WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1985
18
HE NOTED THAT AMONG THE GOVERNMENT'S MANY AND DIVERSE DUTIES, WASTE CERTAINLY EXISTED WHILE CERTAIN UNNECESSARY WORK MIGHT ALREADY BE THERE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, BUT THEY HAD NOT DISAPPEARED WITH CHANGES IN BOTH ENVIRONMENT AND WORK.
HE QUESTIONED HOW THEN WERE WE GOING TO PINPOINT THESE PROBLEMS AND TRY TO SOLVE THEM.
+IN MY OPINION, APART FROM FREQUENT, THOROUGH AND SERIOUS REVIEWS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF, AND BECAUSE GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE PUBLIC, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WIDELY HEED OR EVEN MAKE AN EFFORT TO FIND OUT THE VIEWS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON ITS OWN INITIATIVE AND TO ACCEPT THE IR CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS WITH AN OPEN MIND.
+THUS, WE CAN EXPECT TO HAVE FRUITFUL RESULTS,+ HE SAID.
MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT ANY WORK ASSOCIATED WITH HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY THE CONDUCT OF THE IMPORT AND EXPORT TRADE, WAS NOT UNDULY HINDERED BY INSUFFICIENT MANPOWER, HE SUGGESTED.
ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, MR WONG SAID THE POSITIVE INVESTMENT ATTITUDE SHOWN BY LOCAL AND OVERSEAS INVESTORS HAD CONVINCED HIM THAT HONG KONG'S FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS WOULD MOVE AHEAD ALONG THE SAME TRACK AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
+ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE UPS AND DOWNS, BUT THE TREND WILL DEFINITELY BE AN UPWARD ONE.
+OUR BUDGET HAS IMPROVED BETTER THAN EXPECTED. IF WE ARE CAUTIOUS ENOUGH, IT WILL NOT BE TOO HARD TO RETURN TO THE PEAK PERIOD WE USED TO HAVE, AND EVEN MORE THAN THAT, IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS' TIME,+ HE SAID.
FISCAL POLICY SERVES HK WELL
*****
—
PETER WONG
IT IS REASSURING THAT GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO A POLICY WHICH HAS SERVED HONG KONG WELL OVER THE YEARS, THE HON PETER C. WONG SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE BUDGET DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR WONG SAID HE FULLY ENDORSED THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S BASIC PHILOSOPHY THAT EQUITY AND EFFICIENCY SHOULD BE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
HE NOTED THE DEFICITS HAD DWINDLED FROM $3.5 BILLION IN 1982-83 TO THE PLANNED DEFICIT OF $1 BILLION FOR 1985-86 AS A RESULT OF THE SKILFUL HANDLING OF PUBLIC FINANCES AND THE RESILIENCE OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY.
/BARRING UNFORESEEN