Pro-Beijing school principal named Hong Kong’s new education undersecretary despite national education fears
Christine Choi becomes deputy at Education Bureau, as government unveils political appointees to serve government ministers
Hong Kong’s new leader on Tuesday named 18 politically appointed officials to form a second tier of administrators under her ministers, including a controversial pick for the Education Bureau who could be a lightning rod for conflict between the government and opposition politicians.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor pushed ahead with the appointment of school principal Christine Choi Yuk-lin as the new undersecretary for education, despite strong opposition from those who are suspicious of her pro-Beijing credentials.
Pan-democratic politicians blasted Lam for dismissing their concerns about Choi, whose name was among a list of 10 undersecretaries and eight political assistants unveiled on Tuesday.
Four of them hailed from pro-establishment parties: two from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, a strong backer of Lam’s election campaign in March, while the other two were from the Liberal Party.
The line-up also marked the first time that senior police officers filled the top three positions at the Security Bureau.
