Chief executive job requires earnest heart, Arculli says

The job of chief executive is getting tougher as Hong Kong develops politically, and the best qualification for the job is to be able to put your whole heart into it, said Executive Council Convenor Ronald Arculli.

'Sometimes I say half-jokingly that it is better to be lucky than to be clever [as chief executive], but I think the most important thing is the heart,' Arculli said. 'You have to be earnest in your heart in order to succeed at what you do.'

Arculli said he was confident that chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying knows how government works after more than a decade as Exco convenor, but he suggested he might need to reflect on how different his new role will be.

'As a non-official Exco member, your role is advisory ... maybe it takes a day or a week to make judgments,' Arculli said. 'But when you sit down [as chief executive], you think of policies starting from scratch.'

He said his own career in public service over the past two decades has been worth the sacrifices and that he would continue in a public role if offered the chance.

'I am honoured to have had these opportunities,' he added.