As speculation mounts over who will or will not join the new Leung Chun-ying administration, the more basic and infinitely more intractable problem of changing the culture of the civil service has yet to be faced.
The Tsang administration not only did not bother itself with this issue but all indications are that it never occurred to the lifelong bureaucrat Donald Tsang Yam-kuen that there was a problem. His predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa, made some tentative forays into this area but was more interested in hoarding power in his office.
Leung, on the other hand, has experienced the frustrations of dealing with the civil service and, in the chief executive election, seen the way in which its senior officers worked on his opponent's behalf. So he owes them no debts of gratitude and should, at least in theory, be able to bring new thinking to these problems.
First up among the problems is the unusually powerful nature of the Hong Kong civil service that exercises both executive and administrative functions. The fact that some of those holding executive office acquired new labels on their appointment as political officers did nothing to alter mindsets acquired in a lifetime of being bureaucrats.
Secondly, there is a degree of insularity and resistance to change in this bureaucracy that is not unique but impressively tenacious. Most civil servants have known no other career and their prospects of promotion are largely determined by length of service and a record of conformity. Individual thinking is not highly regarded and the bureaucrats quickly close ranks when outsiders join them.
Thirdly, hubris is a hallmark of this institution. It recruits its elite cadre fresh out of university, largely on the basis of examination results. As the recruits have no other work experience, this normal criteria for employment cannot be considered and anyone arriving for an interview declaring an interest in change will probably be shown the door. Those who remain join a self-satisfied group of people who shower honours and promotions on themselves.
Fourthly, if any of the above is explained to these bureaucrats, the likelihood is that they will see this as an illustration of misunderstanding by those who simply do not appreciate how things work.