The future remains bright, says Anson Chan
People had a brighter view of Hong Kong following the government's response to the July 1 demonstration and the visit by football team Real Madrid, former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang said yesterday.
'The general mood has improved. It could be due to the demonstration on July 1 when people [were] able to express their views, and were able to see the effect of speaking up,' she said.
'Or it could be due to the Real Madrid match, especially the good performance of the Hong Kong team.'
Wearing a bright-red suit, Mrs Chan reaffirmed her long-held belief, during a charity organisation's press conference, that Hong Kong would have a bright future.
She said the economy would revive with the implementation of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and co-operation among the Pearl River Delta cities.
But she said confidence-building would take a long time and concerted efforts were needed.
'This should not be just the government's job. Just like the Clean Hong Kong campaign - everyone should care about personal hygiene and environmental protection.'
However, she refused to say whether the integration with the mainland would blur the 'one country, two systems' principle.
'I would just stress that the principle has to remain in place, especially the two-systems rule. This will ultimately benefit national development, the unification of the mother country.'
Mrs Chan, who will make a charity visit to Laos later this month, said she would pass on any lessons for Hong Kong on her return.
'I think the question is about how to achieve stability, and with changes that will benefit Hong Kong,' Mrs Chan said.
