Exco resignation sparks fears over recruiting from industry

Executive Councillor Bernard Chan says he is worried the government may face difficulty bringing in outside talent following Franklin Lam Fan-keung's resignation, but fellow executive councillor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee says she believes there are still many people willing to enter what she called "the hot kitchen".

Chan's remarks came as Henry Ho Kin-chung resigned as political assistant to development minister Paul Chan Mo-po following revelations about his family's ownership of land that will be developed under the government's plans for the northeastern New Territories.

Ivan Choy Chi-keung, a political scientist at Chinese University, said Ho's resignation might add pressure on his boss, Paul Chan, who is embroiled in a conflict-of-interest row over his family's ownership of land in the same area as the Ho family's, which is zoned for a new town.

"I think it's a good thing that [the Justice Department] has cleared the name of my past colleague Franklin Lam," Chan said. "It's unfortunate that he decided to leave, and it also shows that it's not easy to bring in outsiders, whether into the Exco or the government.

"I myself have total sympathy with [those reluctant to join the government]. You could be very successful in business, engineering and so on, but coming into the government is completely different. Public perception and expectation is very different."

Dr Li Pang-kwong, director of Lingnan University's public governance programme, said the resignation could have a positive effect on public governance.