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Denise Tsang

Former senior Hong Kong government official Michael Suen Ming-yeung, known for coming up with a nine-point policy to combat a post-handover housing crisis, has died at the age of 80.
Sources said on Wednesday that he had suffered from various illnesses for years and had died in his sleep on Tuesday.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Housing Bureau chief Winnie Ho Wing-yin offered their condolences to Suen’s family.
“Mr Suen had devoted decades of service to the government, holding various important positions,” Lee said.
“He had formulated strategies and provided counsel to the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] in various policy areas, addressing different challenges while promoting Hong Kong’s development.
“He commanded great respect from government colleagues and members of the community with his dedicated service to the public over the years.”
Lee praised Suen for making “significant contributions” to the city and noted that he had been awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star, the city’s top honour, in 1999.

People who had worked with Suen spoke highly of him on personal and professional levels.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said: “He was widely respected.”
Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who was secretary for security between 1998 and 2003, told the Post she kept in contact with Suen and last saw him a few months ago.
“Michael was a very nice person, always kind and accessible to junior colleagues. I will miss him dearly. I have sent my deepest sympathies to [his wife] Rita,” Ip said.
“He was known to have chronic diseases, but he seemed to be quite well when I had dinner with him a few months ago.”

Suen, born in 1944, joined the government in 1966 and retired in 2012. He worked his way up from administrative officer to secretary for constitutional affairs and secretary for home affairs before the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
Ip recalled that Suen, regarded as one of the governing elites during the colonial era, was among the few locals who managed to rise to the rank of directorate grade C.
Suen was one of the few top colonial officials who managed to transition to the SAR government after the handover. He was also the highest-ranked official seconded by the colonial government to help then chief executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa in the lead-up to the handover.

Secretary for education and secretary for housing, planning and lands were among other roles Suen held in various bureaus during his time in the government.
He was best known for launching nine measures to stop a slump in property prices in 2002 after a 60 per cent decline in the first five years of the city’s return to Chinese rule. Critics said the measures marked a drastic shift in the city’s housing policy during Tung’s leadership.
The measures included scrapping regular land auctions and the Home Ownership Scheme. Critics also said the moves sowed the seeds of the rise of developers’ influence and sky-high property prices in the following years.

Ip said Suen should not be blamed for the negative effects of the measures on land and housing development, adding they were a decision from “the highest level in the government” and that his role was to implement them.
“It was also the collective decision of the government after he was posted out of the land and housing area to keep these measures in place for a decade,” she added.

Ip said Suen played an important role in post-handover Hong Kong.
“Before reunification, he served as the director of the office of chief executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa. He also helped then chief executive Donald Tsang [Yam-kuen] to expand the political accountability system to create undersecretary and political assistant posts in 2007,” Ip said.
Exco member Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung said Suen made great contributions to the smooth running of the handover and the set-up of the SAR government.
“He was very familiar with the colonial government’s administration and had good relationships with different people such as those in business and political circles,” he recalled.
“So when he served as the director of chief executive-designate Tung’s office, he gave a lot of policy and governance advice to Tung, successfully helping to restore civil service stability.”

Lam described Suen as a “bomb disposal expert” who was good at resolving tricky problems or policy blunders with his dexterous way of dealing with people.
“He was the person the government always turned to whenever there were thorny issues to tackle,” he said.
Former civil service minister Joseph Wong Wing-ping praised Suen as “a public servant of integrity and a problem solver”.
“Michael was my boss when he was secretary for home affairs and I was the director of the Home Affairs Department in 1993-94. I regard him as one of my mentors in the civil service,” he said.
Suen was battling kidney failure in 2011 and was undergoing dialysis. He also contracted Legionnaires’ disease through water contamination at the Admiralty government complex in the same year.
Then in March 2012, he broke his arm when he fell at home. Days later, he returned to hospital for hernia surgery.


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Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong’s Michael Suen, who unveiled policy to stop post-handover housing crisis, dies at 80

Queen Elizabeth II (left) and Michael Suen (right) during a visit to Sha Tin Recreation Ground. Photo: SCMP

(From left) Donald Tsang, Tung Chee-hwa, then Airport Authority chairman Wong Po-yan and Michael Suen raise a glass at a dinner in 1998 to mark the new airport’s completion. Photo: Dickson Lee

Michael Suen receives a CBE from Chris Patten, the last colonial governor, at a ceremony in 1994. Photo: Martin Chan

Michael Suen had suffered from various illnesses for years. Photo: Edmond So

Michael Suen on a visit to Sha Tin Valley back in 1977. Photo: SCMP

Michael Suen, as education secretary, visits a class at Shenzhen Oriental English College with then Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau director Zhang Baoquan in 2009. Photo: Handout

Michael Suen with singer Joey Yung at an event in 2000 to promote legislative elections. Photo: SCMP

Hong Kong housing: John Lee vows not to ‘target’ property prices, acknowledges conflicting interests of current, potential homeowners

Chief Executive John Lee rolled back some property market curbs in his latest policy address. Photo: Sam Tsang

John Lee says he will consider adjusting cooling measures announced in his policy address based on market conditions. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong’s John Lee ‘concerned’ by public housing supply as officials review licence renewal bid by contractor involved in spate of fatal accidents

Aggressive Construction Company has  come under the spotlight after a spate of industrial accidents. Photo: SCMP



John Lee has asked the housing minister to assess the potential impact on projects involving Aggressive Construction Company. Photo: SCMP

Aggressive Construction Company is in charge of four public housing projects located in Shek Kip Mei, Tai Po, Tuen Mun and Tung Chung. Photo: SCMP

News

Hong Kong

Politics

Former senior government official died in his sleep after suffering from various illnesses for years, sources say


Former senior government official died in his sleep after suffering from various illnesses for years, sources say.
