Well-being before GDP

With every election in developed nations, we are inundated with economic data and arguments about which elected official has the best chance of keeping the economy strong - which translates to jobs, food on the table, and thus an optimal society where most people are content. And so we are told that the "rational being" believes "It's about the Economy Stupid". But while we must ensure the economy stays healthy, it is not enough to leave our expectations on the prerequisite of a strong economy because there are many cases of the economy being robust at the expense of fairness or even prudent management. A robust and strong economy in itself can be the cause of many ills.

The economy is a mere halfway house to good health and well-being. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself. A robust economy means nothing without health and well-being.

The Hong Kong SAR has been much in the news lately. Officials are concerned about the aging population. So they plan to encourage people to have more children with tax incentives and support. Never mind that the Earth is unhealthy and over-populated. Our 7 million population is generating waste at such a rapid pace that officials are looking for a way to manage the rubbish generated, and they want to build an incinerator to burn it. Never mind that today's rubbish has so much plastic waste that incineration will pollute the air with cancer-causing dioxins (a by-product of burning plastics).

The trouble is, we look at problems in isolation, and concoct solutions to those isolated problems without looking at the final outcomes or in context of the bigger picture. What we need then is to make sure we know what we are striving for ultimately. It has got to be human health and well-being.

Margaret Chen, founder and managing director, SquAIR Roots (NGO)

Managing expectations

I am intrigued by your inaugural forum question, because I have never asked a similar question in my life since my birth in Hong Kong.

I belong to what you may call the post-50s generation. In those days, the people of Hong Kong did not expect the colonial government to do anything, or fix any problems, for them. They knew they had to fend for themselves if they were to survive in the then poverty-stricken society. Interestingly, this situation helped to cultivate the 'Hong Kong spirit', manifested in the strong community bonding, which led to our city's thriving economy since the mid-1970s.

Since the handover, the Hong Kong SAR government has in fact done a lot more than the colonial government in caring for its people. Yet, for one reason or another, people's expectations have skyrocketed. At the same time, different sectors of the community have become increasingly fixated on their own interests, so that anything the government wants to do is met with opposition from one faction or another. Being a metropolis, there is no problem that the HKSAR government alone can fix, if people do not have the common good in mind.

Paul Sze, paulsze@cuhk.edu.hk

Have your say

To our readers,

Seldom has Hong Kong faced more demanding challenges than those which confront it today.

Finding the right way forward necessitates mature and informed debate. In light of this extremely testing situation, we think each of our readers should be given the opportunity to have their say. We welcome all expressions of cool and rational ideas, proposals and suggestions, trusting that out of this dynamic exchange of opinions will emerge practical and commonsense solutions.

Readers' views will be published in a new column we are launching tomorrow titled "Readers Forum". Readers can e-mail their responses, in 200 words, to opinion@chinadailyhk.com on the following question: "If you could ask the HKSAR government to fix one thing, what would it be?"

Publication of letters will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thank you in advance for your contributions.

Editors of China Daily Hong Kong Edition

(HK Edition 10/19/2013 page6)