Male and stale? Hong Kong’s first female leader finalising cabinet lacking fresh talent or women
The chief executive-elect wanted to form younger administration but average age of candidates is 59 with health undersecretary Sophia Chan her only female minister
Hong Kong’s incoming leader, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, is preparing to submit her final cabinet line-up to Beijing for approval within days, with a shortage of new names reflecting her difficulties in finding fresh talent.
At least 14 candidates for 16 ministerial positions are already government officials, including director of electrical and mechanical services Frank Chan Fan, a surprise name likely to be the next transport and housing secretary, according to sources.
The chief executive-elect had aspired to form a younger administration, but the average age of the 15 candidates said to be on the list she is finalising is 59. The average age of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s cabinet was 55 when it was announced in 2012.
As the city’s first woman in charge, Lam may end up with just one female minister for company – Sophia Chan Siu-chee, undersecretary for food and health, who is set to be prompted to head of the bureau.
Frank Chan, an engineer who has worked his way up in government, will be taking up the city’s thorny housing problems and a complex law enforcement issue arising from a cross-border railway project, as transport and housing minister.
Chan declined to confirm his impending appointment on Tuesday, but gave an analogy when talking to the Post about working in the government in general: “It’s just like football – if someone can play forward or midfield, some people would rather choose the position that can yield the best outcome for the team as a whole.”
According to sources, candidates for the post of development secretary are incumbent bureau head Eric Ma Siu-cheung and former pro-establishment lawmaker and surveyor Tony Tse Wai-chuen, who failed to keep his seat in the last Legislative Council elections in 2016.
“I have no comment to make at this point of time and hope [I] can say more soon,” was all Tse would say. Asked if he was worried about working in such a “hot kitchen”, Tse described Lam as “a capable and good leader”.
Tse has worked for several developers including Hongkong Land Property Company, Emperor International Holdings and Henderson Land Development.
Lam’s office declined to confirm any of the names being floated, saying she was still working actively to form her team.
Sources also told the Post that the top three incumbent ministers, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung would continue.
But Yuen, who earlier indicated his intention to leave, is expected to stay for only about a year to sort out legal issues over the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hongkong Express Rail link, which he has worked on with mainland authorities throughout his term. The railway will be in operation late next year.
Yuen’s office said he would announce his decision “at an appropriate time”.
Former pan-democrat lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah noted that Lam’s cabinet seemed set to be dominated by civil servants and old faces. He attributed it to the current political climate.
“How can you attract outsiders to join?” Tong said. “The salary is not high and there’s no specially bright future, and you have to be grilled by Legco.”
Tong himself declined to comment on reports that he had been invited to join Lam’s Executive Council as a non-official member.
Chinese University political scientist Ma Ngok said there seemed to be no person of repute in their relevant trades being picked for Lam’s cabinet.
“It is quite disappointing,” he said. “Some of the names have been in the bureaucracy for years.”
Ma also doubted Tse would make a good development minister given his many links and past interests with property developers.
Additional reporting by Naomi Ng
