Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa is being urged to return to the fundamentals of governance as a way of rebuilding public confidence in his administration. Mr Tung will deliver his third annual Policy Address on Wednesday, outlining major social and economic programmes for the coming year. Past speeches have included many initiatives but have been criticised for lacking focus. According to Chinese University academic Professor Lau Siu-kai, Mr Tung should narrow down the many initiatives he has outlined previously to a few realistic targets for his third year of rule. 'Concentrate on things that the Government is good at and which the public wants it to do,' he advised. According to Professor Lau: 'The Government is obliged to be honest with the people. It's easy to come up with some quick-fix ideas and give the public the impression that they will work, but actually they won't.' He referred to plans outlined in last year's address for Hong Kong to become 'more than a dozen centres', including for such things as fashion, high value-added products and technology transfer. 'Our resources should concentrate on targets such as raising competitiveness [in ways] that are practical, feasible and are more likely to be attainable,' he said. That would help bridge the gap between the Government and the people and they could then work towards some common goals, he said. 'The Government needs to have a clear understanding of its strengths. These are its management know-how, ability to build infrastructure and institutional structure, and to reconcile differences. 'The Government is not good at leading the economy, picking winners or getting involved in private investments. It needs to get back to the basics,' Professor Lau said. James Tang Tuck-hong, head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, said Mr Tung should concentrate on a few issues that seriously concern the public. 'He ought to give the community an impression that he keeps those issues close to his heart and is ready to do something'. Dr Tang said the Government had adopted a more targeted approach in the March Budget. 'It's quite clearly a political budget that shows the Government has taken the political offensive,' he said. Cheng Yiu-tong, a member of the government advisory Commission on Strategic Development, said: 'It's no longer possible for the Chief Executive to continue to talk vaguely. Something more concrete is needed.' A senior official said the Government would 'certainly do something' on the issue of pollution because of the strong community reaction.
