Patrick Nip hails ‘strong team spirit’ within Hong Kong government and praises leader’s decision to promote career civil servants to top jobs
City’s constitutional affairs chief says Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s experience of public service ‘obviously helped’ policy work, in contrast to her predecessor CY Leung
The appointment of veteran civil servants and politicians knowledgeable in public service has created a “strong team spirit” within the Hong Kong government, according to the city’s constitutional affairs chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen.
While Nip stopped short of calling Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor a better leader than her predecessor Leung Chun-ying, his assessment of the current cabinet’s work underscored the significance of the civil service in Hong Kong’s governance.
Eight former civil servants and undersecretaries were promoted to make up the core of Lam’s team, in contrast, after Leung was elected chief executive in 2012, the former surveyor inducted a record seven appointees from outside the government into his 16-strong cabinet.
Even though Leung had convened the Executive Council – or the chief executive’s body of key advisers – from 1999 to 2011, the shortage of experience in public administration was regarded by commentators as a fatal flaw in his five years in charge.
Lam only recruited two officials from outside: Law Chi-kwong, a social work academic who became labour and welfare minister, and Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, a senior counsel and internationally recognised arbitrator who became justice chief in January.
In an exclusive interview with the Post, Nip, who joined the government in 1986, said Lam and her ministers’ experience in public service “obviously helped” policyimplementation.