Incoming Hong Kong leader John Lee relies mostly on incumbent officials to fill ranks of his governing team
- In surprising move, civil service chief Patrick Nip will not continue to serve in the administration
- Among 21 principal officials tipped to be recruited by Lee, only six not from current administration
In a surprising twist, civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, a trusted aide of outgoing leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and who was expected to stay on in the new administration, would step down, a source said.
Nip, who had expressed an interest in continuing to serve in any capacity, was only informed recently of Lee’s decision and had started to bid farewell to his colleagues, the insider added.
Sources familiar with Lee’s office said he preferred not to have too many people closely affiliated with Lam or her predecessor Leung Chun-ying in his cabinet.
“Lee also picked those with whom there is a comfort level after working alongside them for years,” one insider said.
Among the 21 principal officials tipped to be recruited by Lee, only six were not from the current administration. Two were from Beijing-friendly political parties and four were veterans of the legal, health, commerce and innovation and technology sectors.
Analysts said the proposed line-up reflected Lee’s difficulties in recruiting outsiders to join the government, with sources familiar with the matter suggesting foreign sanctions imposed by the West might have deterred some prospective candidates from joining.