Vote for Democracy, Freedom, Compassion and a Just Society

• Democratic Governance, Freedom and Fairness
• Compassion, Social Justice and Prosperity for All
• Quality Education, Quality Life
• Creating Wealth on a Level-Playing Field, An International Vision to Serve Our Motherland



Democratic Governance, Freedom and Fairness

Democratic development: to push for universal suffrage in 2012

Democracy is the basis of good governance. Freedom is the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s prosperity. On July 1, 2003, the people of Hong Kong joined in peaceful protest to defend our priceless freedom. Implementing full universal suffrage for election of the Chief Executive and all members of the Legislative Council, as promised by the Basic Law, is a fundamental pre-requisite to realizing the spirit of “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy”. Hong Kong people have the wisdom and the maturity to elect candidates who are both worthy and able to govern Hong Kong and put into effect “One Country Two Systems”.

The SAR Government has the obligation to reflect accurately to the Central Government Hong Kong people’s aspirations for democracy and to implement fair and just universal suffrage as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the Government has been dragging its feet. In the past 10 years democratic development has barely inched forward and, even now, there is still no clear timetable or roadmap for achievement of universal suffrage.

My principal goal, if elected, will be to push for full universal suffrage in 2012. I am entirely sincere in my wish to support constructive dialogue with the Central Authorities, to monitor the direction and progress of work of the SAR Government’s constitutional reform and do my best to help forge the necessary consensus among different sectors in society.

Good Governance: Safeguarding Hong Kong’s Core Values

The quality of governance in recent years has been disappointing. It has fallen short in reflecting core values of accountability, transparency, fairness, including fairness of the electoral process and promoting genuine public engagement. Many policies have not been thoroughly thought out, but have been pushed through without adequate heed to the views of the public. Implementing a system of political appointment of Principal Officials, without democratically based checks and balances, has undermined the civil service culture which has served Hong Kong so well. It has also fostered public concerns about increasing trade-offs in policy making, collusion between government and business, and favouritism towards certain political parties, sectors and media organizations.

I am committed to using my 39 years of experience in the civil service to monitor actively the operation of the Government, press for improvement in governance and safeguard Hong Kong’s core values. In particular:

• I will push for review of the Political Appointment System. I object to the expansion of this system because it does not help us to make progress towards democratically based good governance and a more effective relationship between executive and legislature. I object to the increasing centralization of executive power without adequate checks and balances. There are other much better ways of nurturing political talent, for example by devolving more powers to District Councils and by giving political parties a more meaningful role in policy making.
• I will work to maintain a civil service which combines efficiency and high morale with improvement in the management of public services to meet the expectations of the public and improve people’s livelihood.
• I will impress upon Government the importance of respecting the views of democratically elected members of the Legislative Council and improving the working relationship between the Administration and the legislature.
• I will push for the abolition of appointed seats in the District Councils. I will impress upon the Government that, in the process of policy formulation, it must both consult and engage with the public fully and then be truly accountable to them for delivery of those policies. I will push for much greater involvement of civic organizations in the formulation of public policies.
• I will monitor the Government’s performance in respecting the rule of law and defending all kinds of freedom. I will urge the Government to be fair and impartial and improve accountability and transparency.
• I will press for the process of appointment of individuals to government advisory bodies to be more balanced and representative, so that these committees can be truly effective in guiding policies. To this end more directly-elected community representatives and independent professionals should be appointed.
• I will work to defend our core freedoms - of speech, of the press and of academic thought - so that different voices may be heard.
• I will support the right of Hong Kong people to continue to commemorate the events of June 4 1989. It is my hope that our nation will soon resolve this major historical issue and deliver a fair verdict to the victims and their families.



Compassion, Social Justice and Prosperity for All

True Harmony, not “Two Hong Kongs”

The Hong Kong economy has emerged from the doldrums, growth figures are impressive and stock and property prices continue to soar. However, not all sectors of society are sharing in this prosperity. As at the end of 2006, our per capita GDP was lower than that in 1997. This suggests that many in the community have not been able to improve their lot. The wealth gap is widening and the number of low-income households continues to climb. There is a real danger that we are heading towards two Hong Kongs – a Hong Kong that is rich and another Hong Kong that is poor.

Social polarisation is not conducive to harmony, long-term social stability and prosperity. By placing so much emphasis on the importance of infrastructure development the Government is in danger of ignoring more deep-seated tensions and frustrations in society.

