Beijing's disciplined approach to reshuffle

The reshuffle of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's ruling team was broader than anticipated.

Contrary to expectations, controversial figures like Security Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu and Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah were safe.

Instead, a group largely invisible to the public during the anti-government protests were either sacked or moved elsewhere.

Clearly, Beijing has no wish to be viewed as being weak, especially at a time of high geopolitical tension.

This could be just the beginning. Will the Executive Council be in line for an overhaul? After all, non-official members had mostly maintained a low-profile during the anti-government protests.

The reshuffle had been expected for some time but was probably deferred by coronavirus outbreaks in the mainland and Hong Kong. With the pandemic having stabilized in China, decision makers seized the opportunity to make changes.

The reshuffle was unlikely related to strong statements on the SAR made at the weekend by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the Central Government Liaison Office, in which both agencies asserted direct authority over the SAR and insisted they were not bound by Article 22 of the Basic Law.

Logically, it would take more than a few days to finalize such a major reshuffle. So Lam was stating the obvious when she denied having anything to do with the embarrassing fiasco involving confusing government press statements first affirming the Liaison Office's need to comply with Article 22 and then retracting it.

That being said, Beijing's forceful assertion of authority has had an indirect effect. As far as outgoing Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Secretary Patrick Nip Tak-kuen was concerned, his conflicting statements on the liaison office may have well been the last straw on the camel's back.

To put things into perspective, the debate over the roles of the two agencies was merely academic.

In realpolitik, the power to have the final say rests with Beijing. So people protested outside Xinhua before the handover and in front of the Liaison Office after 1997 because they knew that was where the political power was delegated.

Relative to Nip's removal to take up another cabinet post, the dismissal of Home Affairs Secretary Lau Kong-wah, Innovation and Technology Secretary Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung and Financial Services and the Treasury Secretary James Lau Yee-cheung were less eye-catching.

The succession of Immigration Director Erick Tsang Kwok-wai to Nip's role overshadowed the other promotions.

In view of his performance during the pandemic, Tsang had been tipped to take over from John Lee, a former police officer, to become the security chief.

Together with Lee, Beijing has now got two men from the disciplined services in Lam's cabinet, which is unprecedented.

Disciplined services and administrative officers are two manpower streams in the government, with the former emphasizing obedience and the latter looking after public governance according to long-standing civil service principles.

Beijing is experimenting a new approach - and this is just the beginning.