The rising stars who soon lost their lustre
They were expected to be rising stars in the new administration after Donald Tsang Yam-kuen secured a second term, but far from lightening the burden on their bosses, the undersecretaries and political assistants have attracted more jeers than praise.
Right from the beginning, when the eight undersecretaries and nine political assistants were appointed in 2008, they were embroiled in a controversy over political loyalty - one that forced some to relinquish their foreign residency.
Tsang's popularity hit rock bottom when he was forced to apologise for the nationality issue and a row about their pay. The government initially would only reveal the range of salaries the appointees would earn. After intense public pressure, the appointees had to voluntarily reveal their pay levels.
Greg So Kam-leung, the undersecretary for commerce and economic development who had to renounce his Canadian passport, was embroiled in another controversy when he was found to have given his business card to the Immigration Department as proof of income when he was renewing his domestic helper's contract.
Other appointees were criticised for failing to perform or for lacking political skills. Among them was Yau Shing-mu, undersecretary for transport and housing, who was lambasted by lawmakers for refusing to intervene in a blockade staged by taxi drivers of the airport highway in December 2008.
He was also recently embroiled in a row with villagers and lawmakers of the Democratic Party, who accused him of refusing to meet them over relocation issues in the Legislative Council building as he insisted the meeting should be held in his government office.
Victor Lo Yik-kee, political assistant for security, was accused of failing in his role during the 2008 riots in Bangkok. The government was accused of being too slow in launching an emergency evacuation of Hong Kong travellers stranded at Bangkok airport.
Opinion polls consistently found almost all the new recruits had near zero recognition rates, despite early attempts to raise their profile in activities such as carol singing. Because of this, the University of Hong Kong stopped polling their popularity at the beginning of the year, a humiliating move since all ministers and lawmakers are subjects of regular polls.
The original hopes that these were fast-track positions to the top were quickly dashed and the government failed to attract newcomers. Other vacancies in the ranks have been filled by members of government-friendly parties, senior civil servants and people from the private sector.
The exceptions were the undersecretary seats in the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Security Bureau - filled by current and retired officials. The only appointees to receive favourable comments from lawmakers were the undersecretary for food and health, Professor Gabriel Leung, and political assistant to the secretary for labour and welfare, Zandra Mok Yee-tuen.
