Three mountains: Hong Kong government eyes Link Reit, MTR fare rises and the provident fund
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam is understood to have told lawmakers that the administration wants to solve problems associated with the three issues
Four years into her term as Hong Kong’s No 2 official, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor raised eyebrows recently by acknowledging three “mountains” or contentious issues the government aims to conquer.
The Post understands that in closed-door meetings, Lam told some lawmakers the “three mountains” facing the government are the controversial management of public housing malls by The Link Reit, repeated MTR fare increases and the offsetting mechanism of the Mandatory Provident Fund, which allows bosses to settle severance or long-service payments through their contributions.
Some pro-establishment lawmakers expect headway to be made on the last two issues rather than The Link before the term of the current administration expires in a year’s time.
However pan-democrats and political analysts are more sceptical. They said while Lam and her boss, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, would win public acclaim if successful, the complexity of the issues involved made it unlikely that solutions could be found anytime soon.
The Link, which took over government-owned malls and markets in 2005, has been accused of adopting a business practice that pushes up rents and drives small concerns out.