Awards 2022 | Incumbent Chief Executive Li Jiachao awarded himself an award? Scholars propose a solution

The government announced today (27th) the list of Justices of the Peace to be awarded and appointed in 2022. Among them, the current Chief Executive, Li Jiachao, was awarded the highest honor, the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the first incumbent Chief Executive to be awarded the Medal.

This year's award list was originally scheduled to be announced at the end of June, but the government said it was delayed due to preparations for the return to the 25th anniversary series, during which the government has changed.

This may lead to an embarrassing phenomenon: in the past, the incumbent chief executive was responsible for awarding the medals to the relevant persons at the awarding ceremony. When the ceremony is held later, who will award the medals to Li Jiachao?

Liu Zhaojia, vice president of the National Association for Hong Kong and Macau Studies, believes that this time is purely an exceptional event, and it is better for Li Jiachao to skip the awarding process.

▼Previous Chief Executives were awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal▼

List of Grand Bauhinia Medals:

1. Current Chief Executive Li Jiachao

2. Liberal Party Leader Zhang Yuren

3. Permanent Judge Li Yi of the Court of Final Appeal

4. Liao Changcheng, Chairman of the University of Science and Technology Council

5. Wang Yingwei, Chairman of the Arts Development Bureau

6. Lin Jianyue, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

7. National Wu Haohao, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

In the past, the incumbent Chief Executive was responsible for the awarding ceremony in the new year of the government.

Since the return to the present, successive chief executives have been awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal, but none of them were awarded during their tenure.

Among them, Tung Chee-hwa was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2006, one year after leaving office; Donald Tsang was awarded when he was Chief Secretary for Administration in 2002; Leung Chun-ying was awarded when he was the Convenor of the Executive Council in 2011; Awarded during his tenure as Chief Secretary for Administration in 2016.

In the press announcement, the government stated that the people awarded this year were all awarded the honors and awards by former Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

However, looking at the past awards ceremony after the change of government, the awards in 2017, even if they were awarded in the name of the Leung Chun-ying government before the change of government, the awards ceremony in October of the same year were all awarded by Carrie Lam is responsible for awarding honors and certificates.

Similarly, in 2012, Tsang announced the list of awards before he took office, and it was also Leung Chun-ying who presided over the award ceremony in December of the same year.

▼Seven people were awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal▼

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Li Jiachao: I am deeply honored to receive the honor

In other words, there is an unprecedented situation this year: the incumbent chief executive is awarded an award before the change of government.

And according to the above logic, Li Jiachao may have to "reward himself".

At least two members of the selection committee for the awards and unofficial justices of the peace all told the "Hong Kong 01" reporter that they did not know the relevant arrangements.

"Hong Kong 01" is now inquiring about the arrangement in the Administration Department and the Chief Executive's Office. When the Chief Executive's Office replied, he only expressed his deep honor to be awarded the honor, "Thank you to the former Chief Executive, and to people from all walks of life for their support of my public service for more than 40 years. ".

Liu Zhaojia believes that the situation is rare and purely exceptional. It is better for Li Jiachao to omit the awarding process and award medals directly to other recipients.

He pointed out that at the political level, there is no reason to ask an official who is lower than the Li family to award the award. It would be strange if the award should be awarded by the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and it would not be appropriate for the Liaison Office to be in charge, because she represents the central government. is a local affair.

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