Hong Kong’s next leader Carrie Lam promises bigger part for youth to play in making policies
She says young people will be recruited to understand workings within government, and create policies to respond to public demands
The chief executive-elect also said teenagers who take part in activism and political movements should not be criticised, but urged them to do so with critical thinking.
On a radio programme for students taking the Diploma of Secondary Education exams on Tuesday evening, Lam detailed her plans to add young talent to her administration when she takes office on July 1.
A major initiative announced in her election manifesto was to recruit about 20 to 30 young people, to be placed in a policy and project coordination task force under the government think tank Central Policy Unit.
“Regardless of their professions and their political beliefs, I welcome them to join this task force and have a chance to really understand what policymaking is like from inside the government, as well as formulate policies which respond to the public’s demands,” she said.
Lam has repeatedly stated her aim to revamp the Central Policy Unit to enhance its role in cross-bureau coordination and facilitate communication between the government and the public.
“To reflect the spirit of public engagement under the new style of governance, this [revamped] unit will recruit young people from different sectors in full-time contract positions,” her manifesto stated.
“They will be responsible for both policy research and collecting public views … so the government can take public opinions into consideration at an earlier stage.”
“They shouldn’t be [criticised] … for commenting on the current situation, criticising or even taking action – as long as they do everything according to the law,” she said.
They will be responsible for both policy research and collecting public views
“But [they should] have independent thinking and remain analytical during this process, and arrive at their own conclusions. If they simply follow others’ opinions and actions, then it might not be ideal,” Lam said on the radio programme.
She also promised to increase recurrent spending on education by HK$5 billion a year to help secondary and tertiary students. One of the goals was to hire more teaching staff and boost the teacher-to-student ratio.
The city’s first female leader-in-waiting also said Hong Kong must diversify its economy to create more job opportunities outside of the pillar industries, pointing to innovation and technology and the creative industry as areas of focus in the coming years.
“What was a good thing attracted unnecessary controversy … I dedicated a lot of effort into this so I was a little frustrated,” she said.
Lam surprised the city last December by announcing a HK$3.5 billion deal with the Palace Museum in Beijing to set up a Hong Kong version.
