Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, GBS, JP (born 17 November 1952) is a Hong Kong politician and academic. He was the Secretary for Transport and Housing from 2012 to 2017 and 5th President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). He was one of the few government officials coming from a pro-democracy background. Cheung was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Election Committee constituency) and a vice-chairman of the Democratic Party. He founded SynergyNet, a policy think tank, after he quit the Democratic party in 2004 and provides public comment on policy issues. He was also professor of Public and Social Administration in City University of Hong Kong. In 2011, he called for a separate regulatory code for the emerging class of political assistants and policy advisers, who are between civil servants and executive officials.

Education

Cheung is a graduate of Royal West Academy, a boys' Roman Catholic government school in Montreal. He has a PhD in Government from the London School of Economics (1995), an MSc in Public Sector Management from Aston University (1984) and a BSocSc in Sociology and Economics from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) (1974). He was in the same cohort with Yeung Sum, another leading figure of Meeting Point and later Democratic Party. In 1992, Cheung was originally appointed as one of the Hong Kong Affairs Advisors by Beijing, but was withdrawn after his announcement of formation of Democratic Party together with United Democrats of Hong Kong in 1994.

Career

Cheung joined Hong Kong Government after graduating from HKU. He worked in the Government Secretariat and Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). He was later the Chairman of Consumer Council from 2007 to 2012.

Political activities

Cheung joined Meeting Point, a moderate pro-democratic party. He became Chairman from 1989 to 1994. After the merging of United Democrats of Hong Kong and Meeting Point, Cheung was the Vice-Chairman until 2004, when he resigned after a series of internal conflicts between him and the more radical Young Turks (少壯派). In 2002, he and Andrew Fung co-founded SynergyNet (新力量網絡), a policy think tank. In July 2022, Cheung said that people from Hong Kong should be realistic and not make universal suffrage a main priority.

Research

Cheung joined City Polytechnic of Hong Kong (now City University of Hong Kong) in 1986. He specializes in Hong Kong politics, especially on civil service and public administration. He describes the narrative of administrative efficiency proposed by the colonial government as the effort to re-establish legitimacy and power amid the growing assertiveness of China and increasing influence of political parties, as the move diverts political pressure to respective departments. He argues that post-Handover Hong Kong government should change its mindset and pay more attention to public opinion. Instead of following the colonial approach of administrative absorption of politics (a term coined by Ambrose King), leaders and administrators should develop creative and effective strategies to respond to influential business sector, vocal political parties and an assertive China. As the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Cheung wrote in 2013 that the polarization and fragmentation of Hong Kong society is harmful and destructive to its political and economic well-being. He called for better coordination with the legislature, more attention to responsiveness and representation as well as "stronger social policy emphasis in public administration."

Works

Books Articles