Big HK Cabinet reshuffle likely after blunder over liaison office

At least three Hong Kong Cabinet members are reported to have been sacked as part of a major reshuffle. All were widely seen as victims of the fallout from the government's recent bungling in explaining the role and powers of Beijing's liaison office.

Secretary for Home Affairs Lau Kong Wah is expected to be replaced by Mr Caspar Tsui, the current under secretary for labour and welfare, local media reported.

Secretary for Civil Service Joshua Law is likely to be replaced by Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip, and Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang is said to be making way for the director of electrical and mechanical services, Mr Alfred Sit Wing Hang.

Immigration director Erick Tsang is expected to take over from Mr Nip, who has been in the post since July 2017.

Secretary for Financial Services James Lau was cited by media outlet HK01 as another possible Cabinet member facing the boot. RTHK said an executive director of the Financial Services Development Council, Mr Christopher Hui, will take over from him.

News of the expected shake-up came after the Hong Kong government issued several contradictory press releases over the weekend. It initially appeared to disagree with Beijing's liaison office on whether it was subject to Article 22 of the Basic Law, which prohibits interference in Hong Kong affairs. The liaison office declared last week that it was not subject to Article 22.

But, in a third statement, the Hong Kong government said the liaison office was correct. The controversy led to Mr Nip apologising on social media on Monday for the "mistakes, confusion and misunderstanding".

The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau on Monday also issued a statement to explain the reasons for issuing the three press releases. It said the first release incorrectly stated the liaison office is one of the three organisations set up by Beijing, in accordance with Article 22(2) of the Basic Law.

The liaison office has its roots in Hong Kong under another name: Xinhua News Agency (Hong Kong Branch), founded in May 1947. In December 1999, the State Council or government in Beijing decided to change the name to the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, so the liaison office was not set up according to Article 22(2) of the Basic Law, said the bureau. The third release was meant to elaborate on the amendment, it added.

The bureau concluded that the liaison office has authority to represent the Central People's Government (CPG) to express views and "exercise supervisory power on major issues such as those concerning the relationship between the CPG and the territory".

On Tuesday, ahead of her weekly Cabinet meeting, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said "some officials" may not have understood the Basic Law.

Mr Steve Vickers, chief executive of Steve Vickers and Associates, a political and corporate risk consultancy firm, said last weekend's unfortunate and unintended blunder embarrassed the Hong Kong government and left it little room for manoeuvre.

"The mainland is clearly expecting a higher level of competence from the Hong Kong government than displayed hitherto and recent statements and actions suggest some impatience with Mrs Lam's administration, following the arrival of the new head of the central government's liaison office - a more action-oriented official," he said.

Professor Lau Siu Kai of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, China's top think-tank on Hong Kong, believes the civil service needs a firmer hand at the top.

"It's inevitable that the Hong Kong government is not satisfied with some of the civil servants' behaviour during the anti-extradition movement. So, the government will definitely strengthen four areas - management, discipline, rewards and punishments, as well as the understanding of the 'one country, two systems' principle."