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The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
Following is a transcript of remarks by the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo), Mr Lam Woon-kwong, at a media session on the 2015 Policy Address in the Legislative Council Complex this afternoon (January 14):
This is the third Policy Address of the Chief Executive and also the mid-term Policy Address of the current Administration. It is a very pragmatic piece of work. It reports on progress and also highlights the continuing investments in various social policies. The Chief Executive also highlighted that if we want to progress smoothly, we need the community's wide support and we need to make hard choices. So I do hope that everybody will read it carefully. I also ask the Policy Bureau Secretaries will continue to explain the details of these schemes and policy proposals so that the community can make the wise choice and judgement.
Reporter: You said that the society needs to work together. But Mr Leung just now pointed at the Hong Kong University student paper and created more social division. How exactly is Mr Leung really going to draw the society together?
Convenor of the ExCo Non-official Members: We are a Special Administrative Region under the sovereignty of our mother country. Any promotion or advocacy on independence is totally inappropriate. I think the Chief Executive has just pointed that particular point out.
Reporter: The students responded by saying that they were just discussing the topic, not really advocating it. Is it that they can't even discuss it?
Convenor of the ExCo Non-official Members: I think we have spoken enough on this topic, please. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:59
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