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SCMP Reporter

In contrast to Governor Chris Patten's policy addresses, Mr Tung's maiden performance was less eloquent, more predictable and virtually devoid of juicy sound bites.

 The Chief Executive committed scores of pronunciation and other linguistic errors during his monotonous, 140-minute speech.

 However, he surpassed his predecessor on several counts.

 He announced substantial investments in housing, education, transport and social welfare, as well as improving economic competitiveness. An annual increase of $18.6 billion in recurrent spending aside, he also promised to inject $88 billion in capital expenditure during the next five years.

 Beijing had vetoed Mr Patten's less ambitious scheme before the handover as a plot to squander the territory's reserves.

 Officials at the Chinese State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office had even conjured up a frightening image - innocent passengers killed in a crash because of a reckless driver.

 The immediate complaints about Mr Tung's blueprint have little to do with him being a profligate spender. On the contrary, he has been criticised for not being generous enough, particularly towards the elderly.

 The $380 monthly increase in Comprehensive Social Security Assistance is a far cry from public demand. After the adjustment, recipients will receive up to $2,440 a month, which still falls considerably below the international level of one-third of the society's median income. The figure should be about $3,300.

 Mr Tung emulated Mr Patten on a wide range of other issues, from making students computer-literate to boosting the SAR's appeal as a tourist destination.

 A day before his address, Mr Tung secured an approval rating of 66 per cent in a Hong Kong University survey.

 Despite dissatisfaction from individual sectors, his policy package should improve his popularity in the short term.

 Nevertheless, people's aspirations have long grown beyond decent housing and good schools.

 Public yearning for greater democracy and civil liberties has largely been ignored in Mr Tung's master plan.

 He spent, for example, no more than 23 seconds and 83 characters on his guarantee for freedom of the press. Mr Tung has, of course, said elsewhere how the Basic Law is supposed to safeguard human rights. What he did not say was that there remains a hole in the mini-constitution to be plugged.

 Article 23 stipulates the SAR administration shall legislate to prohibit acts of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets.

 Many of these are alien legal concepts to Hong Kong. There have been genuine concerns that a new set of draconian laws could be written into the statute books.

 Mr Tung might be able to brush aside such civil liberty concerns for a while, but they will soon come back to haunt him as activists gear up for the May 24 elections. Without a solid foundation for freedom and democracy, the other achievements could be just a passing illusion.



Building on prosperity, but lacking foundations in freedom