Allan Zeman says he’s being forced out of top job at Ocean Park
Ocean Park chief wants to stay, and sees official term limits as the issue
Entrepreneur Allan Zeman revealed yesterday it was the government that was forcing him out as Ocean Park chairman.
"I found out about a month ago," the flamboyant entrepreneur said. "Of course, at that time I felt kind of angry for a while because I hadn't discussed it with the government beforehand."
Zeman, who made his name establishing the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife district, said he was sure the government knew he wanted to continue in the post he had occupied for 11 years.
He will be succeeded by his deputy, Leo Kung Lin-cheng, on Monday. Kung, deputy chairman since 2003, is a banker and serves on several public bodies.
During Zeman's chairmanship, the number of visitors rose to 7.73 million last year from 2.95 million in 2003, while a HK$4 million deficit in 2003, the year Sars struck, was turned into a HK$127.2 million surplus.
He believed he lost the job due to a government guideline limiting holders of positions on statutory bodies to six-year terms.
