Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said she will not waver from the commitment to serve Hong Kong by carrying out the initiatives set out by CE Leung Chun-ying. Photo Provided to China Daily

Government will firmly carry out initiatives in Policy Address: Lam

Chief Secretary for the Administration Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she will sit tight and persevere in the face of a fresh burst of criticism of the administration following last week's Policy Address. She said she will not waver from the commitment to serve the community by carrying out the policy initiatives set out by Chief Executive (CE) Leung Chun-ying.

The government's second-in-command spoke to a youthful crowd at a forum webcast live on the Internet on Wednesday, telling her audience that her new motto is "sit tight".

"I am sitting tight. I am not afraid of any objects thrown at me," she laughed, in response to one question. "In the end, this is only a Policy Address - the first one that has addressed the whole term that spans for five years." said Lam. "I hope we can fight for higher scores from you and other members of the public through concrete implementation (of the policy initiatives) in future."

Lam admitted that the past six months had been fraught with challenges and in private, she has suffered from mood swings, "I had started to worry if the current administration has the capability."

Apart from the "political circumstances" - a reference apparently made to the opposition in the legislature and activists on the streets - Lam said her concern also arose from the city's deep-rooted problems and its many very real constraints, such as a shortage of land and the uncertain outlook in the global economy.

Nonetheless, she reaffirmed her commitment to serve the public in the next five years, as well as her support of the CE and his philosophy to seek changes amidst stability.

"I must sit tight. I must persevere in serving the people. I won't flinch because of the criticism of the SAR government or verbal attacks against me or my colleagues," said Lam.

She stressed again that it is a constitutional duty for the SAR to legislate national security laws as stipulated by Article 23 of the Basic Law. But a heavy-handed approach in this regard, she noted, will not yield any result.

Another anticipated "heated debate", however, will be inevitable when the city explores the electoral structure for the CE election in 2017. She offered an assurance that the electoral reform bill will require approval of two-thirds of lawmakers, saying that "the government cannot do whatever it wants to do."

Lam praised her youthful listeners for caring for the society, but in the wake of recent social movements initiated by students, she said she was reluctant to give full marks to the city's young generation.

"It is totally right for young people to have aspirations and ideals," she said. "But youth will only score full marks if they are able to look at the city's various issues with an independent thinking that is objective and unbiased."

kahon@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 01/24/2013 page1)