WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1994
TRANSCRIPT OF CHIEF SECRETARY'S MEDIA SESSION
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, MRS ANSON CHAN, AFTER HER SPEECH IN THE DEBATE ON THE MOTION OF THANKS FOR THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY):
CS: GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE JUST SPOKEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN THE DEBATE ON THE MOTION OF THANKS FOR THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS. OVERALL, I THINK WE ARE SOMEWHAT DISAPPOINTED
THAT NOTWITHSTANDING THE CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS THAT WE'VE PUT INTO, FOR EXAMPLE, PRODUCING POLICY STATEMENTS AND PROGRESS REPORT AND NOTWITHSTANDING THAT IN THE POLICY COMMITMENTS, WE HAVE COVERED A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES AND OUR COMMITMENTS OVER A RANGE OF SERVICES INCLUDING WELFARE, MEDICAL AND HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION THAT MEMBERS HAVE NOT INDEED SEEMED TO PAY MUCH · HEED ΤΟ THESE POLICY COMMITMENTS NOR GIVEN US THE CREDIT FOR MAKING THESE EFFORTS. I THINK, OVERALL, WE WOULD HAVE WISHED FOR A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH. I DO EMPHASISE THAT IN THE COMING YEAR THIS COMING YEAR IS GOING TO BE A PARTICULARLY BUSY YEAR FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
WE DO WISH TO ESTABLISH A CONSTRUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND I BELIEVE THAT ON THAT UNDERSTANDING, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER EXTREMELY WELL IN ENSURING THAT THE PROGRAMME THAT WE HAVE SET OURSELVES FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE FAITHFULLY IMPLEMENTED. THANK YOU.
QUESTION: IF THE MOTION TODAY IS NOT PASSED OR CARRIED, WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN TO THE GOVERNMENT?
CS: I DON'T WISH TO ANTICIPATE. WE HAVE NOT YET TAKEN A VOTE ON THE MOTION OF THANKS.
QUESTION: WHAT'S WRONG WITH CRITICISMS?
CS: I HAVEN'T SAID THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG OF CRITICISMS. I THINK IF YOU READ MY SPEECH, YOU WILL SEE THAT I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE MEMBERS' RIGHT TO CRITICISE. WE WELCOME CRITICISMS BUT CRITICISMS HAVE TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE. TOTALLY NEGATIVE CRITICISMS DO NOT RESULT IN ANY TANGIBLE RESULTS.
THE CONTRARY, THEY HAVE A VERY DEMORALISING
EFFECT ON CIVIL SERVANTS. IN THE CURRENT HIGHLY-CHARGED OR POLITICISED ATMOSPHERE, CIVIL SERVANTS HAVE A DIFFICULT ENOUGH JOB. WE DO OUR BEST. THIS YEAR PARTICULARLY, WE'VE GONE TO THE TROUBLE OF PRODUCING THESE VERY DETAILED POLICY COMMITMENTS. WE DO NOT ASK TO BE PRAISED BUT WE DO ASK AT LEAST THAT OUR EFFORTS BE ACKNOWLEDGED.
QUESTION: DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE THAT THESE CRITICISMS ARE DEMORALISING?
CS: WELL,
I THINK, OF COURSE, WE HAVE EVIDENCE. I ALSO SAID IN MY SPEECH THAT GIVEN THE CONSTANT CARPING CRITICISMS FROM LEGCO MEMBERS + 1 THINK MANY CIVIL SERVANTS WONDER WHETHER THEIR EFFORTS ARE WORTHWHILE.
/QUESTION: