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Following is the translation of the statement by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the Legislative Council session today (Thursday) on the Executive-Legislature Relationship:

Madam President, Council members,

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you and address issues of common concern. I have noticed that recently some Legislative Council Members, political parties and members of the community have expressed opinions about the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature. The discussion about the executive-legislature relationship has been extended to cover the introduction of a ministerial system, as well as the acceleration of political development. I would like to take the opportunity today to share with you my views and position on these issues.

As we review the governance of Hong Kong in the last year or so, it is true that certain issues have arisen in the context of the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature. The factors giving rise to the situation are varied. For instance, unlike the assemblies in other jurisdictions, we do not have a pro-government party which holds a majority of seats in the Legislative Council. Some of our political parties are not satisfied with their present role, and their public positioning is not entirely clear. In essence, I believe that we are now faced with problems which flow primarily from the introduction of a new political system. On the one hand, the Executive is undergoing a process of adaptation. In adapting to a new political environment that is different from the past, new approaches have to be adopted to conduct public relations, to undertake lobbying and to explain clearly the objectives and goals of policies proposed. To do a good job, we must learn from our experience and constantly seek improvements. On the other hand, as political parties gain influence in the Council, the manner in which the Council functions, how Members and political parties conduct their business and adopt positions - all these aspects will take time to reach maturity. As both the Executive and the Legislature need time to adapt and to mature, it is natural that we have to explore and feel our way forward on the modalities for interaction and communication. It is inevitable that in the process some tensions and difficulties may arise.

The actual situation is, however, much better. In the past year or so, all major bills were supported and passed by the Legislative Council. Often this has been made possible through extensive consultation. This demonstrates that Members of the Legislative Council and the Government do take into account the overall interest of Hong Kong. This also bears testimony to the fact that the Executive and the Legislature are functioning well in accordance with the Basic Law. Of course, we should not be complacent about our cooperation in the last year. We must learn from our experience and re-double our efforts, so that we can give full play to our respective roles.

I would like to dwell on the question of a ministerial system. This issue has been discussed for years. No consensus has emerged as to what would constitute a ministerial system. Some have suggested that, instead of civil servants, Members of the Legislative Council should be appointed as principal officials. Such a step will certainly constitute a fundamental change to the political system in Hong Kong. I do not think Hong Kong has reached the stage for such a change.

In the last two and a half years, from my standpoint I fully appreciate, as much as Members and the community do, that undoubtedly we have a creative, efficient and clean civil service of outstanding quality. Although there are isolated cases of negligence, and there is room for improvement, the civil service on the whole have played a most important role in the implementation of the principle of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and in the formulation and execution of policies.

We can also address this issue from another angle. In the last two and a half years, we have met the challenges of the transition and the Asian financial turmoil. In the meantime, we have implemented "One Country, Two Systems", overcome the Asian financial crisis and stabilised the local financial markets; the economy has started to pick up; we have established a land bank, stabilised property prices, shortened the waiting time for public housing, and started to push forward urban renewal; we have promoted the development of innovation and technology; we have successfully established the Growth Enterprise Market, launched the Tracker Fund, and initiated reforms in the financial markets; we are moving ahead with the Disneyland theme park; we are conducting educational reforms and improving the services and housing for the elderly; we are enhancing environmental protection; we have streamlined the administrative structure and started to further improve municipal services and cultural, recreational and sports activities. Such progress proves that the present system and the civil service team are delivering the goods, and that we are truly able to serve the people of Hong Kong.

Therefore, I will not adopt a ministerial system. Like private enterprises, the Government do lose talent from time to time. But there is an ample pool of young and able officers coming through the ranks to guarantee smooth succession. And of course, when necessary, we will recruit talent from outside the civil service. This is only natural.

I also wish to express my view from the perspective of the Basic Law. The design of the Basic Law for Hong Kong's political structure centres around an executive-led system. This is manifested in the articles which stipulate the powers and functions of the Executive and the Legislature and their inter-relationship. The Basic Law provides clearly that the Executive is accountable to the Legislature in four respects: it shall implement laws passed by the Legislative Council and already in force; it shall present regular policy addresses to the Council; it shall answer questions raised by members of the Council; and it shall obtain approval for taxation and public expenditure. These provisions of the Basic Law embody the wisdom distilled from decades of experience in Hong Kong's governance, and retain the best features of Hong Kong's political system. The object of these provisions is to maintain the distinctive characteristics of an executive-led system and to preserve the efficient administration of Hong Kong to safeguard our stability and prosperity.

Throughout the last 31 months, I have appreciated that the people of Hong Kong expect the Government and myself to uphold freedoms and the rule of law and to further democracy. At the same time, they also expect us to enhance our services in a variety of portfolios including education, health care, housing, environmental protection, welfare for the elderly, the economy, and urban renewal. We subscribe to all of the above. To achieve all these and to meet the expectations of the public, whilst maintaining Hong Kong's stability and prosperity, we must retain the efficient executive-led political system and strengthen the civil service-based administrative structure. I hope all of you will reflect on this issue calmly and carefully. The Basic Law has been implemented only for 31 months. We are still adjusting and are gaining experience in this process. Therefore, as I have said in the Policy Address, we must allow time for further study and for the present political system to mature. The Basic Law has laid down a 10-year timetable to enable us to consider the next step forward in the light of our political experience during that time. The development must be in accordance with the principle of orderly and gradual progress and should be designed to be acceptable to different sectors of the community.

End/Thursday, January 13, 2000

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