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Following is a question by the Hon Ronny Tong Ka-wah and a reply by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, in the Legislative Council today (March 4):
Question:
The Chief Executive (CE) earlier appointed five new Members to the Executive Council (ExCo), but the selection of some of the appointees has aroused controversy. One of the new Members has been appraised to be one of the 10 worst-performing Legislative Council (LegCo) Members, and according to some newspaper reports, there are rumours that with the intervention of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Liaison Office), the appointment of that particular Member is tantamount to a political deal: ExCo membership was offered to him as a condition for his not standing for a functional constituency seat in the LegCo Election last year, so as to enable a member from a pro-government political party to be elected to LegCo. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) what criteria CE had adopted in selecting the new ExCo Members, and whether the publicˇ¦s appraisal of the performance of the persons concerned in discharging public duties is one of the considerations; how the background and the qualifications of the five new Members meet those criteria;
(b) whether CE had, before announcing the list of the new ExCo Members, consulted the Liaison Office or its officials on the selection of appointees; and
(c) what measures the Government will adopt to address public concerns about the use of ExCo membership as a bargaining chip for political deals, and how it will enhance the credibility of ExCo?
Reply:
President,
(a) According to the Basic Law, Members of the Executive Council (ExCo) shall be appointed by the Chief Executive (CE) from among the principal officials of the executive authorities, Members of the Legislative Council and public figures. They shall be Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) with no right of abode in any foreign country.
When appointing ExCo Members, CE will consider the candidates' abilities, professional knowledge, conduct and their participation and sense of duty to public affairs.
CE announced the appointments of the Honourable Lau Wong-fat, Professor Lawrence Lau Juen-yee, Ms Anna Wu Hung-yuk, Ms Marjorie Yang Mun-tak and Mr V Nee Yeh to ExCo on January 20. The five new appointees are astute, perceptive and have a deep understanding across the spectrum of public affairs ranging from district affairs, social policies, business, financial services to economics and education. They all have rich experience in their professions and public service, and a thorough appreciation of the rapid development of the Mainland. Their appointment will help the SAR Government formulate policies as responsive as they are visionary, and will certainly have a positive impact on Hong Kongˇ¦s strategy in participating in the development of the country and the Pearl River Delta region in particular.
(b) According to the provisions of the Basic Law, the appointment or removal of ExCo Members shall be decided by CE.
(c) All appointed ExCo Members are persons of ability who excel in their respective fields and engage widely in the community. With a strong sense of duty to Hong Kong, they are committed to serving Hong Kong people. Their professional knowledge in various fields, deep understanding of public affairs and our country, and their rich experience in public service will no doubt help the SAR Government formulate policies that meet public needs and improve their well-being. The concern about the appointment of ExCo Members being political deals is totally ungrounded.
Ends/Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:18
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