Top adviser defends his work, rules out quitting
A top government adviser has defended his work over the past four years, saying his efforts to help improve governance and gauge public opinion have reaped benefits.
Lau Siu-kai, head of the Central Policy Unit, denied he had intended to quit because his suggestions were not being heeded by the top levels of the government.
But he admitted the crisis sparked by a 500,000-strong march against national security legislation in 2003 was the most frustrating moment for him because it overshadowed the administration's efforts to improve governance.
Professor Lau said his ideas on gaining a better understanding of public opinion, and improving ties between pro-government forces and the pro-democracy camp had been largely adopted since he joined the administration in 2002.
'The government has stepped up efforts to grasp public opinion through surveys and has succeeded in building up a working relationship with opposition forces in the past few years,' said Professor Lau, in Beijing to attend the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 'I'm happy to see that the political situation in Hong Kong over the past two years has become relatively stable.
'More importantly, the government's popularity is now much higher than the opposition forces. The situation was the opposite when I joined the government.'
He said the most crucial change in the administration's strategy over the past few years was the reversal of the previous insistence on pushing ahead with reform measures without taking the views of the public into account.
Former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa was criticised for his implementation of reform measures in the face of public opposition, especially in his first five-year term.
Professor Lau, an academic at Chinese University before joining the government, said he would return to his academic post when his contract expires in June next year.
