Hong Kong Government's Public Consultation Strategy
En resumen
Lau Siu-kai advises Hong Kong to learn from mainland China's public consultation methods for its upcoming five-year plan, emphasizing the need for broad-based engagement beyond a publicity blitz.
Resumen generado por IA
Por qué importa
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to a Hong Kong think tank and former head of a government policy unit, has advised the Hong Kong government on its upcoming five-year plan consultation. He suggests learning from mainland China's methods for collecting public feedback.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank and former head of the government’s now-defunct Central Policy Unit, has warned as much, saying: “It took years for local governments on the mainland to master the research and strategic thinking required to deliver a robust five-year plan.”
With talk of the government gathering views from different sectors, including Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu joining sessions for direct feedback, it is important to also look at how the government will engage the public.
If it is planning a full-on publicity blitz to promote the consultation exercise, complete with television adverts, large banners and more, then it must be mindful of how it would look if ordinary people are left out of the exercise. The good news is that it can learn from how its mainland counterparts collect and process public feedback in their policymaking.
According to the foreign ministry, almost 4,000 suggestions and over 2 million online opinions were solicited for the government work report last year. For years, this system has been used to ensure broad-based consultation and engagement.
Preguntas abiertas
- What specific methods will the Hong Kong government use to engage the public beyond a publicity blitz?
- How will the Hong Kong government ensure that ordinary people are not left out of the consultation exercise?
- What are the potential challenges in adapting mainland China's consultation system to Hong Kong's context?
