A "honeymoon" period of around 100 days (roughly three months) usually follows the succession of government. The people of the city, the press in particular, carefully observe the new government's every move but usually they are more tolerant toward the government.

This is normal just about anywhere in the world. For example, before Barrack Obama was sworn in as US president on Jan 20, 2009, 68 percent of respondents in a public opinion poll on Jan 18 said they were "excited or happy" about his inauguration. Some analysts believed back then that the American people would give Obama more time to prove himself because they knew the challenges facing him were unprecedented. They also predicted the financial crisis could in some way work in his favor. It was widely believed Americans might be inclined to be more understanding and tolerant toward him than they normally would for a new president.

This relatively common occurrence around the world seems inapplicable in today's Hong Kong. Chief Executive (CE) Leung Chun-ying and the fourth SAR government appear particularly "unlucky" in this respect compared with his predecessors. Leung has been met with many difficulties and subjected to excessive nitpicking and criticism since he was sworn in. I see three causes for the confounding situation in which he finds himself:

The first one lies in the surfacing of deeper issues that have been building over the years. It is a well-known fact that Hong Kong has grown into the brilliant Pearl of the Orient over the past few decades, but not without accumulating some problems along the way. In the 15 years since the handover, some of problems were addressed to some extent. Others have been left untouched, intentionally or otherwise, and become major obstacles for the city's social and economic development.

Leung said in his election campaign policy agenda that it is time Hong Kong dealt with those lingering problems with more gusto and abandon instead of putting up with and suffering the pain. Doing so would inevitably mean some changes in the way the government deals with diverse and sometimes variant interests in the city.

Naturally, the existing way is considered sacred and fiercely guarded by those who benefit from it. That's why people in some corners of Hong Kong started demanding Leung's resignation even before he was sworn in as the new CE. It is sad but true, no matter where or when: it is always much easier for governments that follow the status quo than for those that try to make changes for the better.

The second cause is found in the opposition camp's philosophy, which evidently is, "oppose for opposition's sake." CE Leung was not able to carry out some of the policies and measures set out in his election campaign agenda, because his government organization plan was blocked by opposition lawmakers in the LegCo. A small group of radical members of the opposition followed senior government officials when they visited local communities to meet with local residents and disrupted their meetings. That made it very hard for the officials to hear what people had to say. To be perfectly fair, many Hong Kong residents are quite critical of the harassment meted out by the opposition parties.

The third cause is the need for time to "run in" for a new government. Apparently this is simply unavoidable. The newly-appointed senior officials in a freshly sworn-in government need time to know one another well enough to work together efficiently. Each has his own personality and work styles. Each has a different background. It's like a newly-formed orchestra that must rehearse until the musicians and conductor know one another well enough to present masterpieces the way they should sound, before giving concerts.

There are nearly 100 bureaus, departments and offices manned by about 160,000 public servants in the SAR government. There is a very sophisticated system in terms of structure and operational protocols. Every single one of these requires great attention, particularly from senior officials, and time to fine-tune their teamwork.

Despite the difficulties and obstacles, in my opinion, the new SAR government has done rather well since taking office. CE Leung already won popular support for five major policy measures designed to improve people's livelihood announced on July 16 in a Q&A session of the LegCo.

Also, regarding the introduction of the moral and national education (MNE) subject in primary and secondary school curricula across Hong Kong, the government has made it clear the course is necessary but has given schools three years to work out their own textbook content and manner of delivery rather than throwing a uniform course with standard teaching materials in their laps. This accommodating and flexible approach toward the MNE program has won praise and support from many people across the social spectrum, but some ill-advised parties insist on forcing the government to withdraw the subject, which shows how unreasonable and irresponsible they are toward public interest.

The author is a Hong Kong member of the CPPCC and former secretary for home affairs of the HKSAR government.

(HK Edition 08/30/2012 page3)