Incoming chief executive Leung Chun-ying will float policies to spur the economy and ease people's hardships in his first 100 days in office, rather than waiting until his October policy address, he vowed yesterday.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, he said some of his initiatives would take immediate effect, and cited as priorities better housing for young people and care for the elderly. He implied he would waste no time tackling burning issues and the plight of those in need.
Leung said his administration would find social and economic investments to make better use of the government's HK$669 billion fiscal reserve, such as addressing the problem of the ageing population and promoting growth sectors of the economy.
Expressing concern about the depth of the crisis unfolding in Europe, Leung said global economic problems were among the priorities in discussions between his team and the outgoing administration.
Yet his immediate challenge was to secure the passage of his government restructuring plan through the Legislative Council, he said. He is facing attempts by pan-democrats to block the revamp. People Power lawmakers plan to delay it by tabling 1,000 motions for discussion in Legco's finance committee.
Leung said he was 'cautiously optimistic' that his proposal would pass before he formally takes office on July 1. 'I don't have a Plan B. We are still trying our best,' Leung said. But failure to get it passed in time would not paralyse the government. 'The sky won't fall, but we will lose our competitive edge.'