า
SOUTH
CHINA MORNING
POST.
May 25th
73
McKinsey plan got
to heart of problem
BY ERIC TOWNER
The Mcklowy plan for Mreamlining Hodgkong's adamaniration has got to the beart of the C'olony's chief governmental problem; bow 40 cope with the increasingly complex business of running the Colony with a dwindling team of experienced ollacers.
This #besikeiti CO yestriday from Mi Jack Calet, named Secretary lur Home Allans in terans of the adoption of part
of the McKinney propowain.
fle suid last night: "Hongkong's major problem in Government for sonic time has been the scarce commodity of senior officerh..
"Wo
have the double problem of coping with the Complexities of modern Government in Hongkong, both internally and internationally, with dwindling number experienced officers.
"Within this context, McKinsey's have come up with a workable solution."
Mi Cater is one of the three men named as "overlords" to head new Government Secretariats which will co ordinate overall Government strategy, develop specifie Governmental programmes and be the pinnacle of power for new departmental groupings.
The McKinsey formula for the Colony's future nd- ministration was tabled in the Legislative Council this week and approved in principle.
Yesterday, the "supremos" talked candidly about the blueprint and about their powerful new roles in the proposed policy making m chine.
new
The other two Secretarien are Mi lan Liglithusly, Secretary for Housing in the present system who will have a new mad expanded role, and M. J. J.
Robson, the Director of Public Work, who Wik named Secretary for the Puvkomment.
The other three Secretaries in the final six man Cabinet style team have yet to be named.
ME ('ater, at preacul Secretary for Information, Executive Council member and C'hairman of the Fight Violent X'time Campaign, confessed himself a convert to the London consultants' feminula loi government belong McKinney's report.
Many of the detailed principles outlined in their report have already been adopted.
A key principle in the McKinsey formula is the delegation of authority to bulandinate stalls, feeing the "mupremo" to concentrate on high strategy and policy making.
Mi Cater said: "I believe this is extremely important. The administrative load will be passed down to the department themselves. But in their new roles the Secretaries will be working directly with departments, contilbuting to their programme nien."
The new Home Affairs chief deserited the McKinsey report as enabling the Secretaries to take im greater responsibility for policy formulation.
But it would also help remove the main criticism of "big" government what Mr Cater termed "the we and they" complex between top administrators und departmental staffs.
"I would hope that people in future would consider me as "their"
in the central
machine."
Mr Cater believes that in his sphere the new governmental format will also clear the way for an improved "feed back" of mformation from services such un police, fire, urban services,
the City District Offices and the New Territories District Officek.
The communications link with community services like social welfare will also be strengthened, he believes.
to
"It is vital that we have this. community information evaluate, assess and use in the policy-making machine of the Government," he said.
A major criticism of the McKinsey-style system of administration is that it can lead to elitism and the "overlord" becoming aloof from the grass roots of his operation.
Mr Cater, long regarded as one of the Colony's most imaginative and able adminis- trators, countered:
"I believe that the head of the operation must be regarded as part of the team and not allow himself to be cut off. He has to involve himself. He will have the responsibility of monitoring various programmes, not only to push them through, but to sce that they are going right..
"In this way he is involved, if not on a day to day basis, on a periodic basis."
Housing "overlord" Mr Ian Lightbody's new expanded brief will include policy and programmes on housing, resettlement, flatted factories, rent control and co-ordination of departmental services like education, health and law and order in new towns.
What did he see as the major objectives of his expanded role? Mr Lightbody said: "Almost all of our problems are attributable by some people to a lack of decent housing. This new role will give us the scope to take a total, comprehensive look at the whole housing situation, not just in the public sector but in private building as well,
"We shall naturally want to devise means of stepping up the rate of public home building. But we shall also be looking at the ways and means in which the private sector can make a bigger contribution."
..
"Mr Lightbody's sphere of operations will be closely linked
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with Environment through collaboration on making available more land for private building.
He mentioned specifically the possibility of more intensive development in areas now regarded as suburbs. The next decade could, for instance, see a burgeoning of home building in the New Territories, he said.
"Perspectives are going to change radically in the future,” he said. "Ten years from now people are going to see nothing odd in building out towards Castle Peak."
The streamlining of Government operations would also, the housing chief stressed, allow more freedom for developing comprehensive pro- grammes.
He cited new town developments as an example saying: for the first time in Hongkong's history the * planners would be able to spell
out
comprehensive development packages "down to the last primary school" for new towns like Shatin, Tuen Mun and Tsun Wan.
Environment's Mr J. J. Robson identified the main challenges facing the wide range of departments soon to come under his control 85 poilution and control of transport.
-
water
He referred the problems of noise pollution "far outweighing air and pollution" as a threat to the quality of the Colony's life, and mentioned the need for short- range legislation to control noisy motorcycles and sports
cars.
On transport Mr Robson referred to the need for a public education campaign to convert people from private cars to using public transport.
He said: "This is a major challenge. In the transport sense we are in what is probably the most critical period of the Colony's life - the increase of private cars is making rc ad conditions intolerable.
"The expansion of specific governmental activities under the McKinsey proposals will make a more positive and comprehensive approach to this type of problem possible."
*