Michael Rowse
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" John Treloar Rowse is a Hong Kong public figure. A naturalised citizen of the People's Republic of China, Rowse was the Director-General of InvestHK
, a department of the Hong Kong Government
.
Rowse is one of the few foreign-born civil servants in the post-handover Hong Kong Government. He is best known for having negotiated the Hong Kong Disneyland
deal on behalf of the government in November 1999 in which the government became the park's largest shareholder; he thus received the nickname "Mickey Rowse", an allusion to the Disney character
. Rowse then set up InvestHK
, and was appointed its Director General on 1 July 2000. As head of the agency, he became involved in Harbour Fest
, an event to promote Hong Kong in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak in 2003 which became the centre of a political scandal.
at the time, Rowse set off over land in August 1971, and arrived in Hong Kong in 1972. He recounts in an interview with HK Online that upon his arrival, he lived in 36 square feet (3.3 m²) room in an apartment shared with three Indonesian-Chinese families.
He worked as a reporter for The Star
for 16 months, covering corruption and crime, and in 1974, joined the Hong Kong ICAC
, where he worked in both the Operations and Corruption Prevention Departments. Taking the decision to stay permanently in Hong Kong, he settled down, married; in 1980, he joined the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer. Rowse was made the first Director of the Financial Secretary’s Office, a post he occupied from 1997–2000 under then Financial Secretary
, Donald Tsang. From 1999–2000, he was the first Commissioner for Tourism.
In November 1999, Rowse negotiated the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
deal on behalf of the government in which the government became the park's largest shareholder; he then set up InvestHK
, and was appointed its Director General on 1 July 2000. As head of the agency, he became involved in HarbourFest, an event to promote Hong Kong in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak in 2003 which became a political scandal.
In the aftermath, Rowse was held responsible for failing to ensure that InvestHK critically examine the HarbourFest budget, and fully and adequately advise the working group on the finances. Consequently, he was fined one month's salary in October 2005. Legislator Cheung Man Kwong
criticised the government for making Rowse a scapegoat for ministerial failure. Columnist Jake van der Kamp felt that Rowse had been let down by Donald Tsang, whose responsibility as Chief Secretary it ultimately was to oversee the Harbour Fest expenditure.
. He further ruled that Donald Tsang had acted outside his powers in deciding to delegate his decision under the administration order to the Chief Secretary. The government allowed its right to appeal the decision to lapse on 12 September 2008, but said that the case would not affect the civil service disciplinary system as a whole.
Rowse said that the trials to clear his name cost him HK$3 million.
Rowse divorced from his first wife, with whom he had two sons, now adult. He is married to Fanny Wong, a former journalist now a communications consultant. The couple have one daughter and one son.
Rowse received the PRWeek 'Communicator of the Year Award' in November 2001.
In May 2010, Rowse became a search director at recruitment specialist, Stanton Chase International, after receiving CSB clearance.
InvestHK
Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong SAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. The department provides free advice and customised services to help businesses succeed in the...
, a department of the Hong Kong Government
Government departments and agencies in Hong Kong
This is a list government agencies of the Hong Kong Government.The policies of the government are formulated decided by the bureaux led by secretaries and permanent secretaries are discussed in the Executive Council and implemented by the departments and agencies...
.
Rowse is one of the few foreign-born civil servants in the post-handover Hong Kong Government. He is best known for having negotiated the Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
deal on behalf of the government in November 1999 in which the government became the park's largest shareholder; he thus received the nickname "Mickey Rowse", an allusion to the Disney character
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
. Rowse then set up InvestHK
InvestHK
Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong SAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. The department provides free advice and customised services to help businesses succeed in the...
, and was appointed its Director General on 1 July 2000. As head of the agency, he became involved in Harbour Fest
Harbour Fest
The Hong Kong Harbour Fest , held from 17 October to 11 November 2003, was part of a HK$1 billion program to revive the economy of Hong Kong SAR after the SARS. It was a government underwritten event organised by InvestHK, under the auspices of the Economic Relaunch Working Group, in collaboration...
, an event to promote Hong Kong in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak in 2003 which became the centre of a political scandal.
Career
Rowse was born to a lower-class family in England. He and a friend developed plans to travel the world; his friend backed out. At the age of 23, and living in IsleworthIsleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
at the time, Rowse set off over land in August 1971, and arrived in Hong Kong in 1972. He recounts in an interview with HK Online that upon his arrival, he lived in 36 square feet (3.3 m²) room in an apartment shared with three Indonesian-Chinese families.
