How the Executive Council lost its voice and power
Tainted by scandal and dismissed as essentially powerless by Legco's president, Exco's role as a policymaking body is under scrutiny, with some urging an overhaul to restore its credibility
"During British rule, the Executive Council was a body with actual power. [Its members] had a strong say in front of the governor; their words carried a lot of weight … we can't see the Executive Council performing the same function."
Those were the lamentations of Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, who weighed in last month after the collapse of then-executive councillor Barry Cheung Chun-yuen's Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange sparked an intense debate over Exco's function.
At the heart of the controversy is whether the city's policymaking authority should remain a league of policy advisers, or bring in political party chiefs.
Tsang, who sat on the Executive Council under chief executives Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, proposed that the government launch a review, because the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, only states the main responsibilities of Exco and "left much space for reform".
The Basic Law stipulates that Exco is the body for assisting the chief executive in policymaking, its members to be appointed from officials, lawmakers and public figures who should be consulted before the chief executive makes policy decisions and introduces bills to Legco.
If the chief executive does not accept the opinion of a majority on Exco, he must put the specific reasons for doing so on record.
While Exco appears authoritative and rule-bound, its credibility was seriously questioned after police launched an investigation into Cheung, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's top aide.