FINANCIAL Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen is still suffering the consequences of being stitched-up by his senior colleagues last month. They managed to poach a favourite protege from his office and have still not provided a replacement.
Mr Tsang owed Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan Fang On-sang a favour. So he had no choice but to say yes when she told him that Secretary for Economic Services Stephen Ip Shu-kwan desperately needed Mike Rowse to be Commissioner for Tourism, after the failure of an open recruitment exercise.
Not that the Financial Secretary was happy about losing the 'enforcer', who has carried out his orders to whip the bureaucracy into being more business-friendly as head of the Business and Services Promotion Unit. So Mr Tsang demanded that a replacement be found to head the unit before Mr Rowse took up his new post.
Mrs Chan and Mr Ip reportedly agreed - and then hastily announced Mr Rowse's move to Commissioner of Tourism without bothering to find a successor. A month later, his old post remains unfilled.
When concerned legislators asked about this last Wednesday, Mr Ip promised a solution within a few weeks. But that seems unlikely, as there is still no sign of any suitable successor.
In the meantime, Mr Rowse has to shuttle between his old and new posts. And Mr Tsang is left without a full-time 'enforcer' just as his corporatisation plans are bringing tens of thousands of angry civil servants onto the streets.
Mrs Chan also seemed to be cashing in favours when she offered to sing to help raise funds for the Hong Kong Journalists' Association at its annual gala on Friday.
