Executive-led governance in Hong Kong must start by listening to the people

When Macau-affairs-office" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="18806" data-entity-type="organization">Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office director Xia Baolong recently described Hong Kong’s executive-led system as a distinct governance model, he elevated it from an administrative arrangement to constitutional doctrine. A doctrine is not merely about structure. It is about how governance power is exercised. In Hong Kong’s executive-led system, that exercise begins with engaging the governed.The national security white paper unveiled earlier this month highlights the need to achieve both high-standard security and high-quality development. Security and progress are mutually reinforcing, and a key bridge between them is engagement. Without structured engagement that builds consent, high-level security and high-quality progress cannot be fully realised.Under the Basic Law, the chief executive is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the head of the SAR government. Standing at the apex of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, the chief executive bears dual accountability – accountable to both the central people’s government and to Hong Kong.This dual responsibility is central to the governance philosophy. A sound structure does not automatically produce good governance; the governance philosophy of engaging the governed is vital.If the chief executive is the head of the system, the civil service is its backbone and operational limbs. Hong Kong’s civil servants have long been admired for their efficiency and competence. They are one of Hong Kong’s most valuable governance assets.Yet given Hong Kong society’s sophistication and rising expectations, administrative competence alone is insufficient. A system may still falter if it does not embed effective channels for aggregating public opinion and building consent in policy formulation and implementation.