Tung's speech did not boost confidence
Apparently the chief executive managed to muddle through the first policy address of his second term. The speech was shorter than its predecessors, and the main theme - 'revitalising our economy' - was in accord with the community's expectation. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa emphasised economic restructuring, forging closer economic co-operation with the mainland and eliminating the fiscal deficit.
However, this policy address has not bolstered the confidence of Hong Kong's citizens. In an opinion survey by the University of Hong Kong, 22 per cent of the respondents were satisfied with the policy address while 26.9 per cent were dissatisfied.
The government did not have many new proposals to offer in terms of economic restructuring, and critics have focused on this lack of initiative on the part of the new team of ministers. On closer economic co-operation with the mainland, many Guangdong officials have openly expressed reservations and criticisms. Such views not only reveal the hollowness of the Hong Kong government's strategy; they also demonstrate that Hong Kong has wasted much precious time.
The stress on the economy and the avoidance of politics in the policy address make it uncontroversial and more easily accepted by the public. But the government has no clear-cut blueprint for an economic recovery, and it has not been able to strengthen the community's confidence.
The most serious weakness of the policy address is that it has failed to strengthen the community's solidarity. Hence, the government's expected efforts to raise revenues and cut spending will likely meet stiff opposition. When Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung mentions raising taxes for those who can afford it, the middle class immediately voice their anger. When Education Minister Arthur Li Kwok-cheung proposes increasing tuition fees for secondary schools and tertiary institutions, the education sector strongly opposes it.
The chief executive has not been trying to secure a mandate for his reforms. The economic difficulties and budget deficits mean a redistribution of public-sector resources, and everyone is concerned.
The government has succeeded in charging patients for visits to emergency wards in public hospitals, but at the price of generating a fear among the middle class that they eventually will have to pay for their hospital care, the only major social service that they still enjoy.
Mr Tung did not bother to present a policy platform when he ran for re-election. In the policy address, he refused to admit his mistakes and declined to appeal to the community to tighten its belt.
The performance of the government has not been inspiring, and people's trust in it has been in decline. How can it expect to easily persuade Hong Kong people to take the bitter medicine necessary to cure the budget deficit? A wiser approach is to solicit views from the concerned interest groups and the advisory committees, and show that the government has been responsive to public opinion.
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek is a professor of political science at the City University of Hong Kong
