TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1988
FANNY WONG: SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT OVERALL WE CAN GET A BETTER AGREEMENT THAN WHAT WE GOT IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR?
H.E.: I'M SAYING THAT THIS AGREEMENT.. WHAT WE HAVE I'VE DESCRIBED AS BEING THE BASIS FOR A NEW AGREEMENT, IN OTHER WORDS, THE OVERALL FRAMEWORK IS AGREED BUT THE DETAIL HAS STILL TO BE WRITTEN DOWN. AND THAT OVERALL FRAMEWORK WILL GIVE US A BETTER ARRANGEMENT THAN WE HAD BEFORE.
ANNIE LAM, FROM SING TAO JIH PAO: DO YOU THINK THAT THE LOCALISATION POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT IS TOO RAPID TO CAUSE DAMAGE IN MORALES OF HIGH RANKING EXPATRIATE CIVIL SERVANTS. AND ALSO HOW DO YOU BALANCE THE NEED OF LOCALISATION AND THE NEED TO RAISE THEIR MORALES?
H.R.:
WE'VE HAD A LOCALISATION POLICY GOING ON FOR, I SUPPOSE, ABOUT 20 YEARS, AND IT'S BEEN GOING ON AT A VERY STEADY PACK. I DON'T THINK IT 19 TOO RAPID. WE'VE GOT ΤΟ PUT OURSELVES IN A POSITION WHERE, BY 1997, THE TOP POSTS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE, THAT'S THE SECRETARY POSTS, ARE FILLED BY LOCAL PEOPLE. IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF LOCAL PEOPLE IN THOSE POSTS BEFORE 1997. SO THAT HAS TO BE ONE OF THE AIMS. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THAT, THE NUMBER OF EXPATRIATES ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THAT, IS ACTUALLY VERY SMALL. THE REST OF THE LOCALISATION POLICY IS GOING ON VERY MUCH AS IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. I DON'T THINK IT IS SUCH THAT IT SHOULD DAMAGE THE MORALE OF EXPATRIATES. THE NUMBER OF EXPATRIATES IS STILL VERY LARGE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE AS A WHOLE. AND I WOULD HOPE THAT THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEIR MORALE IS DAMAGED BY THE POLICY BEING CARRIED OUT.
WONG KWOK-KONG, FROM RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG: WILL THE GOVERNMENT SET UP MORE INDEPENDENT AUTHORITIES ΤΟ RUN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT SERVICES APART FROM HOUSING AND MEDICAL?
H.E.: AS YOU SAY, WE'VE SET UP THOSE TWO. THE HOSPITALS AUTHORITY AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY. WE DO LOOK AT OTHER AREAS, WHERE, TO SEE WHETHER IT MIGHT BE A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY AND A MORE ECONOMIC WAY OF PROVIDING SERVICES FOR THE COMMUNITY. THERE ARE NO IMMEDIATE PLANS TO SET UP ANY FURTHER AUTHORITIES, BUT WE CONTINUE
LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITIES IN A NUMBER OF OTHER AREAS.
TO
CHEUNG KIT-FUNG, FROM PAI SHING: SINCE THE GOVERNMENT SET UP SO MANY AUTHORITIES IN RECENT YEARS, AND THEN SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT IT IS ANOTHER WAY TO CHANGE THE POLITICAL STRATA OF
HONG
KONG
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DO
YOU THINK SO?
/H.E.: