New cabinet members will broaden opinion in Hong Kong’s Executive Council, Leung Chun-ying says

City’s leader dismisses suggestion that appointment of Tommy Cheung and Martin Liao lays groundwork for a re-election bid

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It’s not about me, it’s about society, CY Leung said. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 4:41pm, 26 Nov 2016Updated: 12:25am, 27 Nov 2016

Hong Kong’s top official said he added two more pro-establishment lawmakers into his cabinet to gauge “opinion from more parties” before making policy decisions, dismissing suggestions that he had appointed the pair to lay the groundwork for seeking a second term as chief executive.

Leung Chun-ying was speaking a day after naming Liberal Party chairman Tommy Cheung Yu-yan and Martin Liao Cheung-kong, convenor of the Legislative Council’s pro-establishment camp, as executive councillors.

Analysts interpreted the move as an attempt by Leung to improve relations with the legislature and show Beijing he can forge a working alliance with a fractured pro-establishment camp, including those who have been openly hostile towards him.

Yet, asked if he appointed the pair to consolidate his political support base ahead of the city’s leadership race next month, Leung said: “It’s not about me, it’s about society. We hope that in Exco’s weekly meetings, we can have more opinion from different groups, so that we, and myself as the chief executive, can do a good job in decision-making.

“In the future, we could invite even more friends from the pro-establishment and non-establishment camp to work with me and the government in Exco or statutory or advisory bodies.”