Carrie Lam Seeks Harmony, So She Can Do More

The Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, says her biggest hope for the new year is for society to return to harmony, and she urged people to stop getting into quarrels.

She made the remarks in a conversation with the Executive Council convenor, Bernard Chan, in a video released by her office on Friday, New Year's Day.

She cited the example of the Central-Wan Chai bypass project, which she said was delayed for seven or eight years by rows over the demolition of Queen's Pier and a series of judicial reviews.

Mrs Lam said that if there were fewer conflicts in society, the government will be able to do more for the people.

"Every time there are quarrels in society, in fact people pay a hefty price," Lam said.

"That is why for 2021, my biggest hope is for society to have harmony. So that the SAR government, and other public bodies, have more room to do concrete things for Hong Kong."

Meanwhile the future of Queen's Pier was back in the spotlight on Friday, 13 years after it was demolished.

The Development Bureau said it was studying the possibility of rebuilding the colonial-era landmark as part of any one of several harbour rejuvenation projects.

The removal of the landmark sparked hunger strikes and sit-ins in 2007, as protesters demanded that the pier be retained or rebuilt in situ.

Little has been heard of the pier, the remains of which is in storage in Lantau, since the government launched a public consultation on rebuilding it in Central in 2016.

Former lawmaker Chu Hoi-dick, who first came to prominence in the campaign against the pier's demolition, said rebuilding it elsewhere simply would not work.

"The structure of the building of Queen's Pier itself is not significant. It is because of the relationship with the Star Ferry Pier and City Hall that tells the history it contains.

"Because the government does not want it to be reconstructed in situ, therefore it comes up with thousands of other plans, but they are not going to implement it anyway."