Policy Address | Sonia Chan | Authorities strive to make administration less bureaucratic

Sonia Chan pictured yesterday at the AL

Efforts to accelerate bureaucratic procedures within public services and across departments for the general public once again dominated Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan’s Policy Address yesterday at the Legislative Assembly.
Accompanied by senior officials from her cabinet, Ms Chan presented her plan to revamp the public administration, announcing the closure of six departments. She also mentioned that extradition agreements with mainland China and Hong Kong are near completion.
The secretary pledged to kick off preliminary work next year in order to create electronic platforms connecting various agencies. Such a computerized technology-oriented initiative to cut down on redundant procedures first surfaced in 2004. Nonetheless, the plan’s development has drawn lawmakers’ doubts, with many claiming that little progress has been achieved so far.
“The highlight is to optimize cross-departmental procedures. We would further promote e-governance based on that,” said Kou Peng Kuan, director of the Public Administration and Civil Service. He added that next year the authorities would focus on the digital reform of the centralized civil servant recruitment system, which would be accessible to applicants in terms of information announcements and applications. “This would serve as a foundation and template for other services,” said the official.
The government will also roll out a new electronic system for licensing restaurants next month to save time on document delivery between departments and to keep track of applications.
Meanwhile, Chan continued to move forward on the public services reshuffle – a highlight from the 2005 action plan that involves 15 public departments, with six of them to be disbanded gradually.
The official hinted that the new prospective municipal body without political power would come in 2017 following a public consultation next year that decides the fate of the Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau.
In January the Sport Development Board and Cultural Affairs Bureau are due to take on the above bureau’s function separately, while the Legal Affairs Bureau and Law Reform and International Law Bureau will also be merged with one another.
The authorities will also make all departments which are in direct contact with the public subject to a survey and assessment conducted by an independent body in order to rate management-level officials’ perfor-
mance.
The evaluation, together with experience calculation and self-competence, are crucial factors in “devising promotion routes for civil servants,” said the officials.
The government’s manpower expenditure is expected to rise 6.3 percent to MOP19.67 billion next year, which is around seven times the MOP2.87 billion spent in 1999, said lawmaker Chan Meng Kam.
Despite promises made earlier to downsize, the government is recruiting more people, Chan noted. The number of civil servants now surpasses the 30,000 threshold
The secretary explained that the rise in manpower in public services is a way to respond to the growing local population and tourist influx. According to her, the government plans to add 1,400 recruits, with half of them filling the void created by retirees.
Besides, she reiterated that the government’s policy was to better make use of manpower instead of simply reducing surplus. “The horizontal-mobility mechanism allows excess staff to work at departments in need of human resources,” said Chan.
The legislature will not be able to discuss the amendment of the law targeting taxi operations this year as scheduled, Chan said, stating that it requires related agencies’ consideration of possible fallouts from both the perspectives of investment and public transport. It was expected that the administrative work for the law’s revision could be done during the first half of next year. At the same time, authorities intend to clear the pile of already-lapsed laws.
Drafts for three other laws governing public wet markets and vendors’ operation inside are also expected to be completed next year, according to the officials.

restrictions on consultative bodies

Under the new policy formulated by the Sonia Chan, all 572 members of the government’s 46 advisory bodies are not allowed to continue their roles beyond a period of six years, with their individual presence limited to three bodies at most. According to the authorities, so far there are 32 members who juggle membership in at least three bodies, and one even belongs to seven committees.

current political system unchanged

In response to lawmaker Au Kam San’s inquiry over possible efforts to achieve democratic elections, the Secretary said it was “important to consolidate current political stability as the city is facing a new development.” With the sixth legislative assembly two years away, the official said the authorities would manage to revise the electoral law after a public consultation next year.