Leung Chun-ying made a fresh call to lawmakers yesterday to approve his restructuring of the government before he takes office on July 1, saying it was key to solving housing problems.
It was the second such call in two days from the chief executive-elect (pictured), and came hours after pan-democrats forced a second adjournment of debate in the Legislative Council on amendments to electoral law.
The bill bans legislators who resign mid-term from standing in by-elections for six months.
Delaying passage of the bill could hinder passage of other legislation, including Leung's, before Legco's term ends in July, meaning the legislative process for those measures would have to start from scratch after September's Legco election.
'For residents of subdivided flats, making them wait for one more week could be already too long,' Leung said, reiterating that his plans - which include forming a government bureau to oversee housing, lands and urban planning policies - were crucial to speeding up the supply of public and private residential flats and making more land available for development.
The restructuring would also create a culture bureau, and resistance to that idea emerged yesterday at a community forum in San Po Kong, where about 100 people crammed into a small theatre rehearsal room to discuss the proposal.
Commentators questioned how the bureau would operate, amid fears that it could become a political tool or a vehicle for propaganda.