The Chief Executive Mr. TUNG Chee-hwa has announced the appointment of principal officials under the accountability system as well as the non-officials of the Executive Council for the next term. These new appointments not only show the Chief Executive's determination to reform the administrative structure, but also reflect the Government's top priority of assuring Hong Kong's progress over the next five years by inaugurating a system which will be more in tune with the aims and requirements of its citizens.

Mr. TUNG's mission in his first term of office was to ensure a smooth transition and to implement the policy of "one-country, two systems". On this premise, it was desirable to minimize changes of any kind. Therefore the Government continued to adopt the mode of administration used by the British colonial government.

However, the situation has changed. After five years of practice, the old system was found to have many shortcomings. It is now time for the second term Government to carry out reforms. In the past, high officials - by insisting upon their political neutrality - were able to make policy decision without being held accountable. Realistically, even if we set aside discussion on finer points of execution, a government always has to set its political agenda. If officials evade responsibility for their decisions by using "political neutrality" as an excuse, the result is that political responsibility for all issues - regardless of their importance - will fall solely on the shoulder of the Chief Executive.

An accountability system is the major measure in administrative reform. Under this new system, the three Secretaries and the eleven Directors of Bureaux will operate on the same lines as the Chief Executive. They will be free from the civil servants' burden, but must assume political responsibility for policies within their own Bureaux. Civil servants, on the other hand, can truly be political neutral.

The accountability system also opens the door for aspiring politicians to get involved. Ultimately, this system will be able to attract the elite of society to join the Government. Furthermore, it will nurture new political talent for Hong Kong.

The second merit of improving the administration of Hong Kong is the enhancement of the Government's relationship with the Legislative Council. Many people have the impression that Legislative Councillors are always complaining, sometimes seeming more destructive than constructive. It is not surprising to see Legislative Councilors arguing that monitoring the Government and pointing out faults where they exist is part of their role. But the main issue is that the first term Government had almost no vote in the Legislative Council, with the single exception of Legislative Councilor TAM Yiu-chung who was obliged to support the government because he was also a member of the Executive Council. The result was the government has faced great difficulties in the implementation of its policies. Even the former British government was in a more advantageous position because the Governor had the right to appoint Legislative Councillors and many senior government officials were also ex-officio members of the Legislative Council.

I am unaware of any major government in the world that has almost no representative in the legislature. In the case of Britain, the ruling party is the one with most seats in the House of Commons. In the United States, although the political party that the President belongs to may or may not have the largest representation in Congress, the President can nevertheless count on support of party's Senators and Congressmen.

The Chief Executive's appointment of Mr. Jasper TSANG Yok-sing and me to the Executive Council is probably an attempt to solve the problem of the Government's lack of support in the legislature. Although the Liberal party and the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) combined have only eighteen votes in the Legislative Council, such a coalition will lay the foundation for future enhancement in communications and cooperation between like-minded political parties and the administration. Being a member of the coalition, the Liberal Party will have a greater role in formulating policies with government but we are also obliged to stand by its final decisions by voting for them in Legislative Council.

Legislative Councillors have the responsibility to reflect people's views and to monitor the Government as they are elected by the people. After joining the Executive Council, I will bring in opinions from different sectors to the Government in the initial stage of policy formulation, so that policies can better meet the people's needs. Hopefully, it will not be long before Hong Kong people see the value of the Government's intention in improving the administration of Hong Kong.

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