LegCo to fully back HKSAR gov't in drafting Hong Kong's 1st five-year plan: LegCo president

HONG KONG, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will fully support the government in drafting Hong Kong's first five-year plan, LegCo President Starry Lee Wai-king said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Talking about LegCo's current and future priorities, Lee said that for the first time, LegCo and the HKSAR government have established a joint mechanism to gather public views. Within just one month, lawmakers organized nearly 100 consultation sessions, met with around 4,000 representatives across various sectors, and submitted a comprehensive report with nearly 600 written submissions to the administration.

Once the five-year plan is officially published, LegCo will invite HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee to a dedicated exchange session to explain policy rationales to the public via the LegCo platform, narrowing the distance between the government and the public, she said.

Lee noted that since taking office, John Lee has continuously strengthened and innovated communication between the executive and legislative branches, engaging in candid dialogues with lawmakers on various issues.

She believed that these normalized communication channels effectively resolve differences, align government policies more closely with public sentiment, and foster synergy in executive-legislative governance.

Another key priority for LegCo is to remain focused on addressing daily livelihood issues, relieving public hardship, and proactively tackling people's most urgent concerns, Lee added.

She said lawmakers now regularly visit local communities to bring public voices into LegCo and connect them with the government. Lawmakers generally believed that optimizing Hong Kong's "1823" hotline service will establish a more efficient channel for handling public requests, thereby enhancing citizens' sense of happiness and fulfillment.