To build a truly harmonious society, we must be more effectively caring towards the disadvantaged in our community. The Government must increase resources where appropriate to improve existing social policies and services. We need to rekindle in the disadvantaged hope for the future, confidence in society and the opportunity to be self-reliant and live with dignity.

Demonstrating Social Justice, Working for a Caring and Integrated Society

I believe as Hong Kong prospers and progresses, we must safeguard social justice and work to minimize all kinds of discrimination and exploitation; everyone should have equal opportunities.

Given recent financial surpluses, the Government is in a position to deploy more resources to help the following groups:

• The elderly:
Ageing of the population is a big challenge for Hong Kong. We must care for the elderly and enable them to continue to enjoy a meaningful life. They should be able to live with dignity and in comfort and good health for as long as possible. The Chief Executive proposes to issue annual health care vouchers worth in total HK$250 to those over 70. The amount is derisory and the elderly may not understand how to use electronic vouchers. At the same time the Chief Executive proposes to lower the standard rates of salaries and profits tax which will cost the general revenue $5 billion as compared to the mere $150 million to be spent on the health care vouchers scheme. This hardly seems an equitable approach to returning wealth to the people. Given that so much of the prosperity we enjoy today is owed to the hard work of the older generations I consider that the following measures should be introduced to recognize the contribution they have made:
  • the Government should allow elderly people who live with their families to apply for Comprehensive Social Security Allowance;
  • elderly people should enjoy a 50% reduction in fees and charges at public hospitals;
  • improvements should be made to the waiting list systems for elderly homes and for home help service;
  • the Old Age Allowance should be increased;
  • a study into a universal retirement protection scheme should be undertaken as early as possible.
 
• Women at the Grassroots:
All women should have equal opportunity to realize their full personal potential. At present, women with little education and new arrivals from the Mainland face difficulties and discrimination. When I worked in government, I advocated the establishment of the Women’s Commission; I also supported the Equal Opportunities Commission’s anti-discrimination initiatives. I now propose that the Government:
  • should actively support the development of district level women’s organizations and promote more effective community networking;
  • should help women at the grass roots to mobilize their resources to serve the community;
  • should appoint more women to advisory and statutory bodies and encourage their participation in community affairs;
  • make available more resources to support housewives and low-income women.
I am particularly concerned about domestic violence. The Government must give the highest priority to identifying the social causes of the worrying growth in cases of family violence and be ready to intervene decisively, when necessary, with a combination of preventive and remedial services. On a practical note, a special fund should be set up for the prevention of domestic violence and providing support to families facing crises.
 
• The Working Poor, Low-income Single-parent Families and Children:
The problem of poverty is getting worse but the Government has disbanded the Poverty Commission after only two years of operation. The Government must face up to the fact that the number of poor households is increasing; policies must be formulated which help them acquire the skills and self reliance to break out of the poverty cycle.
  • I propose that the Government should strengthen social services, adopt a one-stop shop approach to providing employment assistance and help those who face difficulties which include finding job opportunities, mismatch of skills and exploitation in working conditions.
  • I recommend that the Government should re-convene the Poverty Commission. In the meantime, I will press for early implementation of the Commission’s recommendations so far. I will also work to promote partnership between government, civic organizations and the business community on measures to alleviate poverty.
  • I support measures to prevent the exploitation of grassroots labour by unscrupulous employers, including the enactment of legislation to provide for a minimum wage for certain low-income occupational groups, such as cleansing workers and security guards.
  • I intend to press the Government to urge employers to promote a better work/life balance amongst their employees
  • The Government should do more to promote employment opportunities for the disabled, including the introduction of a travel allowance scheme.



Quality Education, Quality Life

Increasing the Quantity and Quality of Education Must Go Hand in Hand

Continuing to expand and enhance our education system must be one of Hong Kong’s highest priorities. Growth in the number of places in upper secondary schools and higher education institutions must go hand in hand with initiatives to improve the quality of the learning experience and nurture creative, independent-minded members of society.

