a success; the recruitments were "part of the Government's drive to attract talented people from different backgrounds to provide an efficient and stable civil service". He hoped that the public would accept that the five undersecretaries with foreign right-of-abode, who had renounced those rights were committed to the city, and would put the matter to rest.

Transparency issue

Only days after the nationality row had been quelled, another one erupted over appointees' individual quantum salary levels, as well as whether they were justified. Up to that point, the government had only banded the disclosure that undersecretaries would be paid monthly stipend of between HK$193,773 to HK$223,586, and that political assistants would receive between HK$104,340 and HK$163,963 for their services. Citing common practices in the private sector and in overseas governments, Tsang said the Government would not release individual salaries to "avoid unnecessary comparison" and in the respect of individuals' right to privacy. On 5 June, the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....

lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman

Ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

for access to information on appointees salaries.

Pressure for disclosure continued to mount, and on 10 June 2008, the new-appointees all came forth and revealed their salaries. The Government news release stated that the appointees had "voluntarily disclosed their salaries, given the sustained public interest in the issue." Political commentator Frank Ching criticised the government's cowardice for hiding behind the appointees.

On revealing the individual salaries of the appointees, the government faced further questions about the apparent lack of relevant experience of some appointees. Citing the example of Paul Chan, reportedly earning between HK$20,000 and 30,000 [in the private sector], Liberal Party leader James Tien

James Tien

James Tien Pei-chun GBS OBE JP is the former Chairman of the Liberal Party , a pro-business and pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong, and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong . He was also a member of the District Council of Hong Kong in the Central and Western district...

said it was "unreasonable to see that he will be earning at least $130,000." Democrats continued to pressure the government for information on its precise selection standards and how it scored the new appointees, and the factors determining their pay; CEO of CLP Group, and Chairman of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1861. It is a self-funding, non-profit organization whose mission is to safeguard and represent trade, service and industry in Hong Kong...

, Andrew Brandler

Andrew Brandler

Andrew Clifford Winawer Brandler is the Chief Executive Office of Hong Kong utility company CLP Group, and Chairman of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.-Professional career:...

, said the government should have been transparent from the outset.

Pan-democrats continued to charge that the recruiting of political appointees was a "black-box operation", but Chief Secretary

Chief Secretary for Administration

The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...

Henry Tang

Henry Tang Ying-yen, GBM, GBS, JP was the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong until his resignation in September 2011. He is a candidate in the Hong Kong Chief Executive election of 2012, and believed to be preferred by Beijing....

defended the transparency of the process. Donald Tsang said that the public had been "widely consulted" on the proposal. Tsang added: "Although the mechanism is different from that of civil servants, impartiality and internal checks and balances were already included – [the appointments had been] scrutinised and approved by a recruitment committee." Tsang said the recruitment process was "rigorous". The new undersecretaries pledged to co-operate with civil servants and lawmakers, to listen to public views, and to win people's trust and recognition.

Government responses and apology

Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Norman Chan

Norman Chan

Norman Chan , CHAN Tak-Lam Norman, SBS, JP , is a Chinese banker, treasury official, and civil servant. Chan currently serves as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, a position he has held since on 1 October 2009, following the retirement of his predecessor, Joseph Yam...

, admitted the government had underestimated the public reaction on the nationality of political appointees. Chan said the appointees' pay scale was geared to attracting the most capable candidates. He stressed the salaries could not be compared with those of civil servants, who had housing, travelling and other allowances. The salaries of undersecretaries were roughly the same as those of directorate four civil servants. They would enjoy a pay review in two years, but without guarantee of an increase.

Donald Tsang apologised for the government's bungled announcement of new political appointees, saying: "With hindsight, I admit the arrangements in this regard did not fully meet public expectations, and I apologise for the controversy this has caused." Tsang apologised for not having arranged for the new appointees to meet the public, whilst maintaining there were important points of principle to defend vis à vis the appointees' remuneration and nationalities. Reacting to criticism from Joseph Wong, he said "...the most stupid thing is to have politics override law and to give up some principles for the sake of political convenience. In the long run, these are the biggest mistakes in politics and stupidity." Tsang's apology was seen as 'grudging' and 'reluctant'.

In a continued attempt to contain the row, Stephen Lam

Stephen Lam

Stephen Lam Sui-lung GBS JP is the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong and formerly Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs....

said on 16 June that the future appointees would be contractually bound to reveal their salaries and be advised to disclose their nationalities. He also stated that their pay could be adjusted upwards or downwards, and that their contracts could be terminated on one month's notice.

Scope issue

The row refused to subside even after the official apology for the mishandling. The lack of clarity of the appointees' scope of responsibilities

Scope (project management)

In project management, the term scope has two distinct uses: Project Scope and Product Scope.Project Scope"The work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions."Product Scope...

, and the need for another layer of bureaucrats, has also been questioned. Although salaries of the appointees has been blown out of proportion, according to Andrew Brandler, he suggested that "the government was put in a tight spot because the role of the new appointees is undefined." Leading figures in education lamented the "waste of HK$4m" for their sectorial deputies, and expressed their concern about the exact roles Kenneth Chan and Jeremy Young would play. A source within the Education Bureau was quoted as saying there was surprise in government: "...a lot of people are asking why they are worth being paid that much."

