Transcript of CE's press conference on 2013 Policy Address (with photos/video)

Transcript of CE's press conference on 2013 Policy Address (with photos/video)
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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, at the press conference on the 2013 Policy Address at Central Government Offices, Tamar, this afternoon (January 16):

Chief Executive: I have to take an English question. I agree. Please.

Reporter: Thank you, Chief Executive. I just want to say before I ask my question that this is the only time today that any official in your Administration has deemed to answer a question put to him in English. I hope that in future this will not be the rule. Here's my question: You spoke during your speech about your expectation that there will be difficulties, obstacles and resistance. And later on you said - and let me get the quote - we cannot afford to, and we should not, wait for a full consensus. Now, you said that in the context of land supply and housing, but my question is: Is that the approach that you are going to bring to other issues, that sort of take-no-prisoners approach?

Chief Executive: In many, if not most, policy initiatives, there are sectoral interests. In formulating my land and related - and that includes housing - policies there are sectoral interests as well. I said it in my last answer to Joseph's question. When I formulate - and my Government do it too - public policies, we have in mind not sectoral interests; we have in mind the long-term and overall interests of the community as a whole. This is a Government, this Chief Executive is a Chief Executive, not only for a sector in the community, not just for a group of Hong Kong people, but for the 7 million people in Hong Kong. We work not just for the short-term interests, but also for the longer-term interests of Hong Kong. With that in mind, we formulate these policies and, in the process of doing so, there will be resistance, there will be obstacles, there will be opposition. And it will not be possible to expect, and we should not wait, for 100 per cent consensus, and that's the meaning behind the words in that passage. Thank you very much.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:15

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