More contractual concessions on political appointees fail to appease lawmakers
The government made further concessions on the pay and nationality of political appointees yesterday amid growing criticism, with parties across the political spectrum saying they were unhappy with the way the issues had been handled.
Despite a promise to make the revealing of future political appointees' pay 'routine' and to 'advise' them the public expected the publication of their nationality, legislators were planning to censure Norman Chan Tak-lam, director of the Chief Executive's Office.
At a Legislative Council constitutional affairs panel meeting yesterday, lawmakers from major parties continued to question officials over their handling of the affair, in which five out of eight newly appointed undersecretaries were found to have foreign citizenship.
All have since renounced their foreign links after intense public pressure. The government was also criticised for withholding the salary figures for the nine political assistants until last week.
After rounds of questioning, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung conceded that the government would in future make it a contractual requirement for new appointees to reveal their salary levels - information previously considered private.
Mr Lam also promised to exert pressure on future candidates, saying the government would 'very clearly reflect' public opinion and advise them that the public expected them to publicise their nationality.
