Aide expected to join Leung's team despite salary cut
Political assistant for home affairs Caspar Tsui Ying-wai is likely to stay in the third-tier of the appointment system despite taking a salary cut.
According to a person familiar with Tsui's situation, the member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who was appointed from the banking sector, has opted to remain a political aide, possibly after changing policy bureaus.
The indication that Tsui would stay on comes amid an understanding that at least five out of the nine political aides serving under Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's administration would continue to serve in Leung Chun-ying's administration.
Under the incoming administration's plan, the monthly salary of political assistants would be capped at HK$100,000, down from the current level of between HK$134,000 and HK$164,000.
The assistants are also facing a change in duties, with a stronger emphasis on reaching out to different sectors of society, instead of mainly doing government lobbying work.
Appointed in May 2008 to serve as policy secretaries, they have been criticised as being overpaid novices.
Open recruitment for undersecretaries and political assistants has closed, with an extension until yesterday for undersecretaries - owing to insufficient numbers of suitable candidates to make up a final shortlist for five bureaus.
A pan-democratic lawmaker, who did noy want to be named, said it was likely the political assistant for the labour and welfare bureau, Zandra Mok Yee-tuen, would be promoted to become an undersecretary.
'It is clear who has done a good job over the previous four years,' the pan-democrat said of ex-journalist Mok.
Political assistant for education Jeremy Young Chit-on said last month he was unlikely to join the next cabinet, citing 'many more considerations about whether he should take another five-year term'.
However, the Liberal Party member did not rule out returning to the fray of party politics.
Political aide for food and health, Paul Chan Chi-yuen, also dropped strong hints that he would not serve the next administration.
Chan, who recently got married, said he would be taking a long honeymoon trip, meaning he would not continue to serve as an official from July 1, when Leung's administration takes office.
In April, the development bureau's political assistant Raymond Cheung Man-to, a member of the DAB, was rumoured to be under consideration to contest September's Legco election for his party, but the barrister's plan to run for a direct seat in the Kowloon West constituency has triggered internal opposition.
It is understood that political assistant to the financial secretary Frankie Yip Kan-chuen, a former journalist, is confirmed to be leaving the government as well.
It was reported last month that Linda Choy Siu-min, political assistant at the environment bureau, and Katherine Ng Kit-shuen, at the financial services and the treasury bureau, would both be exiting. As for the five second-tier undersecretaries, Florence Hui Hiu-fai of the home affairs bureau will serve as the city's first undersecretary for culture on July 1.
