At least one of the 70 candidates for the job of Tourism Commissioner is stepping out from under the shroud of secrecy surrounding the post. Local institution Yaqub Khan, who for years lambasted the colonial government, says the Economic Services Bureau is mad to have rejected him. In his application for the job, Mr Khan said he had been in the travel industry for 48 years and had dealt with hundreds of thousands of tourists without generating a single complaint. He received a concise thanks-but-no-thanks reply. The position is yet to be filled. Let a hundred flowers bloom! Perhaps to say they exemplify Confucian courtesy - plus Mao Zedong-style tolerance - Executive Councillor and chief of monikers Leung Chun-ying and spinmeister Stephen Lam Sui-lung have as much as admitted they made a mistake, not to say a lapse of taste, by settling on Chi Lo for the name for the former Government House. (Chi means purple and chi king is Cantonese for bauhinia, Hong Kong's flower emblem). Having publicised several thousand names submitted by ordinary citizens, they say the period of 'public consultation' will be extended for at least one more month. Among the gems put forward are suggestions ranging from satirical ('Fat Pang's Home', 'Pang's Bubble', 'Alibaba', 'House of the Faded Flower') to the patriotic ('House to Wash Away the National Shame', 'Forget the British Mansion'; 'House of Returned Treasures'). Our favourites: 'Citadel of Memories' and 'Red Teahouse'. 'Teahouse' is particularly appropriate because the house could be the venue for future cyber meetings by our suddenly cyber-enthusiastic Mr Tung. And the 'redness' will keep the discussions politically correct. Since government policy secretaries succeeded in planting the notion that every mainland migrant is likely to be a semi-literate welfare sponger, pausing only to put his name on the housing queue before collapsing in the casualty department of the nearest hospital, bigotry and prejudice have been enjoying a field day. One mastermind person-in-the-street, quoted in the Asian edition of an international newspaper, opined that the uneducated and unskilled masses would have to turn to crime and prostitution to survive, and that: 'Young girls will be standing on every street corner.' He should look on the bright side. At least it will save local regional politicians the trouble of travelling across to the mainland to use their services. Oh dear, there seem to be some ruffled feathers among the SAR's political scientists. Seems they're overlooked when the Government muses over major policy decisions, and they're sad about that because they feel they have a lot to contribute. After noting the way local economists were consulted during the financial crisis, the boys in the backroom have decided to set up a network of political scientists, public administration officials and other eggheads in higher education institutions, so that they might have a bit of input into policy decisions. The idea stems from an annual academic forum on political science related issues. This year, the forum, held on Tuesday at the University of Hong Kong main campus, discussed civil service reform. Key local and international academics as well as senior civil servants were invited. Enthusiasts among their number are eager to start a formal network strengthening mutual ties. After which they are hoping that when big decisions loom about constitutional issues, say, or cross-straits relations, those in high places just might decide to ask them for their views.
