Curb your enthusiasm, kiddo: younger members of Hong Kong advisory bodies find it hard to break through risk-averse bureaucratic culture
- Scheme encourages ‘young elites’ to step forward, but many bodies still do not have members under the age of 35
- Hard to make a difference when bureaucrats come to meetings with fixed views on issues, some say
Mandy Ho Ka-man, 28, was bursting with enthusiasm after she joined Hong Kong’s Public Libraries Advisory Committee in April.
When Halloween came round, she and another young committee member tossed up a “wild idea” of inviting veteran actress Law Lan to tell ghost stories at public libraries to attract adults.
But their proposal was rejected by the 23-member body packed with officials and seasoned non-official members.
“After the meeting, a veteran member came to me and said the idea would freak the kids out and parents might complain,” said Ho, a technical assistant at the MTR Corporation.
She regarded it as a learning experience in understanding how officials assessed risks, and recently shifted her focus to suggesting ways to improve the libraries’ IT system instead.
Younger members say it can be a struggle to make a difference in the face of a risk-averse bureaucratic culture and a lack of transparency in committees. Those on large bodies often find their views end up buried.
Four years after the government began recruiting young Hongkongers for about 500 advisory bodies, a Post check has found that more than two-fifths still have no members under 35.