A couple of weeks ago, I attended a function organized by the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, where Financial Secretary John Tsang delivered a speech. Tsang said his most significant experience since he took up the post six years ago was when his 2013-14 Budget was subject to a filibuster in the Legislative Council (LegCo). This almost disrupted the normal operation of government departments and public services. By the end of this month, Tsang will deliver his 2014-15 Budget. I hope this is unhindered because the sooner the Budget is passed, the sooner we can deal with other issues.

Many of us know in our hearts that the real reason for the filibuster was some lawmakers just wanted to paralyze the government. This was one of many examples of political discord in recent years. Since 1997, many policies have been opposed by a small group of lawmakers wanting to gain their own political advantages. This has resulted in a considerable waste of time and money. These politicians exploit so-called public opinion to disrupt government projects which are clearly in the public interest. This includes the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Lung Mei Beach, the North East New Territories New Development Areas, etc. Various obstacles have impeded these projects, raising construction costs and holding up Hong Kong's economic development.

The second Policy Address delivered by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying focused on supporting the poorer sections of society and augmenting about HK$20 billion in regular expenditure. As Leung said in his speech, "Hong Kong needs sustained economic growth to address issues such as poverty, housing, an aging society, environmental protection and the upward mobility of our young people."

It has become common to emphasize the significance of Hong Kong's economy, but because of the many difficulties we face, we still need effective policies and good governance.

Some politicians used to condemn the government for not caring enough about the weaker sections of society - noting that the gap between rich and poor keeps growing. But after the government announced its recent policies of poverty alleviation (which will benefit tens of thousands of poor families) none of these politicians responded. This showed how superficial their concern for the poor really was. Essentially, they were only looking for votes from the grassroots.

2014 is the year we should all participate in the public consultation for methods for selecting the CE in 2017 and for forming the LegCo in 2016.

Some people see these elections as a panacea for all society's problems. However, even in Western countries where democracy is venerated, experts say democracy is meaningless without good governance. The recent unrest in Thailand illustrates this point. It is likely the Thai people will be biggest losers from this unrest and no political party will benefit.

The public should, therefore, pressure the government to implement socially stable policies to avoid a situation like Thailand's. Public opinion should not be hijacked to hurt society and the economy. If economic policies which reflect public opinion can be implemented successfully, this will help guarantee the basic rights of all Hong Kong people. This, then, is the true realization of democracy.

The author is vice-president of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong.

(HK Edition 02/12/2014 page1)