Hong Kong Government should continue improving local population policy, public’s engagement as well as working on a common goal for Hong Kong citizens, said former Secretary for Security Peter Lai.
Peter Lai pointed out that population policy has great impact on society, and it is of paramount importance for both the existing and future government to optimize it.
“Birth rate in Hong Kong has been increasing, yet most of these newborns’ parents are not Hong Kong citizens but rather mainland Chinese. This causes a heavy burden on local welfare and we definitely need to find a way out,” said Lai.
Lai continued, “the government should confront the problem and tackle it, this is not only the responsibility of the existing government, but also that of the future government.”
He also mentioned that the government should “enhance public engagement, as this is significant to the implementations and amendments of future polices.”
“Even though there are several channels provided to citizens to voice their opinions, efforts are still needed in encouraging them to tell us what they are thinking,” said Lai.
He believes that the government could only draft and implement a policy smoothly if it has taken everyone into account, which means opinion from the publics should be taken into consideration.
“Hong Kong will have a bright future only when we, the Hong Kong citizens, have developed a common goal, and pledge to work to reach the goal,” said Lai.