EditorialJohn Lee can benefit from wider range of views
- Hong Kong leader should not only engage with those of a similar opinion, but also listen to others in a bid to narrow society’s divide and win broader support
Listening to the people is part of good governance. With his second policy address set for October, John Lee Ka-chiu is following the government tradition of tapping the views of the community.
Apart from meeting different groups behind closed doors, the chief executive also engaged some people at the district level over the weekend.
He should take advantage of the relatively calm political atmosphere to reach out to a wider section of society and allow more citizens to express their views to him directly.
The topics covered in the forum at Eastern district ranged from ways to boost Hong Kong’s economy to the low birth rate. The choice of subjects illustrated how those who spoke had a good grasp of the immediate and long-term challenges facing the city.
Lee and his team have made some good progress since taking the helm last summer and should carefully consider suggestions received and arrange priorities accordingly.
The two-hour session was in stark contrast to those held in the past, with criticism of the government and protests noticeable by their absence. This was probably down to those taking part being district figures picked by the government.