Laying the foundations for long-term prosperity

Paul Yeung writes that while the current government has laid the foundation for addressing some of HK's pressing issues - such as poverty and housing - further progress lies with future policy addresses

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying delivered his last policy address on Jan 18. Many people did not expect anything new from it as the current administration is in its final phase. But the policy address did give us some surprises. It is the longest one in the history of the Hong Kong SAR. In the conclusion of his speech, Leung said that "Today, all commitments in my election manifesto have basically been implemented". Some may question this statement as the housing, retirement protection, and poverty issues have yet to be completely solved.

To be fair, the current government has done a lot to deal with serious problems facing Hong Kong in the past few years. Re-establishment of the Commission on Poverty, introduction of low-income working family allowance, setting the new Long Term Housing Strategy and facilitating the development of innovation and technology are examples. However, according to Leung's description, besides the "in tray" and "out tray" for most jobs, there is also a "too difficult tray".