Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is delivering his first policy address on Wednesday (Oct. 19) morning, highlighting the strong support of the motherland that the SAR enjoys and the financial hub's strategic competitiveness.
Lee said that to improve governance, his administration has to start with enhancing the governance systems, governance capability and governance efficacy. "I will improve our governance systems on various fronts, including the decision-making structure, institutional objectives, leadership roles, distribution of powers and responsibilities, as well as execution mechanisms."
The establishment of four task forces in the first month after my assumption of office was an institutional setup to address issues relating to intergenerational poverty, district environmental hygiene, public housing supply as well as co-ordination of land and housing supply. These governance systems have already achieved some positive results. Amongst them, the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force, led by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, successfully tackled a number of hygiene and street obstruction blackspots within a short period of time, including restoring a public back alley in To Kwa Wan that had been illegally occupied for many years, he said.
Establish the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited
In respect of the governance system on government investments, the CE said he has asked the Financial Secretary to set up a new Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (HKIC) to further optimize the use of fiscal reserves for promoting the development of industries and the economy. The HKIC will consolidate the Hong Kong Growth Portfolio, the GBA Investment Fund and the Strategic Tech Fund established under the Future Fund in recent years, as well as the Co-Investment Fund mentioned in the ensuing sections. In pooling together relevant resources under the steer of the Government to invest in strategic industries, we aim to attract and support more enterprises to develop their business in Hong Kong.
Set up the Chief Executive's Policy Unit
"I will set up the Chief Executive's Policy Unit (CEPU) within this year to enhance our capabilities in research and advocacy on long-term and strategic issues. The CEPU should possess strategic and global perspectives and stay in tune with the local and public pulse, while conducting in-depth studies and analyses on Mainland policies and developments as well as international trends and reporting the outcomes to me. It will also put in place a mechanism for regular internal deliberations to assist the Government in formulating forward-looking policies," he said.
Standing United as One
Governance capability of the Government rides on the concerted efforts of leaders and team members. The two must act closely with one another in order to achieve the synergy effect of "one plus one is greater than two", create the greatest value and allow our people to benefit most. I value team spirit, because I understand that even the most competent individual has limitation. Our team members should perform their respective functions, and various departments and their staff should complement each other, while the top echelon should provide steer and intervene proactively to nip problems in the bud. I am pleased that our team acts in concert and shares the same beliefs with me. The Secretaries of Departments and Deputy Secretaries of Departments have been taking an active role in co-ordinating work across bureaux and departments. Directors of Bureaux have also made strenuous efforts in offering constructive policy ideas and suggestions. Working with one heart and one vision, our team is serving the public with assiduity.
I have introduced the "red team" concept in our day-to-day decision-making. The "red team" will play the role of critics and opponents to facilitate a thorough review of the effectiveness of policy decisions and execution plans, so as to plug any loopholes and improve the policies.
Be Result-Oriented
While pressing ahead with various policy initiatives, the Government should in particular take heed of the need for our people to have a sense of gain and a real taste of the fruits of effective governance. The Government should work in compliance with procedural propriety, and more importantly, be result-oriented. I have set about 110 various indicators (including key performance indicators (KPIs)), as listed in the Annex, for monitoring the progress and effectiveness for specified tasks and making timely improvements. I have also asked all policy bureaux and departments to set more indicators and report them to the LegCo.
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