Why Carrie Lam needs to prove herself before she can lure talent to Hong Kong’s governing team
Pundits say incoming leader must deliver results before she can get talented individuals on board, but the city’s governing system means the odds are stacked against her
The good news is she has managed to assemble her cabinet, which is likely to get Beijing’s approval as early as Wednesday.
The bad news is she has not been able to deliver on a promise for a more diverse slate.
“I’m afraid good governance requires higher standards [than just good policies] – public participation, the rule of law, societal consensus, timely response, accountability ... My view today is that the governing team of the next administration should be injected with some new blood,” she said on January 16 when she confirmed her candidacy for the city’s leadership, hours after her resignation as chief secretary was formally accepted by Beijing.
Fast forward five months and Lam, who is less than two weeks away from being sworn in as Hong Kong’s first woman chief executive, is set to unveil a new cabinet with just one new face from outside the bureaucracy – Democratic Party member and social policy professor Dr Law Chi-kwong, 63.