The constitutional affairs chief has again ducked the question of whether he still stands by his previous position - backing a full five-year term for Tung Chee-hwa's successor. A day after the 67-year-old chief executive confirmed he had submitted his resignation to Beijing, Stephen Lam Sui-lung no longer said he would not comment on speculative reports. This time, Mr Lam's office said the resignation has yet to be formally accepted by the central authorities. 'The central government has not taken a decision on Mr Tung's resignation. Therefore, at present, we will not comment on matters relating to this issue,' a spokesman for Mr Lam said. Mr Tung gave a similar reply when asked if his successor would only serve out his remaining two-year term. He said the government would give an account once his resignation had been accepted. In a reply to Legco last May, Mr Lam wrote: 'The term of office of the chief executive, as prescribed in the Basic Law, is five years. This provision applies to any chief executive. There is no exception'. Amendments to the chief executive ordinance for a term other than five years would be inconsistent with the Basic Law, he said.
