District Councillors A Headache For The Govt: CE

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that the government will take appropriate action to monitor the behaviour of the current crop of district councillors, saying they have been a major headache for the government because of their “unprecedented actions”.

Meeting reporters ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, the CE was asked why the Home Affairs Department (HAD) had issued warning letters to district councillors who distributed candles to people on the eve of the anniversary of the June 4 crackdown.

In response, Lam said the incumbent group of district councillors – the majority of them from the pro-democracy camp – present “immense challenges” to home affairs officials because they’ve been behaving in a way that has “never been seen before”.

As the unit responsible for managing local administration and district councillors’ salaries and funding, she said the Home Affairs Department will “respond appropriately” if councillors are found to have improperly used public funds or violated regulations.

Meanwhile, when asked whether her administration is trying to eradicate the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China – the pro-democracy group which for decades organised June 4 vigils – the CE simply said officials will act in accordance with the law.

She also told reporters that she has been invited to take part in a range of activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including a seminar on the relationship between One Country, Two Systems and the CCP, and an exhibition on the CCP's achievements.