Press Release

 

 

Speech by Chief Secretary for Administration

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Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the 39th Annual Conference Rotary International District 3450 held at Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre this (Saturday) morning:

District Governor, Mr Hung, Conference Chairman, Mr Fan, Mr Forrest, ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank the District Governor for his very kind introduction. And I want to say that I am truly delighted to be here and to have the honour of addressing the annual conference of such an active Rotary International district. I understand that 3450 is one of the premier districts in the Rotary world, which certainly speaks volumes for the valuable contribution you make to the well-being of our community, as well as to other communities around the world.

The work of Rotarians - whether in Hong Kong, Macau or on the other side of the globe - reminds me of a passage written by the famous American novelist and humanitarian, Pearl S Buck; when she said, "to serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind". More than anything, I believe, those words written some 30 years ago, encapsulate the spirit of Rotary International.

Your untiring efforts to help your fellow man have earned Rotary the distinction of being one of the most respected service organisations in the world today. This can be underscored by the 'PolioPlus' project you embarked upon back in 1985 - in partnership with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the Centres for Disease Control - to eradicate polio. But even closer to home, I know that District 3450 is very much involved in a rehabilitation programme following the disastrous floods in parts of the Mainland last summer. The project involves constructing over 100 houses in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, so hundreds of people left homeless by the floods won't be affected again.

This is just one example of the many projects you've undertaken in the Mainland over the past five years, including the construction of more than 100 schools for which over $30 million was raised by Rotarians from District 3450. As well, you have contributed generously to the setting up of a polio vaccine production centre in Kunming.

I believe this global-related spirit of Rotary, in itself, also reflects the image of Hong Kong as a cosmopolitan city with a true international outlook - an outlook, and an attitude, that we must continue to embrace as we settle into our new identity as a Special Administrative Region of China.

From time to time, I come across commentaries or analyses in different newspapers and journals that say Hong Kong is in danger of becoming just another ordinary Chinese city. That we are somehow losing our cosmopolitan flavour.

These assertions are simply not true although I would agree we need to be careful that our international outlook is not diluted. Of course, we are an integral part of China. Our roots are inextricably intertwined. Our culture, background, history are deeply embedded in traditions going back centuries. And that is why we encourage people, particularly the younger ones, to get to know more about the Mainland - its systems, history, geography, the people and their way of life. After all, we are a part of it. And by doing this, we can get a clearer understanding of our own position and so better appreciate the true measure of the unique concept of "one country two systems", which was first enunciated by Deng Xiaoping some 20-odd years ago.

That simple, but complex phrase ensures Hong Kong can, and does, function well with a high degree of autonomy under separate legal, administrative, monetary and political systems. And our constitutional document, the Basic Law, entrenches the international status of Hong Kong so that we can continue to play a part on the world scene - not only maintaining close contact with our overseas partners in business and trade, but participating in international organisations, conferences, cultural exchanges, entertainment and the arts, and encouraging a two-way flow of people, ideas and businesses from around the world.

While having these guaranteed in our constitution clearly sets the foundations for our future development, we need to be more pro-active in keeping Hong Kong in the international limelight - a place with innovation, ideas, imagination, a can-do spirit, and a city that means business. In other words, doing what we have done in the past, but doing it better. I know the Asian financial crisis has taken its toll on the region, and we in Hong Kong certainly haven't been spared the pain and suffering. But I believe we are slowly turning the corner, and the Financial Secretary's recent budget may well restore something that has been missing over the past few months - the 'feel good' factor.

There is nothing like changing attitudes to stimulate the power of positive thinking. And more than ever we need to capitalise on that. To push ourselves even harder. And to put the shine back on our international image. By that, I don't mean that we have lost our way, but there are misconceptions abroad that give the impression that our standards are slipping. One area of concern that is often raised, both overseas by the international community and by our own people in Hong Kong, is our language skills. Our positive move towards mother-tongue teaching - a policy I might add that was started in the early 80s well before the handover - has been wrongly interpreted in some quarters as a move away from English teaching. Nothing could be furtherest from the truth.

English remains one of our two official languages. It is the lingua franca of business, which is what Hong Kong is all about. It is the working language in the Civil Service and in our courts. And we as a government recognise its importance. That's why we are putting additional resources into the most effective methods of teaching the subject, by recruiting native English-speaking teachers from overseas - up to 750 of them over five years - to ensure our students are given the best chance of improving their English language skills. And even where schools adopt Chinese as the medium of instruction, we are providing additional teaching resources to strengthen the teaching of English in these schools. We are also establishing 'English corners' in schools to create an environment for stimulating English learning and speaking; providing more funds for buying English learning materials and teaching aides; and funding school-based English language programmes for extra-curricular activities.

These are just some of the initiatives we are implementing to ensure our future generations will have the necessary language skills to be able to read and write in English and Chinese, and to speak Cantonese, English and Putonghua fluently. Our efforts are being supported by tertiary education institutions and other training organisations, such as our Vocational Training Council and the Employment Retraining Board; and in the private sector, where a number of large companies and professional associations have their own language training units. These include the Hongkong Bank, the Hang Seng Bank, Jardine's, the Law Society and the Society of Accountants.

