Lee seemed pleased to report that he and his team had made good progress. He was happy to report that more than 200 key performance indicators (KPIs) he had set for the government were achieved. In his first political address, he set 110 indicators for specific tasks and KPIs that had to be achieved. Last year, he set 150 KPIs, of which 73 were new to the list.
Achieving more than 200 KPIs indicates that he is on the right track. That’s good, but what does it mean when all the items are checked off the list?
For Lee, this means that he has changed the culture of the government to create a results-oriented team. It is not easy to change the culture of an organization, let alone a government, so Lee deserves praise for this. With clear goals, objectives and tasks, he seems to be a capable administrator.
The distribution of key performance indicators set by Prime Minister John Lee Ka-chiu for his government in his 2022 government address.
His team failed in some areas, such as Waste fee regulationnow scrapped. In keeping with his positive thinking approach, Lee said he viewed it as Learning experience and a chance to make the right decision instead of political failure.
The scheme was originally proposed two decades ago and passed in the Legislative Council in 2021. Lee blames the shelving of the plan on previous governments that did almost nothing and his administration had to start “almost from scratch.” The conclusion for him and his team is that policy initiatives need to be adjusted or improved based on a better understanding of public opinion.
I hope Lee and his team focus on this because this is something that KPIs don’t reflect. Indicators can be ticked off the list in a flash, but if the public doesn’t understand their value and associate them with the government improving their lives, they are simply seen as ineffective.
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John Lee’s tough fight for Hong Kong’s future | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
John Lee’s tough fight for Hong Kong’s future | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
Lee’s government has done things that no previous government has accomplished. Article 23 Internal security regime and fulfilling Hong Kong’s obligation to protect national security is one of them. Hong Kong has received all the credit for that, but this government, after all the obstacles – including political opposition – have been removed to ensure smooth operation.
For Lee, it is important to have a team whose work meets his standards. However, he must acknowledge that he and his team must meet the expectations of both the public and the Central government.
We know that the Chief Executive is accountable to both the City and the central government. There is no doubt that the central government is steering this ship. While most people unable to choose those who are empowered to administer Hong Kong, even on the district levelTheir openness to the work of the government is important.
To keep people happy, it takes more than national security. Lee has reiterated his promise to Focus on the economybut it continues to fuel fears about unspecified threats for the good of the city.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee signs new national security regulation
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee signs new national security regulation
But now that’s not the lifeline he runs to when he needs to implement other policy initiatives. If his team is really doing a good job of protecting national security, the city has the tools and defenses to do so.
The best indicators of Hong Kong people’s well-being are what they have always been: Surveys on happiness And Birth rates, Mental health reports and so on. The Hong Kong Court of Inquiry dealt with a record of almost 1,100 suicide cases last year, the highest in 16 years. If we have learned from this, we should turn to the issues that affect people on a daily basis and address their concerns. This will show whether Lee’s ship is really on course.
Alice Wu is a policy consultant and former deputy director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA.
