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Tsang urges business to become more involved in politics

Kelly Chan

Updated at 5.56pm: Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen on Wednesday urged the business community to become more actively involved in Hong Kong politics.

In a luncheon address to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr Tsang said professional groups had an important role in providing 'checks and balances' on the government.

Mr Tsang noted that functional constituencies would remain in the 2004 and 2008 Legco elections.

'But as we head down the road to our ultimate goal of electing all Legco members by universal suffrage, then functional constituencies will have to evolve with this process,' he said.

The Chief Secretary urged the business community to think about how it could deal with these changes. 'It must be prepared to get more involved,' he suggested.

'For example, business can do more to nurture and support political talent and parties. Business can do more to establish or support research institutes or think-tanks that in turn would help to lift the quality of policy debate and deliberation in Hong Kong,' Mr Tsang said.

'Business can do more by speaking up on important issues that extend beyond their ambit of influence or interest, particularly if those issues have an impact on Hong Kong's competitiveness and attraction as a world city,' he added.

Mr Tsang said it was vital that the views of the business community were heard.

'Business needs to take a more proactive approach in stating and explaining its legitimate causes while at the same time engaging the public by explaining how and why these causes will benefit the community,' he said.

But it was also important that other sectors become involved in politics. This included social welfare groups, academics, students and blue-collar workers.

To improve electoral methods in 2007 and 2008, Mr Tsang said the government intended consulting different sectors.

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