Commerce chief backs greater accountability
A senior official says he is ready to give up his civil service status if required under whatever system of appointment is adopted to increase accountability.
Secretary for Commerce and Industry Chau Tak-hay said: 'Of course, it depends on whether or not Mr Tung [Chee-hwa] wants me on his team. If I have the option, yes, certainly, I would be prepared to do that [leave the civil service].'
In his Policy Address last week, the Chief Executive announced plans to consider ways of establishing a 'comprehensive system of public accountability' under which top officials would be held responsible for the outcome of their policies.
Most serving principal officials are civil servants hired on pensionable terms. As such, they execute policies arrived at collectively and can be disciplined only if they make serious mistakes.
'In my own mind, I have known for two or three years the system would have to be changed,' said Mr Chau. 'With the politicisation of the job of the Chief Executive . . . civil servants at the top can't go on saying we are politically neutral. We are helping the Chief Executive develop and implement policy programmes and he's a political figure.'
It is likely that some positions could be filled from the private sector. Mr Chau acknowledged that suitable candidates for his job could probably be found outside the civil service.
Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Michael Suen Ming-yeung told legislators on Saturday that as many as 20 policy secretaries at bureau level and above could be asked to switch to contract terms. 'The pensionable system does not work,' he said. A steering group is due to issue proposals in a year.
Mr Tung felt some non-civil servant members of the Executive Council had not been active enough in defending the administration's policies, according to a source close to the Government. So one option under consideration is to appoint more principal officials to Exco once the new system is in place.
Some senior civil servants might not mind switching to 'under-secretary' status to implement policy initiatives formulated by principal officials who become political appointees and switch to contract terms, the source said.
Lau Siu-kai, a professor of sociology at the Chinese University, said principal officials serving on contract terms would probably be appointed to Exco and serve as Mr Tung's inner cabinet.
'The current unofficial [Exco] members can serve as ministers without portfolio and act simply as advisers or take up special missions,' said Professor Lau. 'There should be no overlapping of responsibility as now exists between some unofficial members and bureau chiefs.'
