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Despite the slings and arrows of the last two-and-a-quarter years, Hong Kong has not lost its way, but is simply engaged in a process of renewal, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, said today (Wednesday).

Speaking at the luncheon meeting of the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Mrs Chan said that Hong Kong is re-gearing and re-tooling for the 21st century.

She stressed: "We have not abandoned the values on which we have built our past success.

"Nor have we lost our appetite for self-examination and vigorous public debate, particularly over issues which are fundamental to our future success, such as the rule of law, press freedom and, above all, the role that they play in the autonomy we enjoy under the Basic Law.

"So long as we continue to enjoy - and more importantly protect - our promised high degree of autonomy and remain united in our efforts, then I see no good reason why Hong Kong should not forge ahead economically, socially and politically and maintain our position as Asia's premier international city."

On the economy side, Mrs Chan said that the Government has formulated, in a difficult environment, two very pro-active Budgets that helped alleviate some of the financial pain being felt by many in the community. The effects of those measures are now starting to trickle through, as evidenced by the recent signs of a pickup in consumer sentiment.

"A raft of reforms in the banking and financial market sectors are gradually falling into place, initiatives that will significantly strengthen our position and attractiveness as the major financial centre in the Asian timezone," she added.

Mrs Chan said the Government's policy has always been characterised as positive non-interventionism. The Government does not intervene unless it is in the overall public interest to do so. Its involvement in the Cyberport is a natural extension of this process.

"We are, after all, facing a revolution as potentially profound in its impact on humanity as the Industrial Revolution. And for us to sit on our hands debating the niceties of positive non-interventionism when a serious entrepreneurial opportunity is presented to us would not, I fear in the final analysis, win us any plaudits in this practical and progressive community," she said.

Noting that there is so much misguided talk about the Cyberport being a sweetheart property deal, she said: "Some people have lost track of what we have achieved at a stroke: a quality development which will be wholly owned by the Government and which has already attracted 12 big hi-tech names as anchor tenants, at minimum government outlay, with the potential for handsome profits for the taxpayers, in addition to the creation of a strategic cluster of information technology and service companies which will provide us with a front-grid position in the fast-moving digital world.

"What we have is a cyber based platform to help Hong Kong go up the value chain."

On the current debate triggered by the proposal for a Press Council on Privacy, she believed that, in a free and pluralist society which treasures the rights to free speech and a free press, this is a good thing.

"Firstly, it has allowed the whole community to express its concerns over the nature of reporting in some newspapers. The fact that more than half of those asked in a recent survey indicated they would support a Press Council even at the loss of some press freedom is a measure of the community's concern," she explained.

"Secondly, the way the profession and its representatives have reacted to this challenge, their determination to face squarely the questions of professional standards and ethics, demonstrates, I think, their maturity and responsibility.

"They are laying the ground work for self-regulation which must strike a balance between the freedom to publish without fear or favour and the concerns of the community that standards in some cases have become unacceptable."

Stressing that the Government has an open mind about the right way forward, Mrs Chan called on the community and media representatives at all levels to express their views freely.

She believed that the Law Reform Commission will listen carefully to the views expressed and that the Government looks forward to receiving their final recommendations on that important issue.

Turning to the issue of the rule of law, Mrs Chan noted that the preservation of the rule of law must be Hong Kong's top priority.

"We all instinctively know that our deeply-rooted legal system and our independent judiciary sets us apart from the rest of Asia. So does our free and prolific press," she added.

Photo:The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, addresses a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club.

End/Wednesday, September 29, 1999

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