Headline-hitting Elaine Chung laments life in limelight

Urban Services director Elaine Chung Lai-kwok made an impassioned plea yesterday to be spared the political spotlight.

'I wish I could spend more time on the real business of serving the public and less time on political games,' she said after being embroiled in a series of controversies in the past year.

Ms Chung was in the limelight this week when it emerged that she opened two museums on New Year's Day after Tung Chee-hwa's sister, Alice King, was turned away from the shows on Boxing Day as they were closed.

Last year Ms Chung was criticised for unilaterally amending the designs of the new Central Library and donating books she had edited to public libraries.

At her year-end press conference, Ms Chung stood by her decisions.

She said she had to accept an increasingly political environment.

'Definitely Hong Kong has become more politicised. But we have been given such a framework. I have to accept the rules of the game,' she said.