EXECUTIVE Councillors agree the inner Cabinet can be more transparent but disagree on how this should be achieved. Professor Felice Lieh-Mak said the agenda of part one of the weekly meetings could be revealed. It is understood part one focuses on discussions of government policies, while part two is reserved for sensitive subjects such as progress of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. All Executive Councillors are bound by the rules of confidentiality and collective responsibility. But legislators want more transparency and accountability for the appointed body. Professor Lieh-Mak believed there should not be any problem in revealing the part one agenda after the meeting because, in practice, all decisions were made public at a later stage. She said there would be no harm for the Executive Council to be more open. 'If there is a decision, we can say what it is. If there is no decision, we can tell the public why not,' she said. But her views were not shared by colleague Denis Chang Khen-lee, who said: 'The fact that something is on the agenda may have political significance.' Mr Chang said no Cabinet in the world revealed every item on its agenda, and doing so might not serve the public interest. He said the annual policy speech already mapped out the government programme for the year. The administration had an extensive network to solicit views from the public. Issues such as the Court of Final Appeal and the Legal Services Consultative Paper were obvious items that would go to Exco and people were aware of that without needing the Government to tell them, Mr Chang added. 'We must ask what objectives we want to achieve. And should we introduce radical changes to the system?' But he agreed it was worth considering publishing the papers they received every few months which outlined the upcoming topics to be discussed. Former legislator Christine Loh Kung-wai said revealing Exco's agenda was only a very small step the Government could take, to make it more transparent and accountable. 'Our political system is evolving. Is that kind of secrecy needed?' she asked. Ms Loh said the council was the most powerful body in Hong Kong but was composed of part-time appointed members. Saying other Cabinets kept their agenda confidential was not a good excuse because their members were elected, she said. Ms Loh dismissed the suggestion that revealing the agenda would politicise the council. It had already been under intensive lobbying on a number of occasions in the past few years, she added.
