Carrie Lam
Let's face reality. To ensure Hong Kong remains competitive, we have to uphold a very low tax regime.
There is no point helping some people when, the next day or when the next family comes into your office, you are not able to help them.
If the chief executive cannot have a party background, how can she ensure her team is wholeheartedly united?
I will comprehensively review the education system with my team to create a stable, caring, and inspiring environment for students, parents, teachers, and principals.
We will value public engagement.
Good policies need to come with good visions.
The SCMP, in short, reveals the renewed spirit of Hong Kong driven by my government - connect and excel - and in its passionate commitment to the community.
I am confident the SCMP and Hong Kong will continue to grow and prosper, hand in hand, in this 21st century of opportunity.
As a chief executive determined to lead Hong Kong to new heights, I am keenly aware of the immense responsibilities on my shoulders.
The path for the democratic development of Hong Kong since the return to the motherland has been full of twists and turns. We have had some successes and some failures.
Sometimes, government officials and legislators disagree on policies or issues. Yet, we invariably want the best for Hong Kong people.
In the back of my mind, always, is the firmly held belief that public policies must serve the long-term interests and well-being of the community at large.
I do believe Hong Kong's 5 million eligible voters want the chance to elect their chief executive.
When Hong Kong was under British administration, governors were dispatched from London to govern this city. We had no say in the matter.
Although universal suffrage may not be a panacea for all social problems, it does have a profound bearing on the democratic development and governance of a place.
Those who care about constitutional development should look beyond universal suffrage for the chief executive election and turn their sights to universal suffrage for Legco as well.
With universal suffrage, every chief executive candidate must face the seven million people of Hong Kong, explain his or her political platform and mission, and win over the people by addressing their interests and concerns.
Governance under a chief executive elected by universal suffrage will give fresh impetus to economic and livelihood policies.
Most elderly are retirees with relatively low incomes. But some may possess assets, and they will be classified as poor. As such, the elderly poverty rate could be overstated.
It's clear that means testing can direct limited resources to the elderly in need and achieve better results in poverty alleviation.
Low rents mean families have more resources to improve their quality of life and invest in the next generation, facilitating upward mobility.
Laws, especially those of a constitutional nature like the Basic Law, which have been formulated through reasonable legislative processes, should never be freely interpreted or lightly abandoned.
Real politics should work for the long-term and overall interests of the community.
A consensus on realising the goal of universal suffrage is not unattainable if we bear the common good in mind, move a step further, and try to resolve the differences or even stop insisting on some of one's own views.
In my opinion, serving the common good is the true purpose of politics and is also the perspective through which our community should consider constitutional reform.
I firmly believe that the wider community supports achieving the goal of universal suffrage for 2017 according to law. I also believe most political parties do not want to see a failure to attain the goal.
Implementing universal suffrage for the 2017 election is a big step forward along our road to democracy. This is not only a solemn commitment of the central authorities to Hong Kong but also the aspiration shared by seven million Hong Kong people.
We should widen our economic base and encourage businesses to move up the value chain and increase job diversity.
Hong Kong needs population growth to cope with a rapidly ageing population.
A well-educated, hard-working, flexible, and enterprising workforce has always been one of Hong Kong's greatest strengths.
We should strive to be the most sophisticated and efficient platform for the world to do business with the mainland and for Chinese enterprises to be connected with the world.