Chief Executive John Lee said the time is ripe for various sectors in Hong Kong to speed up reform, and there is no exception for the government especially after the country adopted a resolution on further deepening reform to advance Chinese modernisation. Speaking on a new season of the RTHK programme Overview Policy, Lee said he has been trying to push for reform since he took office in 2022. "At that time, I used milder words, such as 'change'. That's because everybody will interpret the reform differently," he said. The CE said reform is never easy, as it often affects people with vested interests or forces people to leave their comfort zone, so it's necessary to convince the public why reform is necessary. "Some of the elements of success Hong Kong rode on in the past may not work anymore... Mainland cities are improving very quickly, with new technologies and systems. They have a stronger social basis and are more receptive to reform." He said businesses must adapt amid the city's economic transformation and changes in consumption patterns for locals and visitors alike. "If [businesses] don't carry out reform, they'll be phased out," he said. The chief executive said society has reached a consensus on the need for reform. "Now, we only have to tell people the disadvantages of not carrying out reform and the advantages of reform. Society already knows about it." The CE said the government needs to embrace reform as well, and that he's told senior staff to be more proactive. "You have to strike first. Before a problem surfaces, it's best that you foresee the problem and correct it... if there are ambiguous situations, just step in, instead of wasting time to debate who should take responsibility," he said. Lee also said principal officials have been ordered to face the public more by disseminating messages regularly on social media, so the public knows the government is tackling problems whenever they arise.
