Lee borrows ‘sense of gain’ phrase from Chinese president, says his focus on results would mean ‘public can see the outcomes sooner’. Chief executive hopeful makes 10 campaign stops in nine hours as he meets with pro-Beijing associations and political parties.
Chief executive hopeful John Lee Ka-chiu has said there is no need to revisit the extradition bill which sparked social unrest in Hong Kong in 2019, adding his prospective administration would focus on more important priorities.
The former chief secretary also explained his focus on being “result oriented” was aimed at giving the public a “sense of gain”, borrowing a phrase first used by President Xi Jinping as continued off his election campaign with visits to major pro-establishment groups on Monday.
Lee had a packed schedule on Monday, with a total of 10 campaign stops across the city within a nine-hour window as he continued to lobby for support a day after securing enough nominations to officially stand in the leadership election on May 8.
During one campaign stop, a reporter asked the former No 2 official if he would seek to reintroduce the previously withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the extradition of criminals to jurisdictions with which the city had lacked a treaty, including mainland China.
As security minister in 2019, Lee was instrumental in the introduction and lobbying of the bill.
Lee said: “I believe that a conclusion was made on the [extradition] bill. It’s now ended and further discussion is not needed. We have other priorities.”
In 2019, the extradition bill triggered months of protests that developed into a wider anti-government movement before it was eventually suspended and then withdrawn.
When asked on Sunday if he bore any responsibility for the saga, Lee said “history will have a fair judgment”, adding that the bill’s original intention was to fulfil Hong Kong’s international responsibilities in cracking down on cross-border crime.
During his many campaign stops on Monday, Lee also talked about his “result-oriented” approach, saying it could potentially help the government in winning the public’s trust.
“With the focus on being result oriented, a lot of bureaucratic procedures can be minimised, and the public can see the outcomes sooner and accumulate a ‘sense of having benefited’,” he said, repeating the phrase in the original Mandarin.
President Xi first used the phrase back in February 2015 during a meeting of the Central Leading Group on comprehensively expanding in-depth reform.
At that meeting, Xi said the government had to scientifically plan reform and put its value on full display to give the people a stronger sense of satisfaction.
Taking the phrase to heart, Lee on Monday said: “This sense of reward will further unite the hearts and minds of the society to support the government’s work.”
“[We] also want to do things more quickly and more efficiently. That’s why I think using a result-oriented approach will serve the best interest of Hong Kong, so that we can shorten the time taken to solve problems, [and] get more results out of the same method,” he added.
Tam Yiu-chung, Lee’s campaign office director, reaffirmed the chief executive hopeful’s remarks, saying a “result-oriented” strategy aimed to simplify and shorten policymaking procedures to provide the public with a “sense of gain”.
“The [current] stringent procedures the government implements can prevent the officials from abusing their power, but it also lacks resilience in some emergency situations,” the political heavyweight told a radio programme on Monday.
When Lee formally announced his candidacy for the city’s top job last Friday, he said he would have three areas of focus if he became chief executive. The first was the emphasis on results, while the others were boosting Hong Kong’s competitiveness and reinforcing its foundation, namely its rule of law and long-term stability.
“My three major policy directions remain the pillars of my future governance plan, as they will help to solve Hong Kong’s problems, and ensure stability and minimise any possible risks that would hinder development,” he said.
In other meetings throughout Sunday, Lee and several representatives discussed the importance of the city’s integration into the nation’s development and the Greater Bay Area plan.
Lee, the only candidate so far, visited several pro-Beijing associations and political parties, including the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, the New People’s Party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and the Liberal Party.
The 64-year-old ex-policeman revealed on Sunday that he had received about 300 nominations across all five sectors of the 1,463-strong Election Committee, surpassing the required threshold of 188 and putting him close to his stated goal of earning 500 before the deadline at the end of the week.
The former chief secretary also said his campaign team were preparing various events but did not specify whether it would include talks with the public, adding that he would currently focus on gathering nominations.
The deadline for the nomination period will be this Thursday, as Friday and Saturday are public holidays.
“I do not run for the election for myself, I do it for Hong Kong, for its seven million residents. I need to stress that I joined the election because I love Hong Kong,” Lee said, adding some events might be held virtually due to social-distancing measures.
He also dismissed criticism that Election Committee members were blindly supporting him without knowing any details about his manifesto, saying that voters already knew him so they could place their trust in him.
New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who had previously been touted as a potential chief executive hopeful, nominated Lee and praised him as a sincere and receptive person.
“I do not feel regretful [that I did not run for the election]. I am happy to see Ka-chiu stepping up to bear this heavy burden,” she said.
Lo Wai-kwok, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, who met Lee on Monday, said: “We had a deep conversation despite a short meeting. Mr Lee is pragmatic and open to opinions.”
“[Knowing his] policy direction is important. His team will inform us of his manifesto soon,” he said. “Lee has served the city for many years, I believe that he will accept our opinions and put them into his manifesto.”
Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, chairman of the Liberal Party, said he had not given Lee a “menu of” suggestions as he did not wish to waste the candidate’s time, but added he was optimistic about future cooperation.
