"21-SEP-1993 13:01
G.1.5.
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+ 852 845 9078 P.007/009
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Is it not more than a coincidence that two leading local officers, John Chan and K Y Yeung, have recently resigned? Surely this must indicate that senior local officers do not have confidence in the Administration?
John Chan and K Y Yeung have made their own decisions. Neither has
has indicated that this reflects a lack of confidence in the Administration. It is not unusual for senior officers in any civil service wish to broaden their experience by taking up challenging jobs in the private sector.
We now have a situation in which Barrie Wiggham and Sir David Ford will be staying on beyond their normal retirement ages, while John Chan and K Y Yeung have left early. How can the Government possibly convince the public that it is serious about localisation?
Each case is unique. It is wrong to draw any general conclusions. We remain confident that we have the
strength in depth to localise satisfactorily at the "Principal Official" level. Both Barrie Wiggham and Sir David Ford are very well qualified for their new jobs and it makes sense to use them in these roles.
Why wait until next February for Michael Sze to take over as SCS? Surely the Civil Service is in turmoil and needs leadership? Does the timing reflect likely progress on the constitutional talks?
The timing has been set for operational personnel planning reasons and it would be a mistake to read too much into it. Although there will be a time lag before Michael Sze arrives in CSB you can be sure that Mrs Chan, as the former SCS, will keep
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