Newsletter No. 334

No. 334, 19.3.2009 十 方 吐 露 TEN QUESTIONS FOR ( To be continued ) 1 你享受在中大的教學經驗嗎？ Do you enjoy teaching at CUHK? 我在中大教授公共行政的領導技巧一課，向學生分析時 事、介紹政府運作，並不時以新發展的事態作教材，刺激 學生思考，要求他們在討論和報告中分析問題，探討不同 角度，份量可不是輕的，我十分享受在中大的教學過程。 I teach a course on leadership in public administration. I analyse public affairs and introduce my students to how the government operates, quoting the most current issues as examples to inspire them. At tutorials and for their reports, they are required to look at problems from different perspectives. It’s not an easy course. I enjoy teaching at CUHK very much. 2 你在報章論政，抱持的是甚麼宗旨？覺得有甚麼得 失？ What are your guiding principles as political commentator in newspapers? What do you see as your losses and gains? 我希望做到「平」和「直」，開始時確遇到一些批評，認 為從政府崗位退下來便不應指指點點，但我提出的只是 我的觀點或建議，是一些我衷心相信值得大眾及政府 參考的東西。我收到的讀者電郵全是正面的，我也從其 他渠道包括電視及藉探訪學校，與更多不同人士交流意 見。 I try to be fair and honest. I was initially criticized because some people thought it was not appropriate for a freshly retired government official to comment on politics and current affairs. But I am simply airing my views, which I sincerely believe can serve as reference for the public and the government. All the e-mails I have received from my readers have been positive. I also exchange views with different people by means of other channels, such as television and school visits. 3 你的書《平心直說》談十二年特區局長生涯，你作 為公務員／政務官服務香港的日子更久，回頭望有 甚麽感受？ In your book, you reflect on your 12-year service as a bureau secretary for the HKSAR government. You served Hong Kong for an even longer period as civil servant/administrative officer. Looking back, how do you feel? 我覺得服務香港社會本身便很有意義。有人說現今政務官 這個職系已經不吸引，這要看你抱持甚麼態度，我覺得最 重要的，是懷着一顆服務社會的心，認為值得做的便做。 我現在就政府事務發表個人意見，抱持的便是一顆平常 心，並不是對過去有甚麼不滿之處。 It is very meaningful to serve Hong Kong. Some people say that the job of administrative officer is not as attractive as it was. I think that depends on your expectations. If you have the passion to serve, it is a worthy job. I make my commentary on government and politics as an ordinary person, not as someone with a score to settle. 4 退休政府官員講學論政，在外國例子多的是，香港 則不多，依你看是甚麼原因？ It is very common for retired government officials to comment on politics in foreign countries. But this is not the case in Hong Kong. Why? 以前的殖民地高官多是英國人，退休後都返英定居。我可 能是第一批生於斯，長於斯的香港人在前殖民地／特區政 府公務員系統內退休的人。我們及下一代都以香港為家， 都希望香港好。不少舊同僚也一樣，有些更全職從政。另 方面香港已是一個相當成熟的公民社會，議政參政的渠道 多的是。退休便閉嘴，已經不合時宜了。 When Hong Kong was a colony, most of the senior officials were British and they returned home upon retirement. I belong to the first batch of retired senior government officials who were born and raised in Hong Kong, and who had served both the colonial and the SAR governments. We and our offsprings regard Hong Kong as our home and hope to make it a better place. Many of my former colleagues share the same belief as I do and some of them are full-time politicians now. As a mature civil society, Hong Kong offers many channels for getting involved in politics. It is no longer reasonable to expect retired government officials to refrain from expressing their views. 5 可否說一件公務員事務局局長任內難忘的事？ Can you tell us one memorable experience during your term as Secretary for the Civil Service? 任內難忘的事實在很多，其中一件是因應當時的經濟環境 調整公務員薪酬，引起公務員普遍反對，有以遊行方式表 達，甚至訴諸法律行動。最後經終審法院裁定調整公務員 薪酬並不違反《基本法》，事件才告一段落。現在回看這件 事，覺得除了澄清一個重要原則外，長遠來說也為整體公 務員造就了一個取得市民認同及尊重的制度。我任內也曾 推動新舉措，如向外招攬高級政務官，因為我深信公務員 制度要不斷完善，才可適應急速轉變的社會。 There were many. One experience was the civil service pay adjustment in response to the economic downturn. The measure was met with strong opposition from civil servants. Some took to the streets; some even took it to court. At last the Court of Final Appeal ruled that the adjustment was not in violation of the Basic Law , putting an end to the disputes. In hindsight, I think that in addition to clarifying an important principle, it helped to bring about a civil service system that enjoys credibility and respect. As Secretary for the Civil Service, I introduced some new measures, including recruiting senior administrative officers from outside. I strongly believe that the civil service system needs to keep improving itself to cope with the needs of an ever-changing society. 6 可否說一件工商及科技局局長任內難忘的事？ Can you tell us one memorable experience during your term as Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology? 工商及科技局涵涉的政策範圍很廣，不過有一件頗有趣的 事。輿論對社會道德標準及淫褻、不雅界綫的討論已有一 段日子，曾經有意見認為宗教典籍及文學作品也應受到約 束，我認為這般極端的看法未必是認真的，而這些文獻是 人類的共同文化遺產，不可妄加限制。話說回頭，我相信 言論自由固然重要，但亦應有一定程度的制約，也因如此， 最開放的社會，都有機制保護其兒童及青少年。 The scope of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau was so large that many areas of public affairs fell within its radius. There was one particularly interesting 王永平 Joseph W.P. Wong