The approval ratings of Hong Kong’s newly appointed Home Affairs Secretary have been less than promising, while the Chief Executive’s continue to drop.
The latest results by the University of Hong Kong’s Public Opinion Programme (HKUPOP) registered Lau Kong-wah’s net popularity ratings at -19 percent. This is the first time that Lau, who was previously under secretary for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, was featured in the survey on the government officials’ popularity ratings.
Leung’s approval rating dropped to 39.2 marks, more than five marks below the 45 threshold. The threshold is used as a credibility crisis indicator.
HKUPOP’s latest survey shows that Leung’s approval rate now stands at 21 percent and his disapproval rating now stands at 60 percent, giving him a net popularity of -39 percent.
Other key government officials to suffer dips in popularity include the Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim and Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po who all registered net popularity ratings of -21 and -31 percent respectively.
The recent lead water pipe scandal however did little to dent the popularity ratings of Food and Health Secretary Ko Wing-man, who continues to be the most popular government official with a net approval rating of 67 percent.
Financial Secretary John Tsang had a net approval rating of 49 percent, while the Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen had a net popularity rating of 9 percent.
