| I met with Mr Tung Chee-hwa, the prospective
candidate running for a second term for the position
of Chief Executive of the HKSAR, on the 11th, 22nd and
30th of January as a member of the Election
Committee. By virtue of my position as a LegCo representative,
I am a de facto member of the Election Committee together
with the other twenty members that you separately elected
as part of the Accountancy Functional Constituency some
time ago.
I had helped arrange the first meeting with Mr Tung
on January11th for the exclusive benefit of the sixteen
members of the Election Committee from the Accountancy
sector as well as for our special guests, HKSA President
Mr Alvin Wong, and Vice-President, Mr David Sun. A wide
range of topics were discussed and views exchanged during
what turned out to be a very cordial and productive
one and a half-hour meeting. We also had the opportunity
to impress upon Mr Tung the fact that accountants are
deeply concerned with public affairs and in this regard
possess substantial professional skills and expertise
that can be utilised. HKSA members' are, for example,
in a strong position to be able to offer advice on such
matters as how to handle public finances; how to alleviate
the pressures created by structural deficits; and opportunities
which might exist for businesses and financial services
providers looking to enter the Mainland market. We are
also aware of the importance of training expert financial
professionals locally who, together with overseas experts,
enhance the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a spring-board
for China enterprises to expand their operations worldwide.
On wider issues, we stressed to Mr Tung that Hong
Kong still has many advantages over other Mainland cities
and we must maintain confidence and belief in ourselves
in this highly competitive environment. We also discussed
the political responsibilities of government officials
and the possibility of enhancing the role of the Director
of Audit. Finally, I suggested to Mr Tung that he might
try to find time to meet with more accountants and members
of the public in open meetings later on in his campaign.
The second meeting, on January 22, included the thirty
LegCo members who were elected from functional constituencies.
In this meeting I urged Mr Tung to complete, as soon
as possible, his blueprint for future political reform
and to treat LegCo as a partner in this change. Indeed,
to successfully implement reform Mr Tung realises that,
if re-elected, he must hold public consultations and
work on building a consensus within the Hong Kong community.
January 30th marked the third occasion on which Mr
Tung and I met. In this open meeting, which was comprised
of Election Committee members, I asked Mr Tung how he
would help engender in the people of Hong Kong a more
¡§can-do spirit¡¨ and how he would help them regain their
confidence following the recent economic difficulties.
Most of us are well aware of Mr Tung's confidence
in the civil service, and in the Territory's future
generally, witnessed by the investments the government
has made and continues to make in infrastructure, education
and job creation measures. However, Hong Kong people
still lack the willingness to invest, consume and buy
new homes, even with interest rates at an historic low.
A scenario in which government spending outpaces that
of the private sector will ultimately lead to an imbalance
in the budget. As the public sector grows larger and
larger, it will consume a greater than necessary share
of the community's resources. I suggested to Mr Tung
that Hong Kong's problems could only be solved with
a strong and confident private sector rather than relying
solely on the government's efforts trickling from the
top-down. I consider that the Chief Executive's campaign
is the perfect opportunity for him to encourage the
public to become more confident in facing the changes
the future will bring. I also asked him to keep a close
watch on the growth of the civil service, ensuring that
it is kept at its current size or even slimmed down
a bit.
It would probably be unfair and even risky for
me to try to paraphrase Mr Tung's response especially
as the media has already reported on virtually his every
word. The process, however, of questioning and then
listening to Mr Tung's direct response has no doubt
given us a fairly good idea of the kind of leader he
is and will be if re-elected. In any event I shall consider
Mr Tung's candidacy based on the strengths and weaknesses
of his record over the last four and a half-years which
I believe says far more than the elegantly presented
and craftily drafted words in his election document.
At the invitation of Mr Tung's campaign team
I did consent to act as Mr Tung's nominator. As the
incumbent Chief Executive I know him rather well personally
and admire his unwavering commitment to Hong Kong at
this difficult time. I also believe that his personal
integrity, honesty and motives are beyond question.
Nothing can be worse than a clever leader who has only
his own personal agenda and little regard for the people
of Hong Kong. The confidence that he engenders among
our national leaders and the majority of political factions
in Hong Kong will be vital to continued stability in
the short-term. Of equally importance is the fact that
these credentials will prove critical to the success
of Hong Kong as it competes for a share of the Mainland
market in the next four to five years. Mr Tung is undoubtedly
the strongest candidate to take us forward over the
next five years.
I also take Mr Tung at his word when he says
he will improve on his past performance in a number
of areas. For example, Mr Tung could certainly benefit
from a stronger political team that he is able to trust
unreservedly. The ambitious plans and visions of his
government need to be better outlined, with its priorities
well established and the details worked out. He should
consult more widely with interested parties and the
public at large rather than relying too heavily on the
words of selected experts. It is also evident that he
has learnt from the experience of the last campaign
in 1997 and has successfully avoided the use of inflexible
social targets in his election platform which give the
impression of unnecessary ¡§state planning¡¨. Mr Tung
appears to be determined to work on his relationship
with the public in order to gain their acceptance. He
has also promised to foster closer ties with LegCo.
The job of running Hong Kong is an extraordinarily
difficult one at this point in our short history. Experience,
integrity and trust should be the deciding factors rather
than simply popularity based on lofty promises. I shall
use these criteria to judge and exercise my vote as
a member of the Election Committee on 24th March 2002.
I encourage you to share your views with me on this
important decision for Hong Kong.
Credit: Eric Li is the LegCo Accountancy
Functional Constituency Representative. For more information,
refer to his website at http://www.ericli.org. |