He worked as a reporter for The Star
The Star (Hong Kong)
The Star was Hong Kong's first tabloid newspaper, founded in 1965 and closed down in 1984. It was founded by Graham Jenkins, an Australian journalist, who was the newspaper's editor until 1979. After the 1967 riots, Graham decided to add a Chinese language edition. The newspaper was printed and...
for 16 months, covering corruption and crime, and in 1974, joined the Hong Kong ICAC
Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong)
The Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong was established by Governor Murray MacLehose on 15 February 1974, when Hong Kong was under British rule. Its main aim was to clean up endemic corruption in the many departments of the Hong Kong Government through law enforcement,...
, where he worked in both the Operations and Corruption Prevention Departments. Taking the decision to stay permanently in Hong Kong, he settled down, married; in 1980, he joined the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer. Rowse was made the first Director of the Financial Secretary’s Office, a post he occupied from 1997–2000 under then Financial Secretary
Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)
Financial Secretary , often abbreviated as FS, is a position of the Government of Hong Kong. The FS assists the Chief Executive in supervising the policy bureaux as directed by the CE, mostly finance and economy-related, and plays a key role in ensuring harmonisation in policy formulation and...
, Donald Tsang. From 1999–2000, he was the first Commissioner for Tourism.
In November 1999, Rowse negotiated the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built by the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the northeastern tip of Lantau Island, approximately two kilometres from Discovery Bay...
deal on behalf of the government in which the government became the park's largest shareholder; he then set up InvestHK
InvestHK
Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong SAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. The department provides free advice and customised services to help businesses succeed in the...
, and was appointed its Director General on 1 July 2000. As head of the agency, he became involved in HarbourFest, an event to promote Hong Kong in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak in 2003 which became a political scandal.
Harbour Fest controversy
The Harbour Fest was a Government underwritten event in late 2003 as part of a HK$1 billion program to revive the economy after SARS. It organised by InvestHK in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce.In the aftermath, Rowse was held responsible for failing to ensure that InvestHK critically examine the HarbourFest budget, and fully and adequately advise the working group on the finances. Consequently, he was fined one month's salary in October 2005. Legislator Cheung Man Kwong
Cheung Man Kwong
Cheung Man Kwong , born 15 September 1954 in Hong Kong with family roots in Taishan, Guangdong) is a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council representing the Education functional constituency. He is a member of Hong Kong Democratic Party and chairman of Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union...
criticised the government for making Rowse a scapegoat for ministerial failure. Columnist Jake van der Kamp felt that Rowse had been let down by Donald Tsang, whose responsibility as Chief Secretary it ultimately was to oversee the Harbour Fest expenditure.
Court ruling
In July 2008, Rowse has won his judicial review against the government’s decision to fine him HK$156,000 for his role in organising Harbour Fest. The judge found there to have been a breach of the rule of fairness: as the threshold of the burden of proof was not sufficiently high, the committee's findings should not have been relied on by the Secretary for the civil serviceSecretary for the Civil Service
The Secretary for the Civil Service is the head of the Civil Service Bureau in Hong Kong. Unlike other secretaries for bureaux, the Secretary for the Civil Service is filled by an administrative officer from the civil service, who may choose to return to the civil service when his term expires...
. He further ruled that Donald Tsang had acted outside his powers in deciding to delegate his decision under the administration order to the Chief Secretary. The government allowed its right to appeal the decision to lapse on 12 September 2008, but said that the case would not affect the civil service disciplinary system as a whole.
Rowse said that the trials to clear his name cost him HK$3 million.
Book
In December 2008, Rowse declared that he would in due course publish his own account of the events surrounding the débâcle. In November 2009, Rowse released the book, entitled "No Minister and No, Minister: The True Story of HarbourFest ", in which he was highly critical of Henry Tang's silence over the "inappropriate assignment" of an entertainment event to the investment promotion agency (InvestHK) and for shirking his political responsibility. The Civil Service Bureau wrote to Rowse a few days before the due publication date to reminding him, as a retired directorate-level official, of civil service rules governing potential conflicts of interest, which require its approval for outside work, including book publishing during a set period. In his personal website, Rowse said the book was "not written with the intention of absolving myself of any blame for the problems that arose, nor to point the finger at others. Rather, I have sought to set out what I did and didn’t do, and why."Personal
After the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, Rowse, who was already a Hong Kong permanent resident, decided to stay and continue to work as a civil servant. In August 2001, Rowse was the first non-Chinese civil servant to become a naturalised citizen of the People's Republic of China – a requirement under the Basic Law.Rowse divorced from his first wife, with whom he had two sons, now adult. He is married to Fanny Wong, a former journalist now a communications consultant. The couple have one daughter and one son.
Rowse received the PRWeek 'Communicator of the Year Award' in November 2001.
In May 2010, Rowse became a search director at recruitment specialist, Stanton Chase International, after receiving CSB clearance.