14. In your speech you touched on wide issues: the
fundamental changes that have occurred in Hong Kong; the
Government's policies over the last 10 years; and to some
i
extent our future.
15.
;
So far as the Government's contribution to these
changes is concerned, it would be wrong to personalise.
Policies and changes rarely, if ever, spring ready made
from a single person. In this Government, they evolve,
just as they are implemented, through a process of
cooperative effort in which the Civil Service, Unofficials
and organisations such as this Chamber and of course the
public and media all contribute.
16. But during the last 10 years, building on the
extraordinary achievement of the previous 2 decades, Hong
Kong has evolved at extraordinary speed to a point at which
its industrial, commercial, financial and communications
capabilities have not only nearly trebled the wealth of
its inhabitants, but have an impact and a potential which
is literally world wide. This has brought a new dimension
to the Government's responsibilities.
17.
In a speech to LegCo over 5 years ago I defined
our aims as follows:
It is your Government's aim to build into our
society a balance. On the one hand there must be
reasonable freedom and opportunity to acquire wealth
and increase incomes at all levels to a comparatively
greater extent than in other communities, and this
is because of our need to retain and increase invest-
ment and employ our population. On the other hand