Vice-Premier Qian Qichen yesterday described the new ministerial system as a means to creating a leadership team that would shoulder collective responsibility for Hong Kong's governance.
In an interview in Beijing with the South China Morning Post shortly before the ministerial team was announced in Hong Kong, Mr Qian said the Chief Executive would no longer bear sole responsibility for Hong Kong's development, but rather there would be 'a group of people with the Chief Executive at the head taking proper responsibility for Hong Kong'.
Mr Qian assessed the SAR Government's performance in Mr Tung's first five-year term as 'fairly good' and expressed a belief that with a new government team, the next five years would be 'even better'.
He described the ministerial accountability system as part of the evolution of Hong Kong's Government from the British colonial system. 'At this time we cannot but recall what happened five years earlier, upon Hong Kong's return to China,' he said.
'At that time, the SAR Government had only one new face. The outgoing governor was replaced by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.'
With the rest of the old government structure still in place, 'it was very difficult for the Chief Executive to operate', Mr Qian said.