Sir,
(1) Introduction
I am grateful to honourable Members for the several bouquets handed out in this debate on the presentation of the 1974-75 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure in the budget speech and, on behalf of my hard working colleagues, I am glad honourable Members found the 1-3-10 concept as worked out
in the green pages of the Estimates helpful. Before dealing with the brickbats and scratching out some of the not-so-hidden thorns, I would like to identify eight general principles which I think should be borne in mind when dealing with the major themes of this debate.
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(2) General Principles
First, whereas I believe that the experience of the past must be drawn upon to help save the problems of the present and the future, and whereas I firmly believe that there is an essential continuity about policy, I do not think it is very profitable to argue about alleged past sins of omission.
A corollary of this principle is that I do not propose to engage in a debate with my honourable Friend Mr. Szeto Wai as to whether water development, for instance, was accorded an undue priority over road works in the sixties.
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Secondly, the process of government in Hong Kong is a process of consultation and consent, a process which is based on a network of advisory councils and committees and on a system of keeping the public informed and seeking their views by various means, including the issue of Green Papers. But this process must be directed towards firm decisions and the formulation of explicit policies. It is one thing, for example, for a
Green Paper to turn yellow, since comment and criticism is vital to the process; but it is quite another for the result to be indecision.
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Thirdly, with this system of government it is only right that sectional groups should express views on declared policy stemming from their sectional interests before, or even after, it is implemented. The Government has an obligation to listen to these sectional groups and to take careful note of their views. This is a well understood part
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