Gov’t says five-year plan gathering support

Lao Pun Lap, the Policy Research Office head (center)

The MSAR has received some 10,800 opinions from residents during a two-month long consultation period on the proposal for the Five-Year Development Plan, which ended on June 30. The Policy Research Office said over 80 percent of the opinions provided have shown support for the plan.
According to data released this week in a press conference organized by the government think-tank coordinated by Lao Pun Lap, more than 5,700 of the opinions expressed, or 53 percent of the total, were focused on livelihood issues. 2,189 comments, accounting for 20 percent of the 10,802 opinions expressed, related to the future development of the peninsula.
A total of 1,020 comments related to governance issues, while 982 opinions related to strategic development. A further 859 opinions, or 8 percent, were deemed “uncategorized.”
Over the consultation period, the government held a total of 41 sessions to promote the plan, with over 3,800 representatives from different sectors attending those sessions.
The plan was sharply criticized for its vagueness by several lawmakers and public figures. Lawmakers Ng Kuok Cheong and Au Kam San stated the plan is merely “a promotional booklet from the local government without any real value.”