HONG KONG
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam has been praised for appointing veteran Public Servants and politicians knowledgeable of the Public Service to her administration.
The city’s Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Patrick Nip Tak-kuen (pictured) said this had created a “strong team spirit” within the Government.
While Mr Bottom of Form
Nip stopped short of calling Ms Lam a better leader than her predecessor, Leung Chun-ying, his assessment of the current Cabinet’s work underscored the significance of the Public Service in Hong Kong’s governance.
He noted that eight former PS staff and Under-Secretaries were promoted to make up the core of Ms Lam’s team.
In contrast, after Mr Leung was elected Chief Executive in 2012, the former surveyor inducted a record seven appointees from outside the Government into his 16-strong Cabinet.
Mr Nip said Ms Lam, herself a former PS employee, and her Ministers’ experience in the Public Service “obviously helped” policy implementation.
“A characteristic of this term of Government is that since we took office on 1 July last year, the Chief Executive and the principal officials were already either experienced in working in the administration or knowledgeable about the Government’s work,” Mr Nip said.
He said even those who came from the outside had participated in the Government’s work in an in-depth manner.
“It’s easier for us to cooperate and handle issues as a team, and in the past year, I felt that we have a strong team spirit,” Mr Nip said.
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs is responsible for promoting the Basic Law, constitutional affairs, electoral development, and coordinating liaison between the Hong Kong Government and the relevant mainland Chinese authorities.
In a separate development, the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee has approved funding for pay rises in the Public Service for the fiscal year that began on 1 April.
Senior Government workers will receive a pay rise of 4.06 per cent.
Those in the lower and middle rankings will see their wages go up by 4.51 per cent.
Hong Kong, 18 July 2018
