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Reporter: You have hundreds of advisory bodies. You have the District Councils, the Legislative Council. Why are these bodies that are supposed to be reflecting public opinion failing to give you that you need to create what could be an unwieldy body of 153 people?
Chief Executive: Well, do not use adjectives such as "unwieldy" and so on. What is important is in the past most policies are fermented, crystallised and then formulated within the bureaux of the government administration. I believe this process should be opened up. In other words, before we formulate any definitive recommendation and option, we should canvass the views of the public at large. And this is what we are trying to do. In other words, in the initial stage of formulation, we want to tell people what problems we've perceived and what we see the answer should be, and ask people to think up various ways of handling that problem. And this process will take place in the Commission.
Reporter: But are these bodies failed to...?
Chief Executive: No, no, no, no. Then, with these views expressed, the relevant bureau formulates its option, its preferred option, which is then put to the advisory committee and the relevant panels in the legislature. Everyone will be doing his own work. They are all divided and each step is important that there is no duplication of work. But what is important, in the initial processing of a policy, in the formulation of policy, that process is opened up. That is what we are trying to do. But the subsequent stages are all necessary – going through the advisory committee, involving professionals in the relevant field, discussing the feasibility of the specific recommendation – that is important. Then going to the Legislative Council and the District Council, discussing its acceptability at district level and territorial political level. That is equally important. Then finally we have an enactment of law by the legislature.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)
Ends/Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:15
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