Can Lam Tackle HK's Land Shortage?

David Akers-Jones says Carrie Lam must tackle land shortages firmly

Former chief secretary David Akers-Jones has some advice for incoming chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor -- get tough on tackling Hong Kong's problems, in particular land shortages, describing it as a "shame and disgrace".

Now 90, Akers-Jones was a supporter of Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee during the CE race, but says Lam is "a determined person who has a gentle side to her nature".

While he would not comment on if the civil service produced better leaders than businessmen turned politicians, like Leung Chun-ying who (who he supported), Akers-Jones admits Hong Kong's colonial past was partly to blame for a lack of "clear assumption of responsibility".

He said the colonial civil service took a "positive non-intervention" approach, and left the task of finding solutions to social problems with the private sector.

There are a number of brownfield sites in the New Territories

No wonder the government today has such a laissez-faire approach to what are now very serious social issues, particularly low-income housing, education, and skyrocketing rents.

However, he noted Leung had a more interventionist approach when it came to increased welfare spending.

"I feel Carrie Lam would have to deal with... social problems with a strong hand," he suggested.

Akers-Jones said land supply needed urgent solutions, as it was a "shame" that much of Hong Kong's 1,192 hectares of brownfield sites are now owned by major developers.

"Management of land is a disgrace of the government. When I went to Yuen Long in 1962, it was surrounded by paddy fields... now look at it," he said, referring to where there are a lot of brownfield sites.

"We must reach an amicable agreement between ourselves and the owners of the brownfields, [as] we reached an amicable agreement in the 1960s in the building of new town."

Is Lam CY 2.0 or not? We shall find out in the coming months

That was then, this is now. The issues are more complex, and also residents are more outspoken and concerned about their living environment and of course property values. The stakes are much higher, but the housing problem definitely needs to be tackled.

Other issues Akers-Jones is concerned about including poverty and the ageing population, which he describes as "extremely difficult problems" to be solved.

But he is optimistic Lam will find creative solutions if she and her administration look at problems honestly and listen to the people.

However, from seeing how she performed as chief secretary under Leung, Lam will have to radically change the way she does things to convince us she is really honest about wanting to make Hong Kong better.

Many of us have yet to be convinced she won't be another CY 2.0...

Regina's Bumbling Start

Yesterday Regina Ip announced she will run for Hong Kong's top job

Ah Regina, you're one of the first out of the gate, but not many are impressed with your campaign start so far.

Yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee formally announced her candidacy for the next chief executive with the slogan "Win Back Hong Kong".

But many wondered why the need to win it back? From whom?

There was also a major blunder with the Chinese version of the slogan. Trying to be clever, in the character "win" or "yeng", the bottom part was removed to put the English word "win", but then the upper part of the character is associated with death... was she making a premonition?

Critics say she has a few errors in her campaign slogan...

Apparently the English version of her platform is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors, which does not bode well, nor the fact that while she was keen to give the impression she was sporty, she proposed Hong Kong bid for the 2021 National Games. But in fact it was already announced November last year that the annual athletic games would be held in Shaanxi province.

Someone didn't do their fact checking.

Other than that, during her 45-minute presentation, Ip made no effort to try to make herself more personable or friendly, talking about her background to demonstrate her motivation to want to run.

Instead she launched straight into the nine policy areas she would tackle, such as land supply and public finance, and education. Ip also wants to bring back Article 23 to the Legislative Council to pass. Good luck with that...

Even members of the audience didn't seem that enthusiastic about what she had to offer. There is also the lack of heavyweights who attended yesterday's event, aside from former chief secretary David Akers-Jones, who seems to have weird choices in who he thinks is best for the job. His last choice was Leung Chun-ying...

After the announcement, Ip took questions from the media, but eyebrows were raised when a TVB reporter asked a question in English, but Ip replied in Cantonese.

Maybe she was nervous?

Already Endorsing Regina Ip

Regina Ip may be making her big announcement next Thursday

The race for the next Hong Kong Chief Executive hasn't officially started but it's already getting interesting.

Former Chief Secretary David Akers-Jones has thrown is support behind New People's Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee even though she hasn't officially thrown her hat into the ring.

She apparently has plans to do so next Thursday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

David Akers-Jones already endorses Ip for Chief Executive

However, we have to remember that Akers-Jones backed Leung Chun-ying when he ran for the top job in 2012.

Last year Akers-Jones defended Leung's failure to to meet the target of building 85,000 flats a year during Tung Chee-hwa's administration because Leung was a cabinet advisor at the time.

Akers-Jones said Leung was "familiar with the problems of Hong Kong", but "doesn't have the art of making or causing people to love him".

How is that a good excuse?

It seems like no one in the Leung administration is familiar with the problems in Hong Kong at all -- they appear to be so far removed from the realities that average residents are going through -- depressed wages, high rents, inflation, losing jobs, crowded MTR trains and so on.

Over 500,000 people protested against Article 23 in 2003

That on top of the perceived collusion between government and developers, and nothing constructively being done about pollution, increasing waste, both construction and food, and then that big picture demand for democracy.

Is Ip the right woman for the job considering she was the security minister who tried to pass Article 23 and hundreds of thousands of people marched in the streets in July 2003, forcing her to back down?

She may think she has moved on, having studied in California and returned forming a new political party.

But we all know she's probably eager to finish off what she didn't get to complete 13 years earlier...

Akers-Jones doesn't seem to have a good track record of picking good candidates...

Hong Kong's Liability

Leung Chun-ying is hardly the public's favourite politician these days

On Tuesday evening I went to a hotel in Admiralty for a dinner presented by an American guest chef.

I and another friend arrived on time, but then were told to wait 20 minutes, as all the diners would be served at the same time.

But after we were seated half an hour later, it wasn't until almost another hour later before dinner started, hosted by the hotel.

It turns out there was an incident downstairs and hotel staff, including the general manager had to handle a crisis situation.

A local university was holding an event to thank someone for donating to the tertiary institution. However, a group of students crashed the party, claiming the donation had dubious origins.

And to create more drama, one of the students even threatened to jump -- from one floor above.

The hotel had to call police and ambulances just in case, and the incident was eventually resolved.

David Akers-Jones says Leung is not loveable...

Perhaps one of the main reasons why the students barged in on the event was because Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was there.

While his popularity has now stabilized from free fall, his presence anywhere is a liability.

Or did the university not know that?

Former chief secretary David Akers-Jones who was also a Leung supporter (though we don't know now), recently described the chief executive as having a reticent personality, "and he doesn't have the art of making or causing people to love him".

"If you look at people we have known, CH Tung, David Wilson... Look at the queue when Edward Youde died, and yet he's a very strict man, but they loved him... but CY, I have said it for you," Akers-Jones said.

Not exactly flattering.

If Leung wants to go for another term, he'll have to do a serious makeover.

Any bets for him in 2017?