Selina Chow heads popularity poll
Newly appointed Executive Councillor Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee is enjoying a honeymoon period with the public, an opinion poll shows. Her popularity rating has topped those of her four fellow non-official members of the chief executive's cabinet.
The poll, carried out by the University of Hong Kong last week, also saw a drop in popularity for Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Michael Suen Ming-yeung, who has been the government's frontman on the controversial harbour reclamation project in Central.
Mrs Chow, vice-chairman of the Liberal Party, which was instrumental in forcing the shelving of the controversial national security legislation, was appointed by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to fill a seat left vacant by party chairman James Tien Pei-chun. Mr Tien resigned over the Article 23 row.
The survey of 1,052 people gave Mrs Chow a rating of 55.8 points out of 100. Her score was significantly higher than other Exco members who are not government ministers: unionist Cheng Yiu-tong (44.7 points), Leung Chun-ying (44.5 points), and Tsang Yok-sing, leader of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (42.6 points). Barrister Andrew Liao Cheung-sing did not have a rating because of low public recognition.
