HK needs to further develop political class
The row over the nationalities and salaries of the political appointees has dragged on far too long. Having stayed silent for almost three weeks, it was necessary for Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen to come out yesterday and finally admit his administration had mishandled the entire controversy from start to finish. By letting the appointees come clean on their nationalities and disclose their exact salaries, he hoped to clear the air and put this sorry saga behind him.
The row has, in a way, distracted us from the real issues. It is clear the accountability system and the appointees are here to stay. The real question, then, is about where the system is taking Hong Kong and whether it accords with the city's democratic aspirations. All the questions about the appointees ultimately boil down to the legitimacy of the system that selects them. Mr Tsang has rightly acknowledged that the government was being foolish in focusing only on the legal issues of the appointments under the Basic Law. Rather, the row is really over the political values and principles involved in appointing the new undersecretaries and political assistants. People are not questioning the legality of the appointments, but the legitimacy of the appointment process and whether the appointees deserve their high posts and salaries without having the track records to justify them.
The accountability system, in its revamped form, enables the government to pick not only its own cabinet ministers, but also the new undersecretaries and political assistants. This system resembles that of the United States whereby the president is entitled to pick his or her own cabinet secretaries and their deputies. The US system works because the president enjoys legitimacy that comes with being the winner of a general election. There is also a longstanding political class within which talent is cultivated and from which experienced people can be chosen to fill senior government posts.
Hong Kong, however, does not have a political class of comparable history or quality. The government has to pick from different sectors in a hunt for talent - and hopefully, hit upon people with real ability. All this is not necessarily a bad thing, except that most of the new appointees have no prior political experience; only one is from a political party, which have a direct mandate from the public and blocs of members in the legislature. The accountability system, therefore, exacerbates rather than ameliorates the growing disconnect between the legislative and executive branches of government. Furthermore, the chief executive is not chosen by the people, but by an 800-member election committee comprising representatives of vested interests.
The government is hoping the accountability system will be fully functional and mature when universal suffrage for the chief executive post may be achieved by 2017. This is not unreasonable. But it must also prepare for full Legislative Council elections in 2020 at the earliest. By then, for our political system to work smoothly, we need a political class of people with both administrative and electoral backgrounds. Paying good money to induct political novices into the administration will not suffice; the status and pay of lawmakers and their assistants also need to be improved to make them comparable with the new appointees. Meanwhile, the standards for hiring appointees have to become more transparent and stringent. People considered for the posts should have proven track records. The system will only work with an open, inclusive and mature political culture.
