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Following is a speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the Policy Address consultation session at the University of Hong Kong this afternoon (September 4):
I am literally thrilled to be here but it is quite a formidable setting. I have held several consultations already for this year's Policy Address but I have never imagined I am now in this august institution facing the future movers and shakers of Hong Kong, and those now in Beijing and Shanghai and elsewhere and talking to you about my coming Policy Address. I come with great excitement because I know in this hall here, and among the listeners, sit the future leaders of Hong Kong. They are important, not only to the present administration, but to all Hong Kong people and the whole Chinese nation.
This year I propose several things in the context of the Policy Address. This is the first time I am doing a Policy Address for this new administration for five years. And I am not doing it in a vacuum. Earlier this year I ran for election. I put out a manifesto. I made serious promises to Hong Kong people. I wish to deliver on those promises and the vehicle for delivery is my Policy Address for this year as well as the Policy Addresses for the following four years. But this year is of particular importance because it will be the first one for the new administration. One of the serious pledges I made is that I try to reach out to as many people as possible. So this year for myself, I am conducting 18 or 19 sessions and this is a particularly interesting one for me. The Chief Secretary [for Administration] and the Financial Secretary will help me do other sessions with special groups so that the Policy Address will not only be the written work of Donald Tsang - one person - but rather the collective effort of the entire administration.
And this year I promised, a serious promise, of reaching out to the people and to the young, and to the future. This is my first attempt. I am somewhat frightened by this setting but I will try my best to answer your questions and tell you and share with you my own personal views on various topics of interest to you. You are important. In the past I used to talk to students after the delivery of the Policy Address but this year I want to do it before I actually deliver it. I want to listen to your views. I will be putting pen to paper on the Policy Address later this month, so this is a most critical period. I am all ears. I want to listen to your views and I know some of your views will be very strongly held because you are young. You can be stubborn. That stubbornness is usually underpinned by intellectual honesty and also by your enthusiasm and your love for Hong Kong. That I totally respect. So with great humility and great expectations I hope to listen carefully to your views and are able to answer some of them as well. But the important thing is that I come here to listen and I hope this will not be the last time, that there will be follow-up sessions in subsequent years if you want me to come back again.
So movers and shakers, throw questions at me.
Ends/Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:08
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