Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has attended two public meetings to discuss the controversial dismantling of Queen's Pier. The forums, chaotic at times, pushed the debate to a climax.
I applaud Mrs Lam for having the courage to engage the masses, and hope that she will continue to do so in future. But, such dialogue should take place before a final decision is made.
Principal officials are responsible for policies that have an impact on the lives of the public. Thus, they have a duty to listen to the voices of the people. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has asked his top officials to connect with the people and take their views into account when formulating policies. So far, only Mrs Lam has done so.
When Mr Tsang stood for re-election, he said he would find an 'ultimate solution' to the question of electing the chief executive and all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage in his second term.
Last month, the administration published a green paper on political development, setting out disjointed options on how and when to have universal suffrage. The document contains no coherent proposals, only suggestions which could be assembled in a myriad of ways.
This kind of consultation is unsatisfactory, because it gives the impression that the administration does not really want to know what the public thinks.
On July 22, Power for Democracy, of which I am a deputy convenor, held a public forum in the Mong Kok pedestrian precinct to discuss the green paper. We invited Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung to attend.