Lam appeals for pragmatic attitude to move city forward, meet all needs

Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam on Friday said a good leader needs to "rock the boat sometimes in order to get things done", but she expressed concern that an existing climate of distrust, could make it difficult for the administration to govern.

"Leaders are not afraid of upsetting people. Trying to get everyone to like you is actually a sign of mediocrity," said Lam at a public conference. She described her own position as "thankless".

Lam followed up on her remarks in a speech at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

She said the reason the proposed old age allowance failed to win passage during Tuesday's four-hour debate was that lawmakers distrust the government. She went on, she fears that distrust will hamper the administration in the implementation of other policies.

When asked why the government refuses to remove the mandatory asset declaration for the supplemental allowance eligibility, Lam answered, if the government agreed to the concession, just to get the allowance passed, it would incur an enormous burden on public resources, which she said would be irresponsible.

The government will take an open and inclusive attitude when consulting the public, however, it can't compromise on everything. Sometimes, the government needs to take a firm stand. Take the old age allowance as an example, to direct resources to the elderly in need is a prudent and reasonable way of using public resources, added Lam.

"We can't do things because we want it that way. We need to keep using pragmatism to lead our work and create a balance of pros and cons, amid all kinds of requests. We hope Hong Kong can eventually move forward and meet the requirements of the citizens," said Lam.

Lam was also asked about Lung Mei Beach project. She pointed out it was endorsed by the Tai Po District Council on Thursday, saying residents in the neighborhood are demanding a beach. The project has met opposition from environment groups, which say the beach has valuable habitats that will be destroyed by an artificial beach.

"Is this a recognized Hong Kong administration attitude, to toss out any proposal whenever it meets objections from conservationists?" questioned Lam.

In response to the controversial North East New Territories development project, which aims to create a new town in the area to help to meet the housing needs of the city, Lam said, though Hong Kong has developed only 24 percent of its land, it has very little land left for further development. The development project will inevitably affect those who live nearby; however, the important problem now is how to make arrangements for residents who will be affected.

Lam also rejected some suggestions to reserve government land to build public housings, saying a huge part of the government's annual revenue comes from selling lands. She noted that last year, land sales earned the government some HK$70 billion.

Summing up her feelings over the first four months as Chief Secretary, Lam said that administration is not about "romanticism", but "pragmatism".

Lam told her audience she believes a leader needs to have commitment, passion and empathy. Describing herself as having grown up in the government, Lam said she has a lot of experience in administration, and feels well qualified to assist the chief executive. Lam said she has done nothing against her conscience during her four months as the CS, stressing she asks for nothing but to serve the public.

stushadow@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 11/03/2012 page1)