Beijing gave the green light for Chief Executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu to install three new deputy ministers before he made his government restructuring plan public, a pro-Beijing heavyweight has revealed, clearing the way for the creation of the first such posts in a quarter-century. While the city’s mini-constitution has always given the leader the power to introduce new deputy secretary roles, only one chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, has attempted it, and his plan was scuttled by filibustering opposition lawmakers. But with the overhauled Legislative Council now stacked with pro-establishment members, Lee is almost certain to succeed where Leung failed and establish deputies for the chief secretary, financial secretary and secretary for justice. Pro-Beijing political pundits characterised Lee’s move as an indication the former policeman was hoping to show his administration would rely on teamwork rather than individual leadership. “I believe he is more of a team kind of chief executive,” said Maria Tam Wai-chu, vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee, which advises Beijing on Hong Kong’s mini-constitution. Political commentator Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of Beijing’s semi-official think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, contrasted the different leadership styles of Lee and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. “It seems John Lee likes more manpower and cooperation, while Carrie Lam tends to be more hands-on and would introduce policy in detail by herself,” he said. Under the HK$95 million (US$12.1 million) restructuring plan unveiled on Tuesday, the three deputy secretaries will be added to the current list of 43 politically appointed officials to oversee a new line-up of 15 bureaus, up from the present 13. While the creation of the assistant roles for the chief secretary and financial secretary had been floated before, the revelation that the secretary for justice would also receive a deputy, on top of an additional political assistant added to the department, caught many by surprise. Each deputy secretary will be paid HK$363,400 a month, just below the range of HK$369,650 to HK$396,000 the three highest-ranking secretaries will earn after the latest pay rise. Their pay is only HK$60,000 less than what Lee will earn when he takes up the top job. A closer look at details of Hong Kong’s government revamp plan Pro-Beijing heavyweight Tam Yiu-chung, who served as Lee’s election campaign chief, said that despite the Basic Law empowering the city’s leader to set up the three deputy posts, the chief executive-elect had nonetheless asked for Beijing’s blessing. Article 48 of the Basic Law states the chief executive shall exercise his or her power “to nominate and to report to the central people’s government for appointment the following principal officials: secretaries and deputy secretaries of departments”, among other officials. “But as these are top principal officials, Lee of course would have to get Beijing’s approval before he decided to add these posts in the restructuring plan, as Beijing also has the ultimate authority to appoint the city’s officials,” Tam said. Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, who specialises in public administration at the Education University of Hong Kong, said he believed Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, followed the British government structure possibly for the sake of continuity. The posts of deputy chief secretary and deputy financial secretary existed up to the 1980s and 1990s, respectively, before they were abolished due to the establishment of a new director of administration and secretary for the treasury. The bigger the better for Hong Kong’s government restructuring plan? In the colonial days, the attorney general, which is the equivalent of the secretary for justice now, never had a deputy. “At the point of reunification in 1997, when Tung Chee-hwa became the first chief executive, I suppose he took the view to retain whatever structure that existed prior to the transition for the sake of continuity,” said Cheung, the city’s secretary for transport and housing between 2012 and 2017 in Leung’s administration. But as to why Tung and his successors, except Leung, never ended up reintroducing the deputy posts, Cheung said it was “all a matter of consideration by the chief executive, probably in consultation with the central people’s government”. Legal scholar Albert Chen Hung-yee, who specialises in constitutional law at the University of Hong Kong, noted the Basic Law was drafted in 1985. “It took reference from the political structure and official positions found in the colonial government,” said Chen, who is a member of the Basic Law Committee. But he was not aware of any further discussion beyond the text of Basic Law that would prescribe the circumstance under which the chief executive should create a deputy post. Lawmaker and committee member Priscilla Leung Mei-fun noted the mini-constitution gave the postcolonial administration an option to create such posts. Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee reveals hiccups in forming his team Tam Yiu-chung said he believed the additional deputies would allow the next administration to focus on bigger projects that required better coordination across bureaus and departments. “For the justice secretary, for example, Lee already mentioned that there will be more duties for the secretary, including more visits to tell ‘the true Hong Kong story’, justifying a need to add a deputy for the secretary,” he said. Maria Tam said she envisioned Lee to be “the leader with his teams all having their own strengths”. “The strong team needs to be able to work individually and cooperate with each other at the same time,” she said. “Setting up three deputy posts can give the chief executive and his three top secretaries more time to plan and review, protect the existing achievements and develop further.” But political commentator Lau believed Lee’s success would depend heavily on the chemistry between the secretaries and their newly installed assistants. “Let’s be clear: it’s a question of trust between the secretaries and the deputy secretaries,” Lau said, adding the authority of the secretaries should not be spread thin by their deputies. Additional reporting by Tony Cheung