CE's speech at Policy Address Student Consultation Session at Munsang College (English only) (with video)

CE's speech at Policy Address Student Consultation Session at Munsang College (English only) (with video)
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     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at a Policy Address Student Consultation Session at Munsang College this afternoon (September 14):

     Good afternoon.  Thank you for sparing some time to meet me after school, especially at the start of a new school term when I know everyone is very busy. The No 3 signal has been hoisted. If any of you live far away from school and will have to leave first, please do so.  I will not be discouraged when you suddenly have to quietly escape and disappear.

     I want to do two things today.  First, I want to let you know why I want to speak with you.  Then, I want to hear from you about the things you think are important for the future of Hong Kong.

     As some of you may know, every year the Chief Executive delivers a Policy Address to mark the start of the legislative year.  The Policy Address sets out the Government’s priorities for the following year.  This year’s Policy Address will fall on October 14.

     Before we prepare the Policy Address, my team and I consult widely to get a better understanding of the community’s concerns and wishes.  These meetings are always very useful.

     Every year I include a consultation session with young students – that’s where all of you come in.  This meeting provides me with a valuable opportunity to listen to the views and connect into the minds of young people.  They often have bold and fresh ideas.  These could be the ideas that are going to shape the future of Hong Kong.

     We are not sure exactly when the tradition of delivering a Policy Address to the legislature started. The first one we have been able to find in our files was delivered by Governor Sir William Robinson, on  November 16, 1892 – that’s over 100 years ago.

     At that time there were five non-official members and seven official members in the Legislative Council. One of the non-official members was a Chinese barrister named Ho Kai. He was the “Kai” in the  famous Kai Tak Airport.

     Sir William was appointed as the 11th Governor of Hong Kong in 1891 when its population stood at 221,441 people in the whole of Hong Kong.

     The total government spending that year was about $2.5 million.  Of this, some $84,000 was allocated for education – or about 3% of the total spending.  As Sir William noted:  “There are, I regret to say, some 20,000 children who attend no school whatever.”

     Let’s fast forward 117 years to this year, 2009. Today, we have 60 non-official legislators, all elected, and no official members. Our population is a little over 7 million people. Public spending this year is over $315 billion, about 25% of which is allocated to education.  And every child is entitled to 12 years of free education. And no young person is deprived of university education because of means.

     Times have changed, but the tradition of the Policy Address remains. Some people might ask:  Do we really need a Policy Address every year?

     It’s a good question. I do believe it is necessary.  The Policy Address provides the Chief Executive with an annual opportunity to spell out his plans for the coming year, and also to report on the Government’s performance during the past year. It is a demonstration of commitment and accountability.

     But commitment and accountability is not just something we dust off and talk about once a year.  We live by it every day.

     Every day we review the running of government in Hong Kong.  If we need to improve in certain areas, we will try to fix such problems as soon as possible.  If a policy is not really serving its purpose, we will consult widely to make it a better policy.

     You might then ask: “Well, if you are working on policy every day why do we need an annual Policy Address? What purpose does it serve?”

     All of you will have had some experience in planning a school project.  When you do a school project, you need first an idea.  Then, the planning.  Next, careful implementation.  And finally, review the result if you get some.

     It’s the same in government.  We need foresight and vision.  We need to look beyond the problems and challenges of today and look at the problems and challenges we may face next year, or five years down the road, or a decade afterwards.  We must plan ahead. This is where the Policy Address comes in.

     For this year’s Policy Address, I will be focusing on how we can give Hong Kong some new economic impetus by promoting the growth of six economic areas where Hong Kong enjoys clear advantage.  They are: educational services, medical services, testing and certification, innovation and technology, cultural and creative industries, and, environmental industries.  I hope to set out the medium and long-term measures that we can take to realise their full potential.  They do not replace any of the traditional economic pillars, such as finance and trade, but they can make our economy broader and stronger.

     So in a sense, the Policy Address is very much an intellectual exercise – it forces us to ask big questions, to take our minds off the daily routine, and to focus on the long-term needs of society.

     It also tests our ability to engage the community to discuss these big issues and the kind of future we all want for Hong Kong.

     Once we have carried out these consultations, we start to draft the Policy Address.  We cannot include every single idea or proposal.  We have to sift through all the information and look for common threads so that we can identify the key areas of community interest.

    We must then devise workable plans to tackle these issues.  And we must provide the leadership and direction to implement them for the good of the community.

    So, it is a great privilege for me to do these Policy Addresses every year.  It gives me a chance to listen to people from all walks of life so that we can try to help as many people as possible.

    Sometimes, we can’t use some ideas or suggestions, whether for a lack of resources, or because the issue requires further thought or discussion.  That doesn’t mean we forget about them – quite the opposite.  All the feedback we receive relates one way or another to our governance and we have to take them all seriously.

     And this brings me now, to the second reason I am here today – to listen to your views.  So, over to you.

Ends/Monday, September 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:43

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