Consult more, government told
The government has been urged to engage society in policymaking by developing a code of practice on consultation. If implemented, it would mark a fundamental shift in the way policies are developed in Hong Kong.
A study commissioned by the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre - a think-tank close to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen - suggests that every proposal put to the Executive Council should contain an assessment of the civic engagement process and its result.
It says the present consultation system no longer properly gauges the public's views. That conclusion is supported by the 500,000-strong march on July 1, 2003 and the public outcry against the demolition of the Star Ferry pier, says the report on the study, conducted for the foundation by the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Civil Society and Governance.
A civic engagement code should be drawn up, containing performance guidelines and standard operating procedures for the engagement process, to guide all policymaking bodies, it says.
It recommends that a government report on civic engagement be submitted annually to the chief executive, the Executive Council and Legislative Council. Further, a secretariat should be established in the office of the chief executive or chief secretary to co-ordinate and oversee the proposals' implementation. The report also recommends training for civil servants in civic engagement, including job exchanges with civic groups.