XN000022-1986-03-27 — Page 24

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THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1986

WITHOUT THESE, HE SAID, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO ASSESS THE SIZE OF THE SUBSIDY WHICH HÔNG KONG TAXPAYERS HAVE BEEN FINANCING OVER THE YEARS, OR WHETHER THE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN OR ARE BEING CARRIED OUT COST-EFFECTIVELY AND COMPETITIVELY SO AS TO ENSURE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY.

MR CHEN WARNED THAT HONG KONG'S HEALTHIER FINANCIAL POSITION TODAY SHOULD BE NO CAUSE FOR OVER OPTIMISM OR COMPLACENCY.

+OUR VIABILITY DEPENDS ON OUR BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR WHAT WE WANT WITHOUT RESORTING TO DEBT. IN SHORT, WE MUST EARN BEFORE WE SPEND, AND SPEND WISELY,+ HE SAID.

MORE GOVERNMENT-PRIVATE SECTOR CO-OPERATION URGED

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THE HON SELINA CHOW TODAY (THURSDAY) CALLED ON GOVERNMENT TO DEVELOP A MORE OPEN ATTITUDE TOWARDS CO-OPERATION WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE, MRS CHOW CITED HER EXPERIENCE WITH THE ORGANISATION AND CO-ORDINATION OF LAST YEAR'S INTERNATIONAL YOUTH YEAR ACTIVITIES TO DEMONSTRATE THE EXTRA VALUE THAT COULD BE DERIVED FROM POOLING OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC RESOURCES.

+WHEN WE REFER TO OPEN GOVERNMENT IN FUTURE, I HOPE IT WILL BE MORE THAN A REFERENCE TO THE PUBLIC RELATIONS ASPECT OF OUR ADMINISTRATION,

+ I HOPE IT WILL ALSO SIGNIFY THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MORE OPEN ATTITUDE TOWARDS CO-OPERATION WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, SHE SAID.

SHE NOTED THAT SUCH AN ATTITUDE MIGHT EXIST IN A SMALL NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS BUT WAS BY NO MEANS WIDESPREAD AND SHE BELIEVED IT WOULD BE TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ADVANTAGE THAT IT WAS ACTIVELY DEVELOPED AND PROMOTED BY SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.

ASSOCIATING HERSELF WITH DR THE HON KIM CHAM'S VIEWS ON PRIVATISATION, SHE SAID AFTER A NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL TRIALS, THE TIME WAS RIPE FOR AN ACROSS-THE-BOARD EXERCISE TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE INCLUSIONS.

HOWEVER, SHE CAUTIONED AGAINST THE HON POON CHI-FAI'S PROPOSAL TO GOVERNMENTI SE MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, NOTING THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE A HIGH TENDENCY OF SLIPPAGE WITH JOBS UNDERTAKEN BY GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS.

/EARLIER, MRS