Personnel changes during any organization’s term change are “normal”, said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday, after a wave of legislators announced they would not be seeking another term in December’s legislature election.
On Tuesday morning, Martin Liao Cheung-kong, who has served as a legislator since 2012, said he will not compete in the upcoming Legislative Council (LegCo) election, saying he feels “it is the right time to pass the torch” to younger patriots with affection for the country and the city.
The 68-year-old’s decision to step down coincides with the decisions announced by a number of incumbent lawmakers not to run in the Dec 7 election. These include the current LegCo president Andrew Leung Kwan-yin, as well as from Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, Gary Zhang Xinyu, Connie Lam So-wai and Lo Wai-kwok. The lawmakers gave various reasons for not running, including wanting to spend more time with their family, their career focus, and age.
Addressing reporters before the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, Lee said: “These are their personal choices, I respect their decisions.”
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Lee took the opportunity to praise the current Legislative Council for being “pragmatic and efficient”, and noted it has passed 130 bills — an increase of over 60 percent compared to the same period in the last term.
Key achievements he highlighted include the unanimous passage of the landmark Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, thereby fulfilling a constitutional duty stipulated in the Basic Law that had been left outstanding for over 26 years; the introduction of laws to address the issue of subdivided flats; and — potentially soon — the regulation of ride-hailing services.
Some of the lawmakers who have expressed their intention to leave the Legislative Council also sit on the city’s Executive Council (ExCo) — the top organ for assisting the chief executive in policymaking. Lee explained that ExCo members serve a term concurrent with that of the government, which ends on June 30, 2027, and said that no ExCo members have indicated plans to resign early so far.
“The replacement of the old with the new is a positive development for the continuity of operations and the cultivation of new talents,” he said, stating that people of “all ages have their own strengths to contribute”.
The nomination period for the LegCo general election kicks off on Oct 24. Lee said he encourages patriotic and capable people to run in the upcoming election, and urged the public to vote, pledging that the government will ensure the electoral process is fair, safe, and orderly.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadialyhk.com
