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‘Gross mismanagement’ by Hong Kong’s four chief executives led to present city woes, author and ex-colonial policy adviser Leo Goodstadt saysEconomist blasts city’s post-1997 leaders in new book, calling Tung Chee-hwa ‘a failure’, Donald Tsang business-minded, Leung Chun-ying ‘miscalculating’ and Carrie Lam unimpressive
The “gross mismanagement” of Hong Kong by the city’s four chief executives to date has resulted in the current problems faced by residents – from the housing shortage to a flawed education system and political uncertainty – according to a former chief policy adviser to the last two colonial governors.
The scathing comments by economist Leo Goodstadt are reflected in his new book, titled A City Mismanaged: Hong Kong’s Struggle For Survival .
The author argues the city’s post-1997 leaders emulated private sector models in public administration and imposed unnecessarily tight control over the provision of public services.
Goodstadt came to Hong Kong in 1962 and served as the first head of the government-appointed Central Policy Unit from 1989 to 1997. He told the Post in a recent interview: “Gross mismanagement in government is not caused by Hong Kong’s political system but by the incompetent performance of the individual power holders.”
The mismanagement, Goodstadt said, had led to current woes in the city, such as the housing shortage, overcrowding in public hospitals and ineffective handling of relations with the central government.
Goodstadt, in the interview, questioned the political skills of current leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and said her administrative performance was unimpressive, with her insistence on the profit-driven business model of governance.
In his book, Goodstadt said Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong’s first chief executive, was “a failure” and “just an entrepreneur” lacking political talent, while his successor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen damaged good governance by overly committing to business interests.
According to Goodstadt, the two leaders were responsible for shrinking public housing programmes and liquidating the Housing Authority’s land bank to make way for private developers.
Third chief executive Leung Chun-ying had a “serious mistrust of a large proportion of the population” while he “miscalculated” his credentials and connections for building diplomacy with mainland Chinese officials, Goodstadt said.
Only Tsang responded to inquiries from the Post over Goodstadt’s comments. “I have much respect for Mr Goodstadt as an old friend of Hong Kong, and he is entitled to his views on how it might be better managed,” Tsang said.
The people of Hong Kong seem to be warning those in power
Leo Goodstadt, author
Goodstadt claimed “the people of Hong Kong seem to be warning those in power that the problems of daily life have become so severe that families can no longer rely on their own resources to survive”.
By the end of 2017, the Hong Kong government held a fiscal reserve exceeding HK$1.7 trillion (US$216.6 billion), official data showed.