More members of the pro-establishment camp also continued to throw their support behind the former policeman, with lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing and barrister Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok among those seen visiting Lee’s campaign office in Wan Chai to submit their nominations.
The former chief secretary also explained his focus on being “result oriented” was aimed at giving the public a “sense of gain”, borrowing a phrase first used by President Xi Jinping as continued off his election campaign with visits to major pro-establishment groups on Monday.
Lee had a packed schedule on Monday, with a total of 10 campaign stops across the city within a nine-hour window as he continued to lobby for support a day after securing enough nominations to officially stand in the leadership election on May 8.
During one campaign stop, a reporter asked the former No 2 official if he would seek to reintroduce the previously withdrawn extradition bill, which would have allowed the extradition of criminals to jurisdictions with which the city had lacked a treaty, including mainland China.
As security minister in 2019, Lee was instrumental in the introduction and lobbying of the bill.
Lee said: “I believe that a conclusion was made on the [extradition] bill. It’s now ended and further discussion is not needed. We have other priorities.”
In 2019, the extradition bill triggered months of protests that developed into a wider anti-government movement before it was eventually suspended and then withdrawn.
When asked on Sunday if he bore any responsibility for the saga, Lee said “history will have a fair judgment”, adding that the bill’s original intention was to fulfil Hong Kong’s international responsibilities in cracking down on cross-border crime.
During his many campaign stops on Monday, Lee also talked about his “result-oriented” approach, saying it could potentially help the government in winning the public’s trust.
“With the focus on being result oriented, a lot of bureaucratic procedures can be minimised, and the public can see the outcomes sooner and accumulate a ‘sense of having benefited’,” he said, repeating the phrase in the original Mandarin.
President Xi first used the phrase back in February 2015 during a meeting of the Central Leading Group on comprehensively expanding in-depth reform.
At that meeting, Xi said the government had to scientifically plan reform and put its value on full display to give the people a stronger sense of satisfaction.
Taking the phrase to heart, Lee on Monday said: “This sense of reward will further unite the hearts and minds of the society to support the government’s work.”
“[We] also want to do things more quickly and more efficiently. That’s why I think using a result-oriented approach will serve the best interest of Hong Kong, so that we can shorten the time taken to solve problems, [and] get more results out of the same method,” he added.
Tam Yiu-chung, Lee’s campaign office director, reaffirmed the chief executive hopeful’s remarks, saying a “result-oriented” strategy aimed to simplify and shorten policymaking procedures to provide the public with a “sense of gain”.
“The [current] stringent procedures the government implements can prevent the officials from abusing their power, but it also lacks resilience in some emergency situations,” the political heavyweight told a radio programme on Monday.
When Lee formally announced his candidacy for the city’s top job last Friday, he said he would have three areas of focus if he became chief executive. The first was the emphasis on results, while the others were boosting Hong Kong’s competitiveness and reinforcing its foundation, namely its rule of law and long-term stability.
“My three major policy directions remain the pillars of my future governance plan, as they will help to solve Hong Kong’s problems, and ensure stability and minimise any possible risks that would hinder development,” he said.
In other meetings throughout Sunday, Lee and several representatives discussed the importance of the city’s integration into the nation’s development and the Greater Bay Area plan.
Lee, the only candidate so far, visited several pro-Beijing associations and political parties, including the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, the New People’s Party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and the Liberal Party.
The 64-year-old ex-policeman revealed on Sunday that he had received about 300 nominations across all five sectors of the 1,463-strong Election Committee, surpassing the required threshold of 188 and putting him close to his stated goal of earning 500 before the deadline at the end of the week.
The former chief secretary also said his campaign team were preparing various events but did not specify whether it would include talks with the public, adding that he would currently focus on gathering nominations.
The deadline for the nomination period will be this Thursday, as Friday and Saturday are public holidays.
“I do not run for the election for myself, I do it for Hong Kong, for its seven million residents. I need to stress that I joined the election because I love Hong Kong,” Lee said, adding some events might be held virtually due to social-distancing measures.
He also dismissed criticism that Election Committee members were blindly supporting him without knowing any details about his manifesto, saying that voters already knew him so they could place their trust in him.
New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who had previously been touted as a potential chief executive hopeful, nominated Lee and praised him as a sincere and receptive person.
“I do not feel regretful [that I did not run for the election]. I am happy to see Ka-chiu stepping up to bear this heavy burden,” she said.
Lo Wai-kwok, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, who met Lee on Monday, said: “We had a deep conversation despite a short meeting. Mr Lee is pragmatic and open to opinions.”
“[Knowing his] policy direction is important. His team will inform us of his manifesto soon,” he said. “Lee has served the city for many years, I believe that he will accept our opinions and put them into his manifesto.”
Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, chairman of the Liberal Party, said he had not given Lee a “menu of” suggestions as he did not wish to waste the candidate’s time, but added he was optimistic about future cooperation.
More members of the pro-establishment camp also continued to throw their support behind the former policeman, with lawmaker Stanley Li Sai-wing and barrister Lawrence Ma Yan-kwok among those seen visiting Lee’s campaign office in Wan Chai to submit their nominations.