appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ng Kang-chung

A senior executive at the influential Hong Kong Council of Social Service who last year lost his bid for a government undersecretary post has been chosen as the new head of the organisation.
Chua Hoi-wai, 49, a business director at the council, will succeed Christine Fang Meng-sang as chief executive in December. Fang retires after leading the council for 12 years.
The council represents more than 400 welfare agencies that provide more than 90 per cent of the city's welfare services.
Chua, who has been with the council for 21 years, defeated 11 other candidates in an open recruitment process in May.
Council chairman Bernard Chan said: "[Chua] distinguished himself by his clear thought and analysis of current social problems and social welfare development, as well as the ability to work with various stakeholders."
Chua made headlines last year after he quit the Civic Party, which he helped found, to apply for the post of undersecretary for labour and welfare. The post is still vacant.
"I would not think of joining the government again in the near future. I will focus on my work in the council," Chua said. He added he had no plans to rejoin the Civic Party or any other political group.
Chua, who also sits on the government's Commission on Poverty, said his priority would be pushing the government on anti-poverty work, and he promised to fight for better resources for welfare agencies.
On his political stance, he said he supported democracy. But he sidestepped questions on whether he would support fellow social workers if they joined the Occupy Central protest - a so-called civil disobedience campaign planned for next July by which the pro-democracy camp hopes to press Beijing to give Hong Kong what they consider full and true democracy.
"No one likes to see events like Occupy Central happen," Chua said. "What many people … like to see is that there can be a clearer direction of democratisation and social consensus."


Welfare council gets a new leader

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service's incoming chief executive, Chua Hoi-wai. Photo: Felix Wong

News

Hong Kong

Chua Hoi-wai, 49, a business director at Hong Kong Council of Social Service, will succeed Christine Fang Meng-sang as chief executive in December. Fang retires after leading the council for 12 years.
