Editorial | Spending by former Hong Kong leaders begs scrutiny
- As taxpayers are left with ballooning bills for offices, ex-chief executives must be reminded to act conscientiously and responsibly with money
Every dollar spent by the government is subject to public scrutiny, even more so in times of a sagging economy and ballooning budget deficits. Office spending by ex-chief executives is a case in point.
As former heads of the administration, they are expected to spend just as conscientiously and responsibly as when they were at the helm.
The ongoing vetting of the government budget is an opportunity for lawmakers to review public spending, and it has been revealed that total expenses at the offices of the four former chief executives surged from HK$12.63 million (US$1.6 million) in 2021-22 to HK$17.85 million in 2022-23. It further spiralled to HK$20.99 million in the last financial year and is forecast to reach HK$22.07 million in the coming year, according to the Administration Wing that oversees the budget.
Of particular concern is last year’s HK$9.17 million bill for running the office of Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. She is the only former leader with her office at prime commercial premises, because the original site at a historic building on Kennedy Road, Mid-Levels, is said to be fully utilised by her predecessors Tung Chee-hwa, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Leung Chun-ying.
Recurrent expenses for Lam’s 2,874 sq ft office at Pacific Place rose 31 per cent from HK$6.95 million in 2022-23, after rent and related expenses climbed from HK$4.43 million to HK$5.67 million. Total costs of her office accounted for 44 per cent of spending for all four offices.
