Chamber aims to take leading role
A month after the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce made a submission on constitutional reform to the government in August 2004, it posted the document on its website without notifying the media.
The chamber's newly elected chairman, Anthony Wu Ting-yuk, said it spoke volumes about how low profile the city's biggest business organisation had been. Its submission urged the government to release a timetable for full democracy before 2007.
'As our political system moves forward, the business community can no longer remain silent,' he said.
Wu took the lead in saying earlier that the formula of 'one person, two votes' for the five new Legco district council functional constituency seats could be applied representing business interests.
He said most negative public perception of the business community stemmed from property prices and the sales practices of some developers.
'We must let the public know that we businesspeople have a social conscience,' he said. 'We will also try our best to educate our members to be more socially responsible.'
The chamber, which has about 4,000 members, proposed in January 2002 that Hong Kong and the mainland sign a regional trade agreement granting a zero tariff for 'made in Hong Kong' goods. The idea came more than 18 months before the signing of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.
'But not many people know we were the first business organisation to promote the concept of Cepa. It underlines that we are not so good in publicising our ideas,' Wu said.
