Tsang Administration’s Early Days - 24 Jan, 2006 The Donald Tsang Administration
Difficult early months …The early months of the Donald Tsang Administration (DTA) have been turbulent although his personal popularity ratings remain high. However, controversies will continue if DTA is unable to generate better policies. Problems on the horizon could become brewing storms.
A. List of troubled policies?
1. Tamar: DT wants a new government office on Tamar. Since October, LegCo has passed motions calling on the DTA to review the entire Central harbour-front plans, including Tamar. NGOs object to the plans on traffic, air quality and planning grounds, and now the Harbour Business Forum, a business-led body funded by tycoons, is also piling in. DTA’s latest justification is Tamar will generate more jobs for the construction sector because it has ‘higher than average’ unemployment!
2. West Kowloon: DT did not take the opportunity to start again on the controversial West Kowloon Cultural District. LegCo issued two lengthy reports lambasting decisions taken supposedly on culture without the backing of a comprehensive cultural policy. Critics remain unhappy with lack of cultural policy.
3. Cruise Terminal: DTA wants to develop a cruise terminal and asked potential developers what commercial floor space they may need i.e. DTA continues to use land to finance projects rather than to ask investors to take the risk. Critics pointed to New York asking operators to take the commercial risk.
4. Electoral Reforms: LegCo voted down DT’s package on 21/12/05. Since then, DTA attempted to argue universal suffrage did not have to mean equal suffrage to justify functional elections. Former chief secretary, Anson Chan, has now joined the democrats in a ‘Just say Yes’ campaign calling on DT to exercise ‘courageous leadership in securing … universal suffrage’.
5. Civil Service Troubles: Resignation of senior official Rebecca Lai for ‘personal reasons’ raises concerns about whether there is enough policy-making talent at the top. At the same time DT hires spin doctors.
6. Teachers Lament: 10,000 teachers protested on Sunday calling for resignation of Fanny Law, top education bureaucrat, following LegCo’s motion demanding a review on education reform.
7. Smoking Ban U-turn: Despite years of creeping towards banning smoke in all public areas to protect workers and public health, the DTA now says it may exempt some establishments if it could be shown their business would suffer.
B. Exercising ’strong government-governance’ in the wrong places?
1. Policy Troubles: Tamar, WKCD and the cruise terminal illustrate government’s planning and development priorities are raising more questions than support. The public now expects infrastructure developments to be justified on persuasive grounds that are backed by compelling policies, which do not appear to be forthcoming in these and other areas.
2. Elections: Demands for universal and equal suffrage will not disappear, and with Anson Chan being a prime advocate, it weakens whatever arguments DT may put forward on delays beyond 2012.
3. Resignation?: Fanny Law’s position may become untenable. Moreover, her attitude is seen as an expression of government’s overall inability to see why there is so much opposition to its various policies.
4. ‘Strong government’?: DT promoted his style of governance using the phrases ’strong government’ and ’strong governance’. Yet, the DTA is weakest against vested interest lobbying e.g. construction sector and smoking lobby.
CHRISTINE LOH
Civic Exchange - HK’s independent think tank
www.civic-exchange.org