*****************************************************
Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at a media session on the proposed establishment of the Innovation and Technology Bureau after attending the meeting of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council today (February 6):
Reporter: Mr So, are you optimistic that the eight-hour meeting on February 14 will yield anything? And also do you think the deadline on that day is really non-negotiable?
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: If we go with the pace in which we progressed this week, we have spent eight hours already and have eight hours left, it is unlikely that we will be able to go through with the motion, plus we still have not even begun to deal with the (motions to be moved under paragraph) 37A (of the Finance Committee Procedure). All these motions that have been tabled. So it is very unlikely that we can do this. Unless, you know, (since) these are all man-made problems, we can resolve this. We have plenty of time to do this if everybody co-operated. Why do we come to this? I have to ask myself. I have to ask Hong Kong. I have to ask LegCo (Legislative Council) members. Why do we create problem for ourselves? Undermining our own strengths? Is that what people want to see? Is that the reason why they are elected? To stop implementation of policies or to help Hong Kong to succeed? We really have to dig down deep to ask this question.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Friday, February 6, 2015
Issued at HKT 21:29
NNNN
