Former Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen has said that the longer it takes for candidates to enter the race for the 2017 Chief Executive election, the more favourable it is for Leung Chun-ying’s re-election.
The former Chief Executive-candidate said on a RTHK television programme that it is “unusual” no one has declared their candidacy yet.
“Whoever is interested in taking part in the election won’t have enough time,” he added.
Tang said he would not run for Chief Executive again, but the experience of the previous election was “unforgettable”. He said he had too little time to prepare for the election back in 2012 as he had to fulfil responsibilities as Chief Secretary, while Leung “had many years of preparation”.
When asked about his opinion on Leung’s administration, Tang said the Chief Executive has the constitutional responsibility to protect the One Country, Two Systems agreement.
“Recently, I always hear about ‘one country’, but rarely do I hear about ‘two systems’,” he added.
He also said that while it is understandable that Hong Kong people identify with their community, the talk of Hong Kong’s independence will never amount to anything.
“I’m Chinese, but I will support the Hong Kong team. I think it’s normal for Hongkongers to feel that way.”
Tang said although Leung did well on housing policies, the outcomes were far from satisfactory, as the average waiting time for applicants to be allocated public housing has become longer. He said Leung should not blame opposition from some members of the public for the government’s difficulty in identifying land for development.
