UMELCO
CONFIDENTIAL
1. The two crucial Unofficial appointments to ExCo and LegCo are the senior Unofficials. Although these positions have no constitutional
2.
status, they carry considerable authority: the senior Unofficial member of ExCo is de facto head of UMELCO and is therefore very influential in putting together UMELCO policy; his LegCo colleague tends, by chairing meetings of LegCo Unofficials, to set the tone for LegCo.
Neither of the present incumbents compares favourably with his predecessor. Sir S Y Chung, for all his industry, lacks Sir Y K Kan's wisdom and Sir Sidney Gordon's advice and guidance. But he is the best Hong Kong has got and will have to remain 'en place' until either Dr Fang and T S Lo are ready to take on the mantle (this is assuming of course that the senior Unofficial member of ExCo should continue always to be a
Chinese).
3. Mr Cheung, alas, has been a disaster, having the respect of neither his official or, more importantly, his unofficial colleagues. He is lazy, short tempered and much more interested in his hobbies racing,
food and wine, than his ExCo/LegCo work. Unlike Sir S Y Chung he does
not do his homework properly and is a very poor chairman of meetings. His term of office expires in August and he will not be reappointed to LegCo. It should also be noted that he should never be appointed senior
Unofficial member of ExCo. This means he must retire from ExCo at the
same time as, or preferably before, Sir S Y Chung.
4. The possible successors to Mr Cheung as senior Unofficial in LegCo
are Roger Lobo, Li Fook-wo and Harry Fang. I was told that the Governor has already picked Roger Lobo for the job. Although I do not believe
myself that he is the best man for it, my main concern is that the decision should be made, confirmed and announced soon. Hong Kong
thrives on rumour and it is already well known that Mr Cheung is retiring this year. There must also be concern lest the person chosen by the Governor declines the appointment as Q W Lee did in 1978. (a) Roger Lobo Very experienced having served on the Urban Council for 13 years, LegCo for 9 years and ExCo for 3 years. He is 58 years old
and an importer/exporter. He is particularly interested in housing,
having been a member of the Housing Authority since 1965. He tends to
identify with the middle class but not British, Chinese or minority
national groups in particular although he is seen as a leading light
among the now very small Portuguese community. Against all this Mr Lobo
-
CONFIDENTIAL
/is
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.