Policy Address not for popularity: HK chief executive

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung said on Friday in an English-language radio phone-in program that doing his maiden Policy Address was not for popularity reasons.

The fact is his popularity ratings had risen after delivering the policy report. Leung said he welcomed the results of the latest poll, but he did not do the Policy Address for popularity reasons.

"If I did I would have kept many of the things that were popular, that I knew would be popular with the public, up my sleeve until the Policy Address."

He said things such as the Old Age Living Allowance and many other housing-related measures that were popular went out before the Policy Address. "We knew they would be popular, so we did not have as many bright spots in the Policy Address."

Asked whether he would end the small house policy in New Territories, Leung said the government needs to respect the policy 's existence, but at the same time, it can not let the policy go on indefinitely because of the land shortage.  

"We need to respect the history of the small house policy, why it came about in the first place. It is a rather complex and controversial issue. Sooner or later the government will have to deal with this."

Leung also said he expects to unite everyone in the city as members of the Hong Kong family. "As far as I am concerned everyone in Hong Kong should feel that Hong Kong is not just home, but also family."