CE makes clean-air pledge
October 19, 2011
Chief Executive Donald Tsang has vowed to implement updated air quality objectives within his term of office.
Speaking on an RTHK radio talk-show this morning to elaborate on his 2011-2012 Policy Address, Mr Tsang said the air pollution issue is very much on his mind and he reassured several callers that improvement measures were underway.
“We are going whole hog into changing our bus fleet into electric buses,” he said. “All the things we are attempting to do is to improve the air quality of Hong Kong. As far as the air quality statutory requirements are concerned, I can give you my word that we will do it within my term of office.”
He added the most polluting elements come from our power generating plants, and that there was a plan to purchase more nuclear power and to replace existing plants with gas-fired plants – but that this will take time.
Responding to a caller’s question, Mr Tsang said he had “a lot of sympathy” for people who reacted to the Occupy Wall Street movement. He noted that banks had made a lot of money, got into trouble, had to have the government bail them out, and then bankers got the lion’s share again through their bonuses.
“People can quite rightly ask whether this was unjust,” he said. He noted that in Hong Kong, though, no taxpayers’ money was used to bail out any banks. While developers here seem to be very rich and that is reflected in housing prices, the Government does provide housing for the grassroots and the very poor.
“Whether we like it or not, we are a capitalist society.”
To tackle the wealth gap that will always exist in such a society, “we try to help the poorest with housing, retrain them, educate their children, help them move up the social chain,” he said.
Asked why he was reluctant to raise taxes, Mr Tsang noted that a low-tax regime was enshrined in the Basic Law. As Hong Kong is an international financial centre, it resources are mainly human capital. Raising taxes would prompt people to move elsewhere, he said, adding Singapore plans to lower its profits tax to attract more business.
He also defended his choice of Stephen Lam as Chief Secretary.
“We have a highly political agenda with successive elections taking place. I want a team builder. I’m facing a transition as well, from my administration to the next. I want it to be seamless. So I need a very adroit administrator. I want someone who is humble, sympathetic and someone who can deliver. Somebody who is a team player. I think Stephen fulfills all those marks.”
