A new Hong Kong health minister was appointed Friday after Beijing's procrastination led to an embarrassing 24-hour delay in the announcement. York Chow was due to be presented as Hong Kong's new health minister Thursday evening, replacing Yeoh Eng-kiong who quit over criticism of his handling of the SARS crisis. But less than an hour before Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa was due to unveil Chow at a press conference, the event was scrapped because the anticipated Beijing approval had not come through. In a clear sign that political decision-making in Hong Kong is heavily dependent on China's approval, the event was put on hold until Friday evening when consent from Beijing was finally given. The hold-up was particularly embarrassing for Beijing-appointed Tung, who is widely unpopular and has a reputation for his inability to make a decision without first consulting China. Officials in the Chinese capital are believed to have questioned Chow's possession of an Australian passport which he has since given up. Hong Kong ministers are not allowed to hold foreign passports. Chow's predecessor, Yeoh, quit earlier this year after being heavily criticized for his handling of last year's SARS crisis, which killed 299 and infected 1,755 Hong Kong people. In his acceptance speech, Chow described his job as a "huge responsibility" and pledged to help the underprivileged, the elderly and the disabled. Hong Kong was returned to Chinese sovereignty by Britain in 1997 under a "one country two systems" arrangement that guarantees it limited political autonomy and freedoms of speech and expression.
