Government Denies Capitalising On Lack Of Opposition

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung has defended Chief Executive Carrie Lam's annual policy address delivered on Wednesday, describing it as "very meaty, very substantial and very forward looking."

Speaking on an RTHK phone-in, Cheung cited the government's Lantau Tomorrow Vision plan, a huge reclamation project off Lantau that officials insist will provide much-needed housing in the long term.

Cheung denied that the government was pushing forward with controversial projects when – as one caller put it – there was a lame-duck legislature with no electoral mandate.

"We're not taking advantage of the so-called Legco vacuum – the absence of the pan-democrats in Legco – to push through difficult things. We're doing it for Hong Kong's long-term good," he said.

Earlier this month, pan-democrat legislators announced their resignation after four of their colleagues were removed from office following a ruling by the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Cheung was also asked about the government's plan to revamp the liberal studies subject in secondary schools. The subject was introduced to promote critical thinking, but many pro-Beijing figures have blamed it for last year's social unrest.

Cheung was asked whether "Xi Jinping Thought" would appear in any future revamp.

"The answer is that ideology is not the highlight of that particular curriculum so-called revamping," he said.

When pressed that a highlight was not the same as not teaching it, Cheung said the governing policy of China would be touched on.

The chief secretary was also asked why he was appearing on the English-language phone-in, instead of his boss. It was the second year running the chief executive hadn't appeared.

The chief secretary said Lam appears every Tuesday before the Executive Council meeting and takes questions in English, including those from the international media.