Carrie Lam in her own words: Hong Kong people are still ‘brilliant’
In her maiden policy address, presented in full below, chief executive says the city’s residents have not lost their intrinsic values
Speech by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in her 2017 policy address to the Legislative Council:
Mr President, honourable members and fellow citizens,
Today, with much relief, I present the first policy address in my term of office to the Legislative Council. During the past three months, the community has voiced a lot of expectations towards this policy address. I have listened to them all.
I appreciate that many issues in the community require the government’s attention. At the same time, I have accepted the suggestion of the non-official members of the Executive Council that I should make use of the opportunity today to share with Hong Kong people my governance philosophy and to highlight some of the specific measures, rather than following the previous practice of spending two to three hours reading out the policy address.
Without the constraint of a time limit, the policy address I deliver today runs to some 49,000 characters. It comprehensively covers such areas as good governance, diversified economy, nurturing talent, improving people’s livelihood, liveable city and connecting with young people. I hope that when you read it, you will get a better grasp of Hong Kong’s current situation as well as the vision of the government.
That said, I am fully aware that a lengthy policy address does not guarantee flawless policies or effective implementation. Together with my political team, I will continue to listen to the views of honourable members and members of the public with humility, so as to ensure that this policy address will set a new starting point for Hong Kong.
Rejecting any threat to sovereignty
