Chief Executive John Lee delivers his first Policy Address on Wednesday, as the 13th National People’s Congress continues its fifth annual session in Beijing. Scroll down for our full coverage.
“[The residents] aren’t in opposition of the government addressing the subdivided flat problem,” lawmaker Kitson Yang said. “But is the project to turn Kai Tak into a central business district gone?”
“John Lee wants unity, social cohesion, and solidarity in Hong Kong. To damn discussion of collusion as the language of divisive enemies is to deny the reality that Hong Kong is divided along social class and political lines,” writes John Burns.
Several minors were convicted under the security law, media tycoon Jimmy Lai lost a bid to prevent police seeing journalistic material on his phone, an autistic civil servant was jailed for “sedition,” and national education is to be strengthened for kindergarten students.
“Effective governance requires engaging the people, building partnerships broadly not just with business, and sharing decision making authority, to co-produce the results we all want,” writes John Burns.
“There are many more talented people in many, many different fields… only focusing on technical background is not wise for an international city,” Eden Woon, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said of Chief Executive John Lee’s Policy Address.
The Ming Pao cartoon depicted an advertisement of Hong Kong “urgently” seeking world-class talent, prioritising those who are “accepting of strict governance.”
Chief Executive John Lee might not have mentioned Lantau Tomorrow Vision, a mega development project announced by his predecessor Carrie Lam, but it lives on in his Policy Address – as do many preexisting plans.
Housing Secretary Winnie Ho said the prefabricated units would each have their own bathroom and a place to cook, as well as basic facilities such as air conditioning and water heaters.
Tik Chi-yuen, a lawmaker from the social welfare sector, said that Chief Executive John Lee “did not do his homework” when it came to policies on alleviating poverty.
A non-pro-establishment legislator and civil society groups criticised Lee’s Light Public Housing scheme as failing to tackle the worsening housing crisis.
A new two-year “Top Talent Pass Scheme” will allow high earners and graduates of the world’s top universities to come to Hong Kong without first having secured a job offer.
Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said the government should identify the industries in which there are manpower shortages and work with local universities to nurture the respective talents.
Pro-democracy activists swept the District Council elections in 2019, but many have since resigned or been ousted over an oath-taking requirement, leaving hundreds of seats vacant.