Marine Director to save the day; New names in Lotteries Fund Advisory Committee.
The AO ‘spiderman’ is back on-shore.
With great power comes great responsibility – at least this was what the government was expecting when it appointed Michael Wong Wai-lun (黃偉綸), Administrative Officer and current Director of Marine, as the Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands).
In February 2014, Wong was tapped as the Marine Department chief to coordinate internal investigations in the wake of the 2012 Lamma ferry tragedy and commissioned to lead reformation of the tarnished department. One questions what could have been accomplished in a mere 19 months, and how much his successor (see below) will have to do to finish the job.
This difficult task may have toughened him up – perhaps enough to deal with challenging and controversial issues in his new portfolio such as the Northeast New Territories Development Plan. As the Town Planning Board chairman he will also get involved in the Third Runway project and the Avenue of Stars expansion proposal. He will certainly get his hands sticky.
Wong joined the administration in 1985 and served in various bureaux and departments, including former City and New Territories Administration, the former Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, the former Legal Department, the Central Policy Unit, the former Trade and Industry Branch, the former Business and Services Promotion Unit, the former Economic Services Bureau, the Security Bureau and the former Economic Development and Labour Bureau. He was the undersecretary for education between 2007 and 2009 and Director of Information Services from 2009 to 2014.
Maisie Cheng Mei-sze (鄭美施), Director of Government Logistics, will replace Wong as the Marine chief while Land Registrar Mary Chow Shuk-ching (周淑貞) will succeed Cheng.
Two new members join the Lotteries Fund Advisory Committee.
The Government appointed two new members and reappointed eight incumbent members to the Lotteries Fund Advisory Committee for a term of two years with effect from September 1.
The two new members are Lilian Law Suk-kwan (羅淑君) and Peggy Lee Pik-yee (李碧儀).
Law is the Executive Director of the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong and member of the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund Committee, the Family Council and the Council for Sustainable Development.
Lee, meanwhile, is an independent Wan Chai District Councillor and member of the Appeal Tribunal Panel (Buildings), the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education. She once worked as an assistant in Rita Fan’s Wan Chai District office.
The Committee is chaired by the Director of Social Welfare and is tasked to advise on applications from welfare organisations for allocations from the Lotteries Fund and on fundraising issues.