An editorial in The Standard remarked that the criticism from former senior civil servants was a reflection of the fact that top civil servants, who used to be responsible for their respective domains, had needed to get accustomed to the changes in their responsibilities. It further suggested that administrative officers might take even longer to accept the undersecretaries and political assistants in view of their limited political experience and regardless of their potential.

Salary comparison

The undersecretary's pay of HK$220,000 per month (US$28,000) is more than the salary of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...

, and also more than Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan is an American economist who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006. He currently works as a private advisor and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC...

earned as the chairman of the US Federal Reserve. A political assistant would earn more than what Tony Snow

Tony Snow

Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...

earned (US$ 14,000 per month) as the former White House Press Secretary

White House Press Secretary

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....

.

Political observer Michael Chugani said there was no "single credible reason why these novice politicians are being paid more than heads of state

Head of State

A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

of some countries." Lau Ngai-keung was sceptical that political appointments would help to foster local political talent, noting that such appointees may earn up to six times more than Legislative Councillors. Tsang asked the public not to make a hasty judgement at this early stage, as there was no completely objective standard to judge appointees' value except by their performance.
Gregory So

Gregory So

Gregory So Kam-leung is the current Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong.-Education:So holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Carleton University and a double degree of Master of business administration and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa.-Early...

, Florence Hui

Florence Hui

Florence Hui Hiu-fai is one of the undersecretaries appointed by the Government of Hong Kong in 2008.-Education:Hui holds a Bachelor degree in business administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MBA from Cambridge University...

and Gabriel Leung said their appointments were not about money but serving the community.

The appointment set off wage rise claims from unions representing civil servants. In September 2008, the HK Federation of Civil Service Unions said that political assistants remuneration levels was seriously damaging morale within the civil service. Its chairman said "many civil servants with years of professional management experience are not paid at [the level of 28-year-old novice Paul Chan']", and petitioned the government to have the pay levels independently reviewed.

Other criticisms

An opinion piece in the Asia Times
Asia Times
Asia Times was a newspaper launched in Thailand by Thai tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul in 1995. The newspaper hired talent from around the world to produce a regional English-language newspaper....

suggested the scheme would reward loyalists, bolster support for Tsang and please Beijing, under cover of fostering political talent. Only two of the eight new deputies have professional backgrounds that can recommend them for the position, thus reminding the author of the Chief Executive's "bent to surround himself with lightweight, Beijing

Government of the People's Republic of China

All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...

-friendly political lackeys loathe to offer dissenting views."

Frank Ching believes that the system of political appointees has eroded the importance of the civil service, the highest-ranking of whom now implement policies instead of draw them up. He implied that the decline in morale since 2002, due to three successive layers of political appointees being introduced, has caused once loyal and silent bureaucrats such as John Chan and Joseph Wong to criticise the government vocally. Anson Chan

Anson Chan

Anson Maria Elizabeth Chan Fang On-sang GBM GCMG CBE JP was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for Hong Kong Island, succeeding the late legislator Ma Lik....

said that Tsang had failed to understand the real concerns of citizens. "The fiasco highlights the unsustainability of a political appointment system that lacks a popular mandate."

In an op-ed

Op-ed

An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...

, Joseph Wong said Legislative Councillors shared the blame by having given the government "unfettered discretion" for the nomination process. He observed that when the proposed scheme was before Legco, councillors failed to ask the government to explain or clarify what specific criteria or guidelines the Appointments Committee and principal officials would use.

On his official visit to Hong Kong in July 2008, Vice President

Vice President of the People's Republic of China

Xi Jinping

made some comments which were taken in some quarters as being a thinly-veiled criticism of Tsang. Xi advised Tsang how the "difficulties" he faced [in making the appointments] could be overcome:

Legislative Council debate to force disclosure

The Democratic Party tabled a motion to invoke Legislative Council (Power and Privileges) Ordinance to force the government to disclose the criteria for choosing and justification for making each appointment, and for determining their remuneration. It was scheduled for a vote on 26 June 2008.

Donald Tsang delivered an unprecedented 20-minute speech prior to the start of the debate on a motion tabled by Lee Wing Tat

Lee Wing Tat

in an attempt to quell the criticism. Tsang lectured the chamber about there having been "excessive" argument about the subject. "It is about time we put an end to it... We should dedicate all our energies to the things that are important to the people of Hong Kong, especially the livelihood issues," Tsang said. Tsang denied Norman Chan had shown favouritism during the selection process, saying "It was unfair to those appointees who were identified as Chan's people. Chan knows people from various sectors." After his speech, Tsang refused to take questions; his speech was followed by those by the Chief Secretary

Chief Secretary for Administration

The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...

and the Secretary for Justice

Secretary for Justice

The Secretary for Justice is a member of the Hong Kong Government responsible for prosecutions and legal matters. He or she heads the Department of Justice....

.

Lee's motion was defeated, as expected (22:29:1), after some seven hours of heated debate. The Standard

The Standard

The Standard is an English free newspaper of Hong Kong with a daily circulation of 231,018. It was called the Hong Kong Standard and changed to HKiMail during the Internet boom, but it changed back to The Standard in 2001....

observed that Tsang's attempt to assert his leadership had backfired. Tsang's performance was criticised as "dismissive" and "contemptuous" by the Legal sector legislator, Margaret Ng

Margaret Ng

Dr Margaret Ng Ngoi Yee is a politician, barrister, writer and columnist in Hong Kong. She has been a member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong since 1995....

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