Guest Comments by Hong Kong's Democratic Party

HONG KONG – Recently, Democratic Party legislators met with Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang to discuss our proposals for his upcoming policy address to the Legislative Council.

We propose that Hong Kong should set up three seed-funds, each initially of HK$10 billion. One would provide interest-free loans to NGOs to build residential-care homes for the elderly and disabled. Another should subsidize expensive and necessary medicines that are effective, but not prescribed in the Hospital Authority drug formulary, and give more resources to the Samaritan Fund to enhance medicine choices for patients in need. The third fund would be for public expenditure to care for the aging population.

Moreover, we stressed that the right time has not arrived to start the process of Article 23 (national security) legislation.

Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho said that revenue from land sales so far this year exceeds HK$35 billion with more to come. That's in addition to an existing HK$1,100 billion in fiscal reserves and accumulated surplus of the Exchange Fund.

Hong Kong's government should adopt a more proactive and progressive approach to alleviate poverty and ease the housing difficulties faced by many. It should attempt to reduce income inequality.

Also, the government could save thousands of animals' lives each year by implementing a “trap, neuter and release” program.

Here's a summary of our other proposals:

-- Provide more chances for public participation in the chief executive and Legco elections. Enact legislation to be implemented in phases so that elections starting in 2016 will be conducted by genuine universal suffrage. Abolish functional constituencies and appointed and ex-officio seats for the 2011 District Councils in one go.

-- Appoint an independent committee to investigate the situation of selling and dealing with personal data. Amend laws to enhance the regulation of selling personal data. Provide more resources to the privacy commissioner. Enlarge coverage of the Register of Data Users to include financial, insurance and telecom institutions.

-- Establish an independent, statutory human-rights committee. Reform the existing mechanism and procedures to fill key posts in rights-protection institutions to enhance transparency and freedom from political interference.

-- Review existing schemes to increase rent subsidies and introduce working credits and workfare plans to encourage recipients to work. Increase medical-voucher amounts to not less than $1,200 per year. Set up a mental-health authority to co-ordinate mental-health-related work.

-- Resume a home-ownership scheme and other subsidized flats-for-sale programs.

-- Resume a land bank and regular land auctions. Increase land supply. Strengthen measures to combat flats speculation.

-- Implement a university voucher scheme to increase subsidized university-study places. Abolish risk-interest calculation in the financial-assistance scheme for tertiary education.

-- Implement small-class teaching in secondary schools gradually during six years and provide for 15-year subsidized education, including three-year pre-school education.

-- Promote the replacement of high-emission franchised buses by giving subsidies or extending bus franchises and help to install emission-reduction equipment before replacement, all to improve air quality.

-- Establish a statutory institution to better regulate tourism.

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