Free to air his views; free to retract them
As the Executive Council convenor disentangles himself from his foray into the thick of the HKTV licensing row, its clear he's no yes-man
Lam Woon-kwong, with more than 30 years in public service, is one of the city's most seasoned civil servants. But unlike his retired contemporaries, Lam is still on the front line, helping direct policymaking as leader of the Executive Council's 14 nonofficial members.
A University of Hong Kong survey in September ranked him the second most popular non- official executive councillor, behind New People's Party chairwoman and lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Shuk-yee.
But Exco's contentious decision to deny Hong Kong Television Network a free-to-air television licence has left him facing one of his biggest challenges. This is especially so after he called on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to "conduct a thorough review of the entire incident" and the decision-making process.
The remark drew fire, for appearing to go against Exco's collective responsibility rule and siding with government opponents.
While Lam countered that his comment was directed towards the system, not the chief executive, former executive councillor Allen Lee Pang-fei said Lam should resign if he was disillusioned by the administration.
Lam pressed on - apologising to his Exco colleagues for the controversy and continuing to air his views on burning issues, such as the shortage of doctors in the public health system.