'CE Fantastic, But No Need To Change Term Limit'

Executive Council convenor Bernard Chan said it’s “impossible” to find someone to replace Carrie Lam, but added that there’s no need for Hong Kong to follow Beijing's lead to remove the two-term limit on the chief executive.

Chan, who is in the capital for the National People’s Congress meeting, praised Lam's performance as Hong Kong's top official as "fantastic".

He said it’s “impossible” to find someone to replace her from outside the government when she’s due to step down some four years later.

The top adviser to Lam said the Chief Executive has been quick in responding to public concerns, citing the example of the fatal bus crash.

But Chan said that no one should expect the relationship between the executive and the legislature to be mended instantly.

"When it comes to these very politicised issues such as co-location, or integration with the mainland, I'm pretty sure there's not going to be a quick fix," he said.

Chan said the chief executive has done a “fantastic job” in coordinating government departments, given her background as a career civil servant.

He said people will have a “hard time” finding someone outside the government to replace her some four years later when she’s due to step down.

"I would consider myself as someone who knows the government better than most people on the outside. But when compared to Carrie Lam, I would not be even close as a match to her because she really knows the system well," he said.

But he said he doesn’t see the need for Hong Kong to lift the two-term limits on chief executive, like Beijing is proposing now for the Chinese president. He told RTHK's Timmy Sung that it would be difficult for Hong Kong society to come to a consensus on the matter.

"For the last twenty years, we do not have a chief executive who managed to get through two terms. So why are we talking about more than two terms?" he said.