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Following is the translation of the statement by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, in the Legislative Council today (Thursday) :
President, Honourable Members,
I wish to start by addressing an issue which we are all very concerned about. Last Wednesday, the Secretary for Security presented the findings of a survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department on the additional number of people who can claim right of abode in Hong Kong on the basis of the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) decision. This morning, the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration, accompanied by Bureau Secretaries, presented a detailed assessment of the impact which these arrivals would have on our community services in general and on the economy.
Population growth has always been a fundamental problem for Hong Kong. In the interest of the long term development of Hong Kong, we must not allow population growth to get out of control for the following reasons:
* We must sustain economic growth so as to create more wealth for the people of Hong Kong;
* We must ensure that the people of Hong Kong will enjoy a higher standard of living and the services that they deserve;
* We must also take into consideration the composition of our society.
Hong Kong will become a knowledge-based society in the 21st century. Aside from providing quality education, we need to absorb talents from the Mainland and other parts of the world to help push the economy forward and spur future development.
Earlier this year, before the CFA decision was made, I have already asked government departments concerned to initiate a study on a long term population policy. But this is a policy issue which will be dealt with separately.
As for the right of abode issue, from the findings we presented to this Council today, obviously Hong Kong will have difficulty in shouldering the population burden resulting from the CFA decision. Over the years, the standard of living of Hong Kong has been raised progressively through the efforts of our people. We must not allow these achievements to dissipate or Hong Kong to go downhill in the new millennium.
Of course, we are concerned about family reunion and humanitarian issues. However, if the additional 1.67 million people all come to Hong Kong within the next ten years, the consequences will be unimaginable.
We have been taking in children from the Mainland through the One-way Permit system of 150 quotas a day. We have accepted these children according to the Preparatory Committee's opinion on Article 24 of the Basic Law. On humanitarian ground, we have also allowed spouses of Hong Kong people to settle in Hong Kong for family reunion.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion on how we should address the serious population problem resulting from the CFA decision. Since this issue has arisen in the Special Administrative Region (SAR), of course it would be best if we could work out a solution on our own. We will definitely make an effort, but the possibility of our achieving this is not great.
Other possible solutions include amendment of the Basic Law by the National People's Congress or seeking an interpretation of the relevant provisions by its Standing Committee. Legal experts within the government are now studying various options.
Although the SAR Government has not yet made a final decision, I can assure the people of Hong Kong that the government will resolve this problem in a resolute and thorough manner as soon as possible. We shall do so in accordance with the Basic Law and in the long term interest of Hong Kong.
The Central Government has consistently supported the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. I am confident that a solution to the right of abode issue will be found and that "One Country, Two Systems" will be fully implemented as before.
Apart from this issue, I would also like to speak on environmental protection, because I know that this is something of great concern to many people.
Recently, deteriorating air quality and worsening pollution has provoked widespread discontent and criticism in the community. There has also been a lot of discussion and concern about sewerage treatment and waste disposal. Indeed, the Government can and need to do more in this aspect. I can assure you of our commitment to environmental protection, and to achieving the long term objective of sustainable development. This will remain our foremost task in 1999 and over the next few years. Environmental protection is not something that can be achieved overnight, but taking into consideration the overall coordination of our work, we will identify certain areas for priority treatment. I hope to be able to give a more detailed account of this in my Policy Address in October.
Thank you.
End/Thursday, May 6, 1999
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