Blog

Letter to Hong Kong — A Letter to My Father

Dear Father,

I delivered my first Budget Speech a couple of days ago.  How I wish you were there to listen to my speech, not because I regard it as a personal achievement, but because I want to tell you that it embodies the insights I gained from your deeds and conduct.

Like your peers in Hong Kong, you were born to a poor family in troubled times and received only a few years of schooling.  After moving to Hong Kong, you became a member of the grassroots striving to raise my siblings and I.  Despite our straitened circumstances, you were never thrifty when it came to our education, hoping that equipped with a skill, we would not have to work so hard like you did but still barely able to make ends meet.  Though in poverty, you were eager to help others and always spoke up for people in circumstances worse than your own.  You and your peers dedicated your lives to your families.  The prosperity of Hong Kong today is built upon your toil and sweat.

As you grew old, you were frail due to ill health.  Having difficulties getting about, you needed family care.  My siblings and I wished to take good care of you, but between work and our own families, we could not stay with you all the time.  We thought of finding you a suitable residence, only to find upon site visits that we could not feel at ease.  How regrettable and helpless we were!  Like all other elderly people, you had made lifelong contributions to Hong Kong.  The community should be grateful to all of you for your labour and the community should render assistance to you all as and when necessary.

In the Budget for the coming financial year, I have set aside $30 billion for residential care and rehabilitation services for the elderly and persons with disabilities.  It is hoped that these resources will allow the elderly to receive appropriate care, live a dignified life in their declining years and will not feel that they are being abandoned, while relieving the pressure and burden of their children and even grandchildren.

To move out of poverty and up the social ladder, one must have a good job and opportunities for career progression.  The past few decades have seen the development of Hong Kong into a knowledge-based metropolitan city.  Innovation and technology (I&T) has also greatly changed the workplace landscape.  Working hard alone does not guarantee a good life.  To work smart, we must have the knowledge, vision and skills to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds.  When I first entered the job market, I suffered many setbacks even though I was a university graduate.  My career path inevitably took a number of twists and turns.  Therefore, it is good for young people to go abroad so that they can widen their horizons, develop self-confidence and learn to embrace diversity and inclusion.  I know that many young people in Hong Kong cannot afford to do so due to a lack of financial means.  Hence, I have reserved $1 billion in the Budget for young people to pursue vocational education, diverse development and overseas exchanges.  A funding of $10 billion has also been earmarked for promoting I&T development in a bid to help young people who are engrossed in I&T activities and aspire for entrepreneurship.

Years ago I ran for the Legislative Council (LegCo) election.  Upon winning, I devoted myself to the work of the LegCo and gradually left the accounting firm that I established.  You did not understand why I gave up a stable and affluent life to venture into the unfamiliar political arena.  I told you that with no need to worry about money, I hoped to use my energy, knowledge and experience to serve the community in the latter half of my life.  And that through my work as a legislator, I will be able to voice the views of the people, influence government policies and monitor their implementation.  A few years later, after I joined the Government as Secretary for Development, you asked me how it was different from being a legislator.  I said that government officials were responsible for formulating policies and they had the power to allocate public resources for rightful use.  In that sense, I could better serve the community.  Later you fell seriously ill.  Yet, noting the tremendous difficulties and pressure I was under at that time, you were filled with worry.  Father, I have been very sorry to see you leave this world worrying about me.

Today, although you could not see it, I would like you to know that thankfully, with the concerted efforts of my colleagues, I have made some achievements.  I have contributed in some way to gradually solving the long-standing problem of land shortage in Hong Kong.  In mid-January, I took office as Financial Secretary.  The appointment gives me not only greater responsibilities, but also a broader platform to serve the community.  To me, the Budget is not just a collection of cold and hard figures.  The figures indicate the priorities set by the Government in resource allocation, reflecting the values we hold.  Appropriate allocation of public resources can relieve people’s hardship, create more opportunities, make life better and give us hope for the future.

The Budget is just the first step of my work.  My colleagues and I will continue to do our utmost to make Hong Kong a place that is fair and just, caring and sharing, prosperous and more liveable, so that all our future generations can enjoy a happy life here.

February 26, 2017