Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying backtracks on promise to freeze his and cabinet's pay

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying made a U-turn on a promise to freeze his own pay and that of his cabinet ministers, after the government announced late last night a return to levels approved in 2002 by the Legislative Council.

The move means Leung's salary will rise by 5.68 per cent, from HK$351,880 a month to HK$371,885. A government spokesman said the new level would come into effect from the first of next month.

Before he took office, Leung pledged not to go ahead with a pay rise initiated by predecessor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.

"In 2009, with regard to the socioeconomic conditions at the time, the then-chief executive and politically appointed officials took a voluntary pay cut of 5.38 per cent … to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people," the spokesman said. "The economy has since turned around."

Chinese University political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung called the move "unwise".

"There's still a strong grievance among the public, especially after the 'umbrella movement'," he said, adding any pay rise should not happen until Leung showed results, and there was little promise shown in his policy address two days ago.