Michael Hanson

Michael "Mike" Hanson (born c. 1930s–1940s, Chinese: 韓新) is a Hong Kong press secretary, mostly remembered as the spin doctor[1] and the head of Governor Chris Patten's war room from 1992 to 1994. He was responsible for promoting Patten's controversial 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform, which became a political storm that eventually hampered a smooth handover of Hong Kong to China. Hanson is also remembered by the public and the media for being the first official to introduce political PR into the government [1][2] and for being the government's refugee co-ordinator of Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong.[3]

Hanson was the head of political public relations[note 1] of the British Hong Kong government (1991 - October 1994).[5] In addition, he took the role as the personal press secretary of Chris Patten (1992 - October 1994), the last Governor of British Hong Kong.

Early career in British civil service

Hanson born in a working-class background of a northern English coal-mining family.[5] Hanson joined Her Majesty's Civil Service in 1974 serving in HM Customs and Excise, the parliamentary commissioner's office and on secondment, via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the British Hong Kong Government. He was sent to Hong Kong from the 1980s to the 1990s. After returning to the UK Hanson became director general, benefits and credits at HM Revenue & Customs.[6]

Political PR in Hong Kong government

In British Hong Kong, Hanson held the roles of head of government property agency, refugee co-ordinator (handling the Vietnamese boat people between 1989 – 1991),[7] information co-ordinator (1991 - October 1994) and personal press secretary (July 1992 - October 1994) of Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong.[5]

His posting to information co-ordinator came in the wake of September 1991 Hong Kong legislative election, the first ever direct election held. The British Hong Kong government recognized a political PR is needed to respond to the new heavily-mandated Legislative Council.[5] During his tenure, the Information Co-ordinator's Office developed a firm grip of the Secretariat Press Office, a division of the Government Information Services (GIS) responsible for press statements.[5] The GIS is traditionally a neutral bureaucratic news service. Hanson's political PR approach of handling governor's publicity is first of its kind in Hong Kong, though reflected well in public, it created a tension with GIS, headed by career bureaucrat Irene Yau Lee Che-yun.[5][8] His revolutionized approach of bringing political PR into his position[note 1] set a precedent. After handover of Hong Kong to China, Hong Kong mayors kept it as a permanent political PR position.[1][2]

1994 electoral reform

When Chris Patten took governorship in July 1992, Hanson became his personal press secretary in addition to his role as the information co-ordinator. He is described as the spin doctor and the head of war room[1] for promoting Chris Patten's his flagship and controversial 1994 Hong Kong electoral reform, which was welcomed by pro-democracy legislators while heavily criticized by the diplomat-sinologists of the U.K. Foreign Office and the Hong Kong pro-Beijing camp (politicians, tycoons and media) for breaching the Seven Hurd-Qian letters between the two nations' foreign ministers in 1990 and derailing the handover of Hong Kong to China set in 1997.[9][5][10] In the end, he secured a narrow passage of the bill after surviving Allen Lee's hostile amendment by one vote, 29 to 28 votes. He left both roles in October 1994, with Kevin McGlynn being his successor.[11]

Hanson is also involved in the launching of Eastern Express newspaper in 1994, which has been suggested as leaning to Conservative Party.[12]

After leaving civil service

Notes

  1. ^ a b The position is officially known as "Information Co-ordinator" (in Chinese, formerly known as 資訊統籌專員, later known as 新聞統籌專員).[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d 蔡子強 (2005-10-14). "師承彭定康超越彭定康———曾蔭權的政治藍圖". Ming Pao. p. A34 (column "精裝君王論"). 筆者詢問曾蔭權新設的新聞統籌專員，是D8還是D4級？是由AO [Administrative Officer] 出任還是外聘？是以往董建華年代的林瑞麟，還是彭定康年代的韓新(Mike Hanson)那種角色？[...]他要的不是一個能夠協調各部門新聞資訊發布、如林瑞麟的新聞大員，而是一個像當年韓新的「心戰室」[war room]主管，一個spindoctor.
  2. ^ a b c 王俞 (2013-10-20). "政治解碼：公關專員 公關災難". Oriental Daily News.
  3. ^ Davis, Leonard (1991). Hong Kong and the Asylum-Seekers from Vietnam. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-349-21703-8. Retrieved 2020-11-29. The book's index notes: Hanson, M., 36, 46, 53-5, 61, 65, 76, 161, 164, 167, 168, 174, 201, 202, 211, 217, 218, 219, 220, 223, 224
  4. ^ 沙半山 (2020-09-03). "沙半山手記〡林鄭問責團隊「常秘化」積弱 添馬艦缺了3人常炒車". hk01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Gittings, Danny (1994-10-30). "I've trodden on a lot of toes". South China Morning Post.
  6. ^ Departmental Report 2008 Archived 2020-11-24 at the Wayback Machine HM Revenue & Customs.
  7. ^ Michael Hanson Archived 2014-08-28 at the Wayback Machine Mace Group.
  8. ^ "GIS Through the Years. Chapter 25: Gearing for the New Millenium". Government Information Services, Hong Kong.
  9. ^ Jonathan Dimbleby (director and presenter) (2007-06-24). The Last Governor. Episodes 1-5. BBC Parliament (TV documentary). Later the documentary is compiled into a book, Dimbleby, Jonathan (2018). The Last Governor: Chris Patten and the Handover of Hong Kong. Pen and Sword History.
  10. ^ Patten, Chris (1998). East and West. Macmillan. p. 65. The seven Hurd-Qian letters, in telegram form, principally concerned the number of directly elected seats in the legislature.
  11. ^ "Kerry McGlynn: Working with Chris Patten was the best experience of my life". Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong. 2017-05-27.
  12. ^ "Heading for Stangulation". The Correspondent magazine. November 1994. Reprinted as "The rise and fall of Hong Kong's Eastern Express newspaper". Official website of Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong. February 17, 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b Eleventh Report 2009-2010 Archived 2012-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, page 28