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Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at a ceremony to mark the completion of government facilities for the New Airport today (Friday):
I know this is a hot afternoon, but I hope you will bear with me for the next few minutes because this is going to be a relatively longer speech as I have a few messages to impart.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, it gives me a very real sense of pleasure and pride to be here with you today. Pleasure because in just seven weeks' time this great airport, which you have created from the sea, will be fully operational. The first flights in and out will set the seal on one of the most outstanding civil engineering feats of the late 20th century - the biggest construction project since the building of the pyramids, as it was once described in an Australian newspaper.
Pride, because the professional excellence, imagination, technical skills, the commitment of contractors and workforce, the administrative and managerial flair and precision which have gone into this project symbolise all that is admirable about Hong Kong, and its indomitable spirit of progress. When Hong Kong sets about to do something, no obstacle - physical, financial or political - is too big to overcome. I sometimes think that the greater the challenge we encounter, the better we perform.
This magnificent airport, and the spectacular web of projects associated with it, are testimony to that. Many people have spoken to me of their sense of pride when they go through the Tsing Ma Bridge. In the same way, they will I'm sure take pride in our new airport.
Of course, I feel a special surge of pride as the head of the civil service which has played such a key role in delivering this engineering masterpiece on time and within budget. As most of you know, I was associated with the Airport Core Programme since its planning inception over ten years ago and the whole-hearted way the team went about this huge task has simply reinforced my faith in the competence and commitment of my colleagues.
It is very very good to see you here in such numbers at this ceremony to mark the completion of government facilities for the new Hong Kong International Airport. With me on the stage are the key players most involved, either as the main builders or operators , that is, the Secretary for Works, Heads of Departments and the Chief Executive Officer of the Airport Authority.
I will not repeat the superlatives about this airport with which you are all familiar. I think it is enough to know what we can see with our own eyes - that our state-of-the-art facilities will ensure that our new airport will be safe, efficient and one of the finest in the world. The most distinctive government building, as you can see, is the Air Traffic Control Tower which houses equipment and systems three times the capacity of Kai Tak and well able to handle traffic demand into the 21st century. In the building attached to it, we have the Hong Kong Observatory running turbulence and windshear warning systems which are the most advanced of their kind in the world.
Air traffic control and meteorological services are just a few examples of Government services supporting airport operations. Within the Passenger Terminal Building we have customs, immigration, port health, electrical and mechanical services and others. Government facilities in buildings outside the Passenger Terminal Building include the Air Traffic Control tower, Airport Police Station, Fire Stations, Government Flying Service Headquarters and the Airmail Centre.
At a total cost of $5 billion, they represent a major building programme on their own. The fact that they have been successfully completed on time and within budget owes much to the tremendous performance of the consultants, contractors, the Airport Authority and Government Departments involved, in particular the Architectural Services Department and the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office.
The time capsule we are launching today will bear witness to the collective efforts we have put into the new airport project. It will be a fitting reminder of the vision, dedication and hard work of the many who have toiled for years on the project, making it possible for Hong Kong to demonstrate yet again that we are a city that means business, a community that knows how to get things done, and to do them well.
The completion of the new airport does not in any way mark the end of our infrastructural development programme. We never stand still in Hong Kong and we know that we need to maintain momentum to preserve our competitive edge and stay ahead of the game.
Over the next five years, we will be investing $235 billion in new infrastructural projects, half as much again as the $155 billion seven-year Airport Core Programme. This underlines our unshakeable commitment to continuing to build for Hong Kong's future. Our vision has not been blurred, our plans have not been derailed, by the fallout from the economic turmoil which has hit the region. Our traditional practice of prudence in managing our financial affairs has assured that.
Plenty of job opportunities will flow from this massive new investment. We will be embarking shortly on the West Rail and Mass Transit Railway Tseung Kwan O Extension. Together, they will double the length of our rail system and generate some 13,000 jobs over the next 18 months.
At the same time, many more jobs will flow from the Public Works Programme, and the growth areas in the services sector including the telecommunications and information technology industries. Nor should we forget that as the New Airport comes on stream in July, some 6,000 new jobs in the services sector will also be created.
I have cited just a few examples to demonstrate that our overall employment prospects are positive. As worrying as it is, we must not allow the current unemployment situation to make us lose sight of what is essentially a promising outlook.
We are going through a painful economic adjustment process, but we should see the present problem in its proper perspective. That does not mean that we should minimise the real problems faced by individuals and families who may find themselves out of work, or see their career prospects put on hold. I can assure you that the current economic downturn, and its knock on effects on employment, are at the forefront of our minds.
We will leave no stone unturned in tackling unemployment. We are stepping up our efforts on all fronts to help the unemployed re-enter the labour market as soon as possible. We are strengthening and have fully computerised the Labour Department's Local Employment Service. Over 7,000 people have found jobs so far this year through the Department's placement service and the placement rate is increasing. There are still some 12,000 vacancies registered with the Department.
The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is expanding its tailor-made Training Programme and other services. The ERB will boost its expenditure by one-third to $301 million in this financial year to provide 73,000 training places. The Vocational Training Council will launch a Business Starter Programme next month to provide potential owner-managers with the knowledge and skills to evaluate their business plans, conduct feasibility studies and set up new business in Hong Kong. To reinforce this package, the Task Force on Employment led by the Financial Secretary will explore ways and means of helping the private sector to create jobs.
There is no quick fix for the current economic situation, because there are so many external factors at play which are largely out of our control. What we do know is that like all storms, it will blow itself out. You can be equally sure that we will be ready for the sunshine that follows.
In the meantime, our prudence in the past, and the prudence of our community which has one of the highest saving rates in the world, are cushioning us from some of the worst effects.
The Financial Secretary's Budget in February clearly addressed the issues uppermost in the minds of the community in providing generous tax concessions for individuals and families, tax cuts and incentives for business, stimulation for the tourism sector and the continuing capacity to build for our future.
We all know, Hong Kong people have shown so many times in the past they have the resilience and resourcefulness to negotiate the twists and turns of economic cycles. We make the most of the good times but we also have an admirable capacity to cope better than most with the bad. We are going through a difficult patch but I have no doubt that as in the past we will emerge from the current downturn wiser and stronger.
Finally, I offer my warmest congratulations to all who have contributed to the various projects so far. What we must continue to do is to work hard to make opening day of the new airport on 6 July a resounding success.
Thank you all very much.
End/Friday, May 15, 1998
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