Post-office employment for Mr Joseph Wong
*****************************************

    The Advisory Committee on Post-office Employment for Former Chief Executives and Politically Appointed Officials received a request for advice from Mr Joseph Wong who intended to teach a course on public administration in his capacity as a part-time Adjunct Professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Advisory Committee has advised Mr Wong that it had no objection to his taking up the teaching assignment.

     In considering the case, the Advisory Committee noted that Mr Wong's previous official responsibilities as the Secretary for the Civil Service and the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology were not related to the proposed assignment. The Advisory Committee considered that the proposed assignment should not cause the university to gain unfair advantage over its competitors and should not give rise to potential conflicts of interest.  

     The Advisory Committee also noted that the proposed assignment would be part-time and educational in nature, and that Mr Wong's knowledge and experience in public administration would be valuable to the course content. The Advisory Committee did not anticipate adverse public reaction or public perception problems arising from the proposed assignment.  

     Within one year after stepping down from office, former politically appointed officials are required to seek the advice of a committee appointed by the Chief Executive before commencing any employment.  The membership of the Advisory Committee is as follows -

- Mr Mr Justice Pang Kin-kee (chairman)
- Mr Henry Fan Hung-ling
- Professor Lee Chack-fan
- Dr Norman Leung Nai-pang
- Dr Elizabeth S C Shing

Ends/Friday, December 21, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:01

NNNN