Chief executive hopeful John Lee Ka-chiu announces his manifesto for the chief executive election at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on April 29, 2022. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Chief executive candidate John Lee Ka-chiu introduced an election platform that painted an optimistic picture of a more livable, energetic and competitive Hong Kong, with fresh initiatives in housing and youth development. 

While unveiling the manifesto on Friday, Lee said he has much confidence in Hong Kong’s future. Having gone through hardship and trials in the past three years caused by social unrest and the pandemic, the city will emerge stronger and start anew, he said. 

Noting the society will be stable, inclusive and hopeful, Lee said, if elected, he will bring Hong Kong people a competent Special Administrative Region government and unite the strengths of all sectors to tackle the challenges ahead

Noting the society will be stable, inclusive and hopeful, Lee said, if elected, he will bring Hong Kong people a competent Special Administrative Region government and unite the strengths of all sectors to tackle the challenges ahead. 

The former chief secretary highlighted the housing issue in his political agenda. He plans to set up two new task forces that will be led by secretary-level officials to accelerate the provision of public housing and the supply of land and housing.

The first job of the task forces will be drawing up a plan that will allocate parts of completed public housing buildings in three months to residents, at their own discretion, even if the ancillary community and transport facilities are still under construction. The move is expected to cut the waiting time for residents by about a year. 

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To provide more homes, Lee vowed to streamline procedures, accelerate infrastructure construction, and adopt a multipronged approach to tackle the deep-seated problem. Lee said there have been many plans to boost the land and housing supply, but now is the time to put words into action. Lee said there have been many plans to boost the land and housing supply, but now is the time to put words into action.

As for youth development, Lee put forward an innovative pilot program aiming to address intergenerational poverty. The program will invite enterprises and social organizations to offer all-encompassing training to 1,000 secondary students living in subdivided flats, to help them seek better development. The program is expected to last two to three years. 

This is part of Lee’s plans to help the younger generation move up the social ladder. Besides offering them brighter prospects, the government will also double down on efforts to strengthen students’ and teachers’ national identity and their understanding of the motherland, so that the young people can move forward on the right path. 

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To make the city more competitive, Lee envisions consolidating the city’s advantages in finance and legal areas, and going all-out to develop the city into a global inno-tech center and culture hub. 

The Northern Metropolis will be a new development engine of the city, and a new department will be set up to take charge of its planning. It will become a bridgehead to strengthen collaboration with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, especially Shenzhen, Lee said

The Northern Metropolis will be a new development engine of the city, and a new department will be set up to take charge of its planning. It will become a bridgehead to strengthen collaboration with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, especially Shenzhen, Lee said.

To ensure the realization of his policy visions, Lee said he will strive to enhance the government’s governance and officials’ ability to execute and coordinate. 

Learning a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee offered to establish an emergency mechanism to better mobilize the civil service when dealing with future public crises. He will set up designated support teams in 18 districts and create a wide volunteer network to better help communities. 

Later, when taking a question from the media about Hong Kong’s ability to attract professionals, Lee stressed that Hong Kong’s unique advantages remain unchanged, and the city is a vital bridge connecting the Chinese mainland, especially the cities of the Greater Bay Area, which is an irreplaceable advantage. The city’s burgeoning market and strong competitiveness will continue to lure talent, he said. 

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Lee said the manifesto focuses only on his major political visions and may not cover every aspect. For issues not included in the platform, he will explain them to the public later. If he is elected, he will also give a detailed account of his initiatives in the city’s Policy Address. 

For the past three weeks, Lee has been actively collecting views for the platform through various means. Besides meeting with leaders of different sectors and inviting the general public to leave comments online, he also reached out to the communities to listen to the demands of grassroots residents. 

The chief executive election take place on May 8, when the nearly 1,500 Election Committee members will cast their votes for the city’s next top leader.