Sole chief executive candidate John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to improve the Hong Kong civil service’s procedures and culture, while urging lawmakers “not to be stingy with praise” for a workforce he regards as having strong administrative abilities.

In his first meeting with lawmakers as chief executive-in-waiting on Sunday, the former No 2 official also vowed to communicate more frequently with them and maintain a proactive relationship if elected.

Thirty-nine of the 70 lawmakers attending spoke in the two-hour virtual meeting, during which some offered suggestions on reforming the colonial model of civil service governance to better monitor its performance.

Defending the 180,000-strong workforce, Lee said he regarded the civil servants he had worked with as having “excellent personal qualities and strong administrative abilities”, and asked lawmakers “not to be stingy with praise”.

“I hope legislators can acknowledge civil servants’ achievements if they have done a good job. Sometimes there are misunderstandings from another perspective,” the former chief secretary said. “Words of praise are their biggest drive to motivate them at work.”

However, Lee conceded there were limitations and an overlapping of duties, pledging to improve the systems, procedures and culture of the civil service.

Lee, who joined the government in 1977 as a policeman and rose through the ranks before becoming a politically appointed official, also pledged to have a “sincere, serious and respectful” attitude to communicate with lawmakers.

“Only a positive interaction between the executive and legislature can create maximum value for Hong Kong,” he said.

The Legco chamber.

In response to questions about his progress on forming a cabinet, Lee, who submitted his application for the May 8 election last Thursday, said he would assemble a diverse governing team that could complement each other and create synergies.

“I need people who have both talent and virtue in my cabinet. Under the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’, I believe there are many enthusiastic people who are willing to serve the city,” said Lee, who stopped short of revealing his ministerial picks.

All but three of the city’s 90 legislators had publicly supported Lee by coming forward with nominations on Thursday.

In Sunday’s meeting, Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen called on the executive team to listen to lawmakers’ opinions and strengthen social cohesion.

“The council can operate smoothly and effectively under a good executive-Legco relationship,” he said. “It helped with clearing the huge backlog of business on the agenda of the council, which is beneficial to our residents.”

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, who did not nominate the candidate, suggested Lee be forward-looking and conduct a complete revamp of the education curriculum. He also urged Lee to restructure government bureaus when forming his team ahead of taking office on July 1.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of the New People’s Party, also urged Lee to nurture or import data science talent from mainland China to strengthen the government’s ability to keep pace with technology.

Earlier in the day, former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying urged the present government to immediately plan for post-pandemic recovery on top of containing the outbreak. He also questioned why government officials did not travel overseas to promote the city given many countries had lifted their travel restrictions.

Former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying.

He noted there were fewer obstacles for the chief executive in Legco following Beijing’s overhaul of the electoral system, compared with his time in office.

Leung recalled that his plan to set up the Innovation and Technology Bureau was hindered by opposition lawmakers filibustering.

“Many things can be decided by Hong Kong people themselves and can kick off right away. It all depends on one’s own effort,” Leung, currently a vice-chairman of the country’s top advisory body, told a radio show. “It is not necessary for it to be something long term.”