The increased public exposure of the normally low-profile Leung Chun-ying, convenor of the Executive Council, has sparked speculation on the likely candidates for the next chief executive. Rather than join the guessing game of the winner of an election that is at least two and a half years away, I consider it more useful to ponder the many difficult tasks of the next chief executive.
Apart from discharging the normal duties of running the administration and dealing with short- and long-term problems of the economy, the next chief executive will most probably have to deal with the following eight tasks.
First, the next chief executive must govern with a high level of public support. In particular, he (or she) will need to win support from the increasingly restless youth of Hong Kong.
Although today's youth are more educated than their seniors, they have fewer opportunities for economic advancement. Most of them are not satisfied with the performance of both the government and the main political parties. The emergence of the League of Social Democrats is a manifestation of their discontent. It is therefore vital for the next chief executive to instil faith and hope in our youth so that the whole community can move forward.
Second, he will need to remove or substantially reduce the suspicion of government-business collusion that has been plaguing the city's government since the handover. This suspicion is mainly caused by the privileged position the rich and powerful hold in the existing electoral arrangements, a problem that can only be addressed fully when we have universal suffrage. But the next chief executive can still do a lot to remedy the persistently negative perception through improving various aspects of the system, such as post-service retirement of principal officials and appointments to public bodies.
Third, he will need to restore the people's confidence in the expanded accountability system. His political appointees will have to demonstrate their worth or be held accountable, even to the point of resigning. The civil service system will also need to be reformed to improve the quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of public service.
Fourth, he will have to safeguard Hong Kong's freedoms guaranteed under the Basic Law. While the recent survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong's public opinion programme on the 10 subjective freedom indicators showed, for example, that the freedom of procession, freedom of speech and freedom of the press have continued to score high marks, there is no room for complacency.