Hong Kong LegCo Pledges Full Support for Drafting City’s First Five-Year Plan
Dragon Media News Desk
The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has pledged full support for the government in drafting Hong Kong’s first five-year plan.
LegCo President Starry Lee Wai-king said in an interview with Xinhua that the council and the HKSAR government had established a joint mechanism for the first time to collect views from the public and representatives of different sectors.
According to Lee, lawmakers organized nearly 100 consultation sessions within one month and met with around 4,000 representatives from various sectors. A comprehensive report containing nearly 600 written submissions was subsequently presented to the administration.
Once the five-year plan is officially released, HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee will be invited to a dedicated exchange session, the LegCo president said.
The session will use the LegCo platform to explain the policy rationale and objectives of the plan to the public, with the aim of narrowing the distance between the government and citizens.
Lee said Chief Executive John Lee had continuously strengthened and introduced new forms of communication between the executive and legislative branches since taking office.
She said open and candid dialogue between the chief executive and lawmakers on a wide range of issues had increasingly become an institutionalized practice.
According to Lee, regular communication mechanisms have helped resolve differences between the government and LegCo, align government policies more closely with public sentiment and strengthen cooperation between the executive and legislative branches.
She said another major priority of LegCo was to address issues affecting people’s daily lives, reduce public hardship and respond promptly to the most urgent concerns of residents.
Lawmakers regularly visit local communities to bring public voices into LegCo and connect citizens’ concerns with the government, Lee said.
Legislators also believe that improving Hong Kong’s “1823” public service hotline will create a more efficient channel for handling public requests and complaints.
LegCo expects that upgrading the hotline will improve the effectiveness of public services while strengthening residents’ sense of satisfaction, fulfillment and confidence in their quality of life.
