Incoming Hong Kong leader John Lee finalises cabinet line-up, submits list to Beijing for consideration
Hong Kong's incoming leader John Lee Ka-chiu has finalised the line-up of his cabinet and submitted it to Beijing for consideration, and has pledged to announce the list once it receives the green light.
Declining to give any names, Lee on Friday said he had brought in incumbent ministers, civil servants, professionals from the private sector and people familiar with district work.
"When forming this team, the central government demanded I build a team with aligned administrative vision, strong executive ability and unity," Lee, who will be sworn in as chief executive on July 1, told the media.
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"I also agree with this idea. I hope we can present a new landscape to all of you when I announce the line-up."
Lee said they were experienced and knowledgeable in their field, shared his principle of being "result-oriented" and valued team spirit.
The 64-year-old former chief secretary also expressed his gratitude to all officials in the current administration for their contributions to the city.
"We have worked together for almost five years. We encountered different challenges and obstacles. We sat in the same boat, built a good relationship and respect each other," he said.
But he declined to comment on whether civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, a trusted aide of outgoing leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, would be in his team.
In an unexpected twist, multiple sources had earlier suggested Nip, who had expressed an interest in continuing to serve in any capacity, was not nominated by Lee.
Lee said he hoped the outgoing officials would continue to contribute to society by taking part in other roles, such as on different committees, government-run organisations and NGOs.
The Post has learned that only six of the 21 principal officials tipped to be recruited by Lee were not in the current administration. Two are from Beijing-friendly political parties and four are veterans of the legal, health, commerce and innovation and technology sectors.
They include Algernon Yau Ying-wah, chief executive of the fledgling Greater Bay Airlines, who is set to become commerce and economic development minister, and lawmaker Sun Dong, chair professor of biomedical engineering at City University, who is slated to head the revamped Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, according to sources.
Meanwhile, asked whether he was worried he would lose residents' confidence and his credibility after failing to comply with election rules during his leadership campaign, Lee said it was inappropriate for him to comment in view of ongoing legal proceedings.
But he said: "There was something that could have been done better during the election campaign. I understand that and I have explained it to residents many times. We should always aim to do better if we can."
Lee ran advertisements with three public figures' endorsements on his Facebook campaign page in April, but he failed to publicise electronic copies of the trio's written consent of support within one working day after the ads' publication.
He applied to the court last week for legal exemptions.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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