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Alice Wu

Something unexpected happened at the town hall meeting held a week ago to gather public opinion on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the coming policy address. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu spoke about the need to upgrade the city’s urban management systems.
Our results-oriented, reform-focused chief executive seems to be ready for another colossal task.
Lee began his term with plans to reform policy bureau operations, introducing key performance indicators and additional political appointments to raise governance efficiency and effectiveness. He assigned key officials, including himself, to oversee task forces and coordination efforts. He also spearheaded bureaucratic and civil service reforms to address bottlenecks impeding governance and the progress of development projects such as the Northern Metropolis.
He has stressed that government policies must deliver on both the macro and micro levels. On the macro level, the city’s economy is turning around. The latest upward revision of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product indicates a sustained and strong recovery. In June, the International Institute for Management Development named Hong Kong the second most competitive economy in the world.
Now more must be done to translate macroeconomic progress into local impact.
The chief executive acknowledged the need last August as he concluded his policy address public consultation exercise. “When formulating policies, we have to care about the details and do better communication with our residents about the aims of these policies so they feel acknowledged and have something to gain,” he said.




A year later, in the wake of the devastating Tai Po fire that exposed a litany of regulatory failures, his call for better urban management could not be more timely.
“Whether it is the development of new urban areas or the redeveloping of old districts, we often face challenges such as extreme weather and different types of disasters. It is important to unite government and community efforts in handling these issues,” he said at the town hall last week. These “issues” include how public complaints are handled. As importantly, he points to the need to systematically integrate different operational fields so concerns can be handled holistically.
If district governance is to be an area of focus in the coming chief executive policy address, we expect him to dive into the topic and provide more details.
We should also expect follow-up action to tackle the problems exposed by the Tai Po fire. The independent inquiry into the tragedy has concluded its hearings, and is expected to deliver its final report in the coming months. But a proactive leader should address the obvious problems even before the findings are published.
Another area worth looking into is the nuts and bolts of how the city’s district offices, district councils and community care groups can work together. This would honour Lee’s pledge to “unite government and community efforts” in handling residents’ concerns.


The 2023 overhaul of the district councils has drastically changed the roles and make-up of these councils. Directly elected seats have been reduced to make up less than 20 per cent of all seats. Meanwhile, just under 40 per cent of the seats are filled by members of local committees and a similar proportion are appointed by the government. Three years since the revamp, is the government working well with the district councils?
Both the administration and lawmakers needed time to adjust to the new and improved Legislative Council. Legco President Starry Lee Wai-king acknowledged as much at a media gathering in June, when she called on officials to respect lawmakers’ dissenting views on policies. Similarly, the government must learn to recalibrate how its district offices work with the new district councils.
That would certainly be a welcome development. A pivot back to our communities is the only way to deliver on the chief executive’s promise that his “ultimate objective in governance is to improve people’s livelihood”. This must start with handling their complaints and feedback effectively.
All these upgrades must be made and felt on the ground, especially if Lee is thinking about a second term.
Typhoon Noul might have blown the chief executive’s town hall meeting to gather feedback for the city’s first five-year plan and his fifth and last policy address of this term a little off track, delaying it by a week, but from the look of things, Lee has set the right track for himself for the last months of his current term as chief executive.


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Chief Executive John Lee addresses the participants of a town hall meeting on August 2 to gather feedback on Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the coming policy address. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Chief Executive John Lee, flanked by the city’s ministers, takes questions and comments from residents at the town hall on Sunday. Photo: Handout

A resident poses a question to city leader John Lee and other ministers during the town hall meeting on Sunday. Photo: Handout

Residents raised questions and provided feedback to Chief Executive John Lee and other government ministers during the meeting on Sunday. Photo: Handout

City leader John Lee speaks to residents at the town hall meeting on Sunday. Photo: Handout

Opinion

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Hong Kong

Fixing Hong Kong’s district management in the wake of the devastating Tai Po fire is the next test for the chief executive


Fixing Hong Kong’s district management in the wake of the devastating Tai Po fire is the next test for the chief executive.


John Lee

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

China

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


John Lee is right about local governance. Now he must deliver

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fixing Hong Kong’s district management in the wake of the devastating Tai Po fire is the next test for the chief executive

Fixing Hong Kong’s district management in the wake of the devastating Tai Po fire is the next test for the chief executive