John Lee talks a good talk, but now he must walk the walk to deliver on his pledges
- Hong Kong chief executive has laid out his vision in policy address, though much work remains to be done to turn grand ideas into reality
Riding on the relatively good progress in his first year of governance, John Lee Ka-chiu on Wednesday sought to impress with an all-encompassing policy address. The wealth of initiatives covering almost all aspects underlines the chief executive’s determination to achieve even more than he had aspired to in his maiden blueprint last year.
Ambitious and commendable as they are, the new measures need to be well thought through and carefully executed to truly help Hong Kong become a vibrant economy and a caring society.
Against the backdrop of a slower-than-expected economic recovery and growing calls for further improvements in housing and other fronts, Hongkongers expect more than platitudes – indeed, they want immediate relief to the many hardships that they face and for the authorities to map out concrete solutions to an array of deep-seated problems that have hindered the city from moving forward.
Wednesday’s policy address, lasting for three hours and 21 minutes, was the longest by a Hong Kong leader. From national security legislation and Greater Bay Area integration to oral health and better washrooms, Lee left practically no stone unturned.
The “nothing is too small” mentality has resulted in what is essentially the most comprehensive policy speech yet. Building on the 110 indicators for specific tasks laid down in last year’s address, Lee rolled out another 150 indicators, of which 73 are new ones, which he said helped him track results and cultivate a results-oriented culture of governance.