With all these programmes and additional resources, I hope you can see we are certainly not downgrading the importance of English. If anything, we are increasing our commitment to it. The budget again spells out clearly our emphasis on education as a whole with a record $44 billion investment next year - the single biggest item of our recurrent expenditure; as it was last year and the year before that, and as it will be in the years ahead.

While education is crucial to our development and to shaping how our future generations view Hong Kong and its place in the world, we already have well established reputations and systems which clearly stamp us as the freest and most open economy in the region. Freedom of information and freedom from censorship have remained one of Hong Kong's distinguishing features. A free press remains a vigorous spur to the government, to politicians and to business. Access to information from any newspaper, journal, Internet source or other media channels is one of our greatest strengths. It is stimulating not just to business and commerce, but also to ideas, to culture and to greater understanding with all parts of the world.

And we are building on those freedoms. Bringing in new technologies to further expand access to information. One example is the creation of the 'cyberport'. This will offer the best working and living environment, and facilities for leading-edge information technology and services companies. An environment where we can upgrade our existing economic activities, create new products and expose them to the electronic world market. Products that will support business and industries and provide new opportunities for our young people. It will also strengthen our position as Asia's most cosmopolitan city - a place where ideas and information flow freely. The classic example of a truly open society.

This sharing of ideas and information on an international level is given further stimulus within the government through the establishment last year of the Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers - a 14-member panel of business leaders from around the world who advise Mr Tung on strategic issues relating to the long-term development of Hong Kong from the international perspective. And this is bolstered by a free and open exchange of views with members of the International Business Committee (IBC)-- a committee set up by my predecessor in late 1989 to provide a sounding board and forum for international business representatives in Hong Kong to discuss with the government issues and perceptions affecting the business environment. Presently the IBC has 22 representatives from local and foreign chambers of commerce and other organisations in Hong Kong.

The Council of International Advisers and the International Business Committee are just two organisations that help to ensure we, as a government, and Hong Kong as a community, retain our global outlook. To keep our vision broad and deep. But we are fortunate, indeed, to have within our community a sizeable number of expatriates from the far flung corners of the world who contribute greatly to our unique culture and have helped fuel Hong Kong's success over the years. We are determined to make this community more welcome in Hong Kong, and to remain the city of choice for companies wanting to establish a base in the region.

There is probably no other city in the world with such an active international business community represented by so many high-profile chambers of commerce or business associations. Comparisons can sometimes be odious, but in this case I believe the position is best illustrated by the American presence here. A presence that is already bigger than many Americans back in the States realise - over 1,100 companies; the biggest American chamber of commerce outside the US; and over 35,000 Americans living in Hong Kong. It is a measure of their faith, and the faith of the tens of thousands of others in the expatriate community, in the future of Hong Kong as Asia's premier international city. A city where just about every conceivable sector of the economy has some global connection, and a liberal visa regime to encourage it.

The government, too, continues to benefit from the service of expatriate civil servants. Understandably, while numbers have dropped over the past two years, we now still have some 800 expatriate civil servants, many of them in the senior directorate. There have been occasions where they represented the HKSAR Government and formed part of the PRC delegations at international fora that can only be participated by sovereign states. This mix of local and overseas talent stimulates discussion on the administration's approach to policy-making decisions and ways in which issues can be tackled most effectively. Article 101 of the Basic Law provides that foreign nationals may be recruited to fill professional and technical posts in government departments. And we will continue to employ expatriates as and when the need arises, if the expertise is not readily available within the Civil Service or in Hong Kong. Our expatriate colleagues have been and will remain important assets of the government.

If we are to continue to attract the right people, or businesses, to come to Hong Kong, we must address urgently the problem of environmental pollution. We have done a lot in the area of conservation. Not many people know that the area under forest cover has increased by an even greater margin than the population growth over the past 50 years, or that nearly 40 per cent of our land has been set aside as country parks. But there is no question that the quality of life, particularly our air and water quality, is causing increasing concern. We are intensifying our efforts to reduce pollution from existing sources, whether from vehicles, sewerage or industry, and to strengthen our co-operation with the Guangdong Province so that we can tackle the problem on a regional basis.

But perhaps the overriding and single most important factor woven into the fabric of Hong Kong society, and one on which our success has been built and our future determined, is the rule of law. And this fact is recognised both domestically and internationally. It has protected our freedom and underwritten our progress and prosperity. It has ensured a level playing field for local and foreign investors alike. It has provided certainty that contracts can be enforced and commercial disputes can be arbitrated and resolved impartially and in a civilised manner.

Hong Kong is an extraordinary city. Making sure that Hong Kong remains so, with an international outlook, in which millions of talented and creative people can live together happily, healthily and freely in an enjoyable, sustainable environment is the most important common enterprise that we have in Hong Kong. And I'm sure there is a significant role for Rotarians to play as we strive to achieve our goals.

I hope you have an extremely productive conference and may Rotary International District 3450 go from strength to strength into the new millennium.

Thank you very much.

END/Saturday, March 20, 1999

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