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OpinionComment
Alice Wu
Alice Wu

Opinion | Can John Lee learn from Carrie Lam’s mistakes and rebuild public trust?

  • Lee is obviously keen to start a new chapter, but there are many pages he can borrow from his former boss’ book
  • Rebuilding trust, taking public opinion seriously and connecting with the people would be a good start

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Chief Executive Carrie Lam listens as then secretary for security John Lee speaks to the media at the Chief Executive’s Office in Tamar on July 21, 2019. Photo: Robert Ng
Alice Wu
There is much talk on the political circuit in Hong Kong about who will lose their place and who will join chief executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu’s ruling team come July 1. It is rumoured that a number of legislators have been recruited to join the other side of the aisle, answering lawmakers’ questions in their new role as government officials.
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That seems like a natural career progression. Their political position – being pro-establishment – will remain intact. They will just transition from being proactively supportive of the establishment to making decisions and executing them as the establishment.

It really seems like pageantry. But this isn’t a race, or a time to be showy – there’s a lot of serious work to be done with just weeks to go until the new administration takes over.

Lee played an integral part in his predecessor’s decidedly “hot” kitchen. As chief secretary, he was Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s sous chef before he resigned to contest the leadership election.
Lam had plans to renovate the kitchen and make it bigger, and Lee supported her. In fact, he is so supportive of the idea that he is ready to triple the original price tag so the kitchen can accommodate three additional deputy secretaries on top of two new bureaus. That means 13 more political appointees and 57 civil service posts.

04:05

Hong Kong’s Election Committee picks John Lee as city’s next chief executive in one-man race

Hong Kong’s Election Committee picks John Lee as city’s next chief executive in one-man race

Lee is obviously keen to start a new chapter, but there are many lessons to be learned and pages he can borrow from his former boss’ book. And there is no better place to start than from early on in Lam’s administration.

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