Letters | As an events capital, Hong Kong can showcase itself more effectively
- Readers discuss Hong Kong’s hosting of the Apec Business Advisory Council meeting, Citybus’ inclusive hiring practices, and the Malaysian government’s plan to give its employees a pay rise
The success of this high-level meeting has garnered an outpouring of positive feedback from delegates, who were introduced to the city’s developments in technology, the start-up ecosystem, smart healthcare, conservation and logistics infrastructure. They also experienced the multifaceted tapestry of Hong Kong’s culture.
Delegates were reassured of the city’s vibrancy, innovation and resilience, and of the business opportunities that abound in this city. A particularly pleasant surprise was Hong Kong’s commitment to inclusive growth, which was exemplified by the remarkable participation of women in various spheres of influence.
As highlighted by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at the welcome dinner for ABAC delegates, all three Hong Kong, China’s representatives to ABAC are female. This represents the highest proportion of female representation among all Apec member economies.
Another luncheon showcased innovation developed by Hong Kong biotech, device and diagnostic companies and the entrepreneurial spirit of local scientists.
As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Along with the two alternate Hong Kong, China representatives to ABAC, Spencer Fung, group executive chairman of Li & Fung, and Duncan Chiu, chairman of Lai Yuen Company Limited, we fully support Hong Kong’s quest to be an events capital, to bring tourists and members of the international business community here to see for themselves what Hong Kong has to offer.
Marjorie Yang, chairman, Esquel Group, Mary Huen, CEO for Hong Kong and cluster CEO for Hong Kong, Taiwan & Macau, Standard Chartered, and Nisa Leung, managing partner, Qiming Venture Partners. All three are Hong Kong, China’s representatives to ABAC
Celebrating city’s first female non-Chinese bus driver
Women like Farzana are inspiring not only to their own families but also to Hong Kong as a whole. They should be celebrated for their enthusiasm to learn new skills and become productive contributors to Hong Kong’s socioeconomic fabric.
That she performs her job professionally despite the occasional unfortunate comment by passengers speaks of her courage to break racial, gender and professional stereotypes. That she speaks Cantonese is a definite advantage and something which most members of ethnic minority groups of humble background remain most determined to achieve.
The Post deserves credit for reporting this story. Showcasing such positive stories is a step towards correcting the stereotype that has needlessly distorted the “ethnic minority” narrative in Hong Kong for years.
Manoj Dhar, Ap Lei Chau
Here’s how Malaysia should pay for civil servants’ pay rise
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wasn’t the only prime minister to have announced a pay hike for Malaysia’s civil servants. More than 17 years ago, when then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced a pay package increase of between 7.5 per cent to 35 per cent for more than 1 million civil servants, he gave four factors that influenced the government’s decision.
The first was the economy’s strong performance in recent years. The second was the need to attract qualified, highly motivated and performance-driven talent to the civil service and retain them. The third was the concern about the rising cost of living.
The fourth factor was the government’s prudent fiscal management. Tax collection had increased and expenditure was managed responsibly.
When Anwar announced the planned increase in civil servant pay by more than 13 per cent this year, he gave the assurance that the projected salary adjustment, estimated to cost over 10 billion ringgit (US$2.1 billion) from next year onwards, was feasible with disciplined financial oversight.
So, increments in civil servant salary are feasible with prudent, disciplined fiscal management.
If that’s the case, Malaysia should redouble efforts to crack down on corruption. According to recent reports, Malaysia lost a staggering 277 billion ringgit (US$58.5 billion) due to corruption in the five years between 2018 and 2023, amounting to about 55 billion ringgit a year.
Surely if Malaysia could address the huge loss due to corruption, the pay hike would be more than feasible.
Mohamad Hafiz Bin Hassan, lecturer, Faculty of Law, Multimedia University, Malaysia
