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Following is a speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the kick-off ceremony of "Healthy Living into the 21st Century" campaign on June 20, 1998:

Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues and TV viewers,

The massive "Healthy Living into the 21st Century" campaign launched by the Government of the Special Administrative Region is closely and directly related to each and every member of our community. Through this campaign, we hope to arouse people's awareness of personal and public health, promote the concept of dietary health and upgrade the overall standard of food qualities and sanitary conditions in Hong Kong.

Over the past few months, a number of major incidents, such as the outbreak of cholera cases, avian flu and red tide, happened in Hong Kong. These incidents have not only jeopardised our public health, changed our dietary habits, but have also inflicted considerable loss to our economy and blemished our international image.

All along, we have claimed that Hong Kong is a highly civilised and prosperous city. However, when we walk in the street, we cannot stop asking ourselves if the description "highly civilised" is perhaps too good for Hong Kong. The outbreak of a spate of incidents of hygiene nature within a short span of time is a warning that the sanitary conditions of Hong Kong are of a seriously low level.

This unpleasant situation is not brewed in a day. Our government is accountable for the main causes for these incidents. The major responsibilities of keeping our public health also lie with our government. We will definitely work with extra efforts in this area. To this end, we have decided to launch the large scale "Healthy Living into the 21st Century" campaign. The objective of this campaign is to disseminate through various activities to the entire community the message that it is now time to carry out radical changes to our environmental hygiene.

I hope that this campaign would help us to give Hong Kong a face-lift in three years: our streets, parks, beaches and harbour are all clean; the hygienic condition of our public toilets and markets should be up to an acceptable level by international standards; the general public have a better concept of health and a higher awareness of personal, food and environmental hygiene; and the incidence of epidemic diseases will be reduced.

To meet these standards, I think work has to be done in two areas. On the one hand, we have to step up prosecution against acts that jeopardise our environmental hygiene. On the other hand, we have to consider imposing more severe penalty on offenders.

But most important of all is that we have to launch a series of publicity and educational programmes to encourage our people to attach importance to the work relating to our environmental hygiene. Through the promotion of civic awareness in the community, we shall encourage people from various social sectors, irrespective of age, to take an active part in this campaign. Efforts of individual members of the community in keeping places clean will start from home. In this way, I am sure the campaign will achieve good results with extensive and genuine effects.

"Healthy Living into the 21st Living" is just the beginning of our work. To overhaul our environmental hygiene, there is still a lot to be done. To be held responsible for the health of our people and to maintain Hong Kong's status as an international cosmopolitan city, the SAR Government will work conscientiously with the people and adopt all possible and effective measures to achieve our targets. "Healthy Living into the 21st Century" is a campaign that concerns everybody. I appeal to the whole community for their full support of this campaign to make Hong Kong a healthy city.

Thank you.

End/Saturday, June 20, 1998

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