Winnie Ho has resigned as Hong Kong’s housing secretary over the Wang Fuk Court fire, which killed 168 people. She offered her resignation on October 28, and Chief Executive John Lee accepted it the next day, when an independent committee’s report on the fire was made public.
Lee said Ho had committed no personal wrongdoing in connection with the fire, but should take political responsibility because Wang Fuk Court fell within the remit of the Housing Department’s Independent Checking Unit, which is under the Housing Bureau. At a press conference, Lee and seven other officials bowed and apologised to victims and the public on behalf of the government.
Ho stopped performing her duties on October 29, and Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong took on the role of acting housing secretary. Lee said he had separately asked the central government to remove Ho formally from the post.
Ho had also been assigned to work with Wong on long-term housing arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents. Commercial Radio reported that more than 90 per cent of owners had signed sale agreements.
Lee said the committee’s report identified shortcomings in four bodies: the Housing Department’s Independent Checking Unit, the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department and the Labour Department. He said an inquiry into individual responsibility and possible breaches of departmental or civil-service rules would be referred to the Public Service Commission, with completion targeted within three months. The commission is to recommend disciplinary or administrative action where warranted.
Lee said criminal investigations and departmental prosecutions were also under way, separately from the civil-service inquiry. His proposed building-safety reforms include making bid-rigging in maintenance work a criminal offence, reforming the Independent Checking Unit and creating a system for departments to share information on building safety and enforcement.