CE Ready To Start Regular Visits To Legco Again

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Thursday that she will resume her monthly question sessions in Legco as she wants to strengthen her relationship with lawmakers.

Lam has kept a wide berth of the legislature this year in light of the protests she was constantly being greeted with.

But no pan-democratic legislators are left in the council now, and Lam says it's time for her to make her comeback.

"I want to consolidate the executive-legislature relationship. So with the agreement of the [Legco] president, I propose that I resume the monthly question time which lasts half an hour," she said in the council where she was answering questions on this week's Policy Address.

"Also if there is a need to follow up on members' questions, I undertake to give a response within 30 days," Lam added.

But even taking questions from government-friendly lawmakers wasn't all plain sailing during Thursday morning's meeting.

Roundtable legislator Michael Tien asked Lam whether in future she could give him credit when she takes up his ideas, to which he received a terse response from the CE.

"It seems that you have already got me into trouble. You said that this Policy Address is meant to help me run for a second term and you already got me into trouble because I don't have any such intention," Lam said.

It wasn't clear whether she was saying she had no intention of seeking another five years in office, or whether she was just denying that the Policy Address was aimed at helping her secure another term.

After the territory's social unrest erupted in the summer of 2019, the CE's relationship appeared to deteriorate not only with the pro-democracy camp but also with many traditionally pro-government lawmakers.

There were reports of heated exchanges between the CE and members of the pro-establishment camp who feared her handling of the disastrous extradition bill – and their unequivocal support of it – would destroy their chances of success in last year's district council elections.

The camp's fears proved to be well-founded and they were trounced in the polls.