My aim will be to help strengthen communication between, the Government, the teaching profession and parents in order to enhance the quality of teaching. I consider that the following areas merit particular attention:

• The Government should comprehensively review the effectiveness of mother tongue teaching in improving students’ all-round academic performance.
• Quality language teaching should focus on providing students with the Chinese and English language skills they need for the workplace – especially given Hong Kong’s reliance on service industries.
• Associate Degree courses vary in standard and degree holders face bridging-over and employment problems after graduation. The Government should step up its supervision of Associate Degree courses and provide students with the relevant services to help them either further their studies or enter the job market.
• The Government has given an undertaking to reduce class sizes. I will monitor the progress of implementation.
• To optimise the availability of pre-primary education I propose that the pre-primary education voucher scheme be extended to cover all kindergartens, including private independent kindergartens. The vouchers should not be time-limited but should benefit all children of the specific age bracket.
• The impact of recent education reforms should be reviewed, to see if they have generated excessive and possibly counter-productive pressure on the education sector.

Sustainable, Quality Development with Public Engagement

We should apply principles of sustainability in developing society’s hardware and software, so that current and future generations can lead quality lives.

Air pollution is one of the most serious problems we face. It is placing our health at risk (especially the elderly and children), and is beginning to impact adversely on Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a place to live and work. Hong Kong’s position as an international business and financial centre is being undermined and our competitiveness suffering.

The SAR Government should accord top priority to tackling the air pollution problem. It should:

• prescribe specific objectives for improving air quality, work out a timetable for implementation and report progress of work regularly to the public. I will follow up on the Government’s implementation of the recommendations made last year by the Council for Sustainable Development for improving air quality;
• formulate long-term environmental policies in consultation with all stakeholders and actively pursue solutions for our pollution problems jointly with Mainland authorities. I also urge the Government to adopt, as soon as possible, the Air Quality Objectives established by the World Health Organization.

In addition:
• The Chief Executive has undertaken to incorporate into the terms of the new Scheme of Control Agreements with the power companies requirements to reduce emission levels of polluting gases. The Government should report the progress of negotiations to enhance transparency.
• The Chief Executive proposes to allocate $93 million to the Productivity Council to encourage Hong Kong-owned factories in the Pearl River Delta to adopt clean production technology. I urge the Government to divulge the details as soon as possible so as to ensure its effectiveness.
• I am concerned about the cumulative impact on the environment of all the planned infrastructure projects; we must resist the temptation to build for the sake of building and evaluate carefully the overall costs and benefits of each project.
• I will closely monitor the impact of infrastructure projects on traffic flow, the environment and the quality of our city life.
• I believe that the Government’s development plans should be based on principles of sustainability, quality and public engagement. In the process, a balance must be struck between community development, environmental protection and heritage conservation. The Government should develop a partnership with civic society on community development.
• The Government should disclose work objectives and detailed plans on how Hong Kong will actively work with the international community to tackle global warming.

The Government should take a stronger lead to reform city planning to respond to public demand for more open, green space and concerns at the effect of tall building developments in trapping heat and pollutants.



Creating Wealth on a Level-Playing Field, An International Vision to Serve Our Motherland

Over the last three decades Hong Kong has transformed from a major manufacturing centre to a service based economy. While much has changed the fundamental pillars of our economic success have not. These are the ‘rule of law’, an independent Judiciary, commitment to a level-playing field for businesses and investors and zero tolerance of corrupt practices.

Hong Kong’s economic future is now inextricably bound to that of the nation.. Our relationship with the economy of South China is pivotal; at the same time we must not lose sight of the vital importance for Hong Kong to maintain its position as one of the world’s leading international cities: a city whose population is open to ideas, cosmopolitan, tolerant and outward looking. If we can sustain these qualities then entrepreneurialism will thrive and we will continue to play a vital role in the on-going growth of the Motherland.

Trying to pick economic winners is always risky. I am a firm believer that new enterprise and business initiatives must grow organically from strong roots and must not be forced. There are, nevertheless things which the Government can and should ensure namely:

• that our economy remains competitive. I am a firm believer in the power of market forces. I also support the enactment of a fair competition law to provide safeguards against market distortions created by monopolies or cartels. I believe such a law will be conducive to improving people’s livelihood and ensuring equal opportunities to create wealth.
• that all sectors of our community have access to affordable, quality education – even if their first language is not Chinese. Our education policies must support the diversity on which our economy depends and offer families of different nationality and ethnic backgrounds genuine opportunity and choice.
• that Hong Kong begins to emerge as a city as rich in the intangible qualities of life, including home-grown artistic talent and creativity, as it is rich in the material trappings of wealth.



I love Hong Kong. Since I moved here with my family, at the age of eight, I have never lived anywhere else and never will. Let’s work together to build on the successes of the past to create a future we can all be proud of.