HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged calm on Tuesday saying that threats of a taxi strike are unlikely to win public support and only endanger people’s livelihoods.
The chief executive cautioned against radical action days after the Hong Kong Tele-call Taxi Association said it would organize a five-day strike starting March 5 if the government did not crack down on illegal ride-hailing services.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Executive Council meeting Tuesday, Lee reiterated the government’s position had been very clear.
“Taxi services need to be improved. Ride-hailing platforms need to be regulated,” he said, adding that any drastic action would not solve the problem and inconvenience residents.
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He stressed that the escalating threat of a strike was more likely to make things worse, allowing “those with ulterior motives to hijack the issue”.
A number of representatives from the taxi sector had made it clear that radical action was not the way to go and that they would not participate in the strike, the CE said.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau is looking into the long-standing issue, the CE said, adding that it has issued licences for taxi fleets, among other measures, including studying how ride-hailing platforms may be regulated.
Lee hoped the stakeholders would engage meaningfully at an upcoming meeting held by a working group of the Transport Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
Xia Baolong’s visit
Asked about a recent inspection tour by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the CE said, “Secretaries under all bureaus all have a consensus on adopting a result-oriented approach.”
ALSO READ: Xia urges bold reforms, innovation for HKSAR
After returning from Harbin, Heilongjiang province, last Tuesday, he said, he had chaired a meeting on Xia’s visit with principal officials, urging them to work with a reformist mindset, including streamlining the procedures for the Northern Metropolis and leveraging the advantage under one country, two systems.
Database on carers
In response to an incident where a 78-year-old elderly man was found dead in a Tuen Mun public housing flat that he shared with his intellectually disabled son, Lee said the secretary for labour and welfare was liaising with different departments in order to establish a database on hidden carers.
“The earlier the database can be created, the better,” the CE said, adding that it need not be exhaustive at this stage but focus on obtaining relevant information within the scope permitted by law.
READ MORE: Time to care for our carers
Budget deficit
Lee said the preparation for the upcoming 2025-2026 Budget, set to be unveiled on Feb 26, had entered its final stage with the financial secretary keeping him appraised at all times.
