The public continues to pour cold water on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's maiden policy address, as the latest poll reveals that 45 per cent of Hong Kong people are dissatisfied - making it one of the worst received policy addresses since the handover.
Leung's attempt to focus on the housing problem also drew heavy criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum in the debate on the traditional motion of thanks yesterday.
The latest survey, conducted by the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong between January 22 and 24, was the third and last of the series recording public reactions on the policy address.
More than 500 people were interviewed. The result showed that the rating of the policy address has plunged further to 43.8 points. When it was delivered on January 16, its rating stood at 56.4 points. It soon fell to 48.2 points in another poll conducted in the next two days.
Only 22 per cent of the respondents were satisfied with the policy address and 45 per cent felt differently. Such a dissatisfaction rate is on par with former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's worst received policy address in 2009, which came under fire for a potential conflict of interest arising from his energy-saving light bulb initiative.
Pollster Robert Chung Ting-yiu said "after many rounds of discussion, the positive effect of the address has vanished, and Leung's administration may have to face the problems of a weak government again".
