MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): Thank you, President. I would like to thank Mr Tony TSE for proposing the motion on “healthy city”, which is also one of my key beliefs over the years. I recall that I proposed my first motion in the Legislative Council in 2009 to urge the Government to promote medical check-up for the whole community and encourage the public to do more exercise, so as to build a “healthy city”. Therefore, I share the same belief with Mr Tony TSE, and I believe this is also the common aspiration of society.
Today’s motion involves many different aspects, and I wish to focus on the issues of sports as well as physical and mental well-being. For many years, I have been urging the Government to encourage people to do more exercise because staying healthy is an important element of a happy society. In addition, with an ageing population in Hong Kong, healthcare will pose a significant burden on society. In the face of these problems, I think the best solution is to motivate people to do more exercise.
The Government has done quite well in promoting sports in recent years. Apart from constructing the Kai Tak Sports Park which is a large-scale development, it has also taken forward the Five-year Plan for Sports and Recreational Facilities, under which quite many facilities have been built. Considerable resources have been allocated to promote sports in the community as well. Nevertheless, what I am most looking forward to is the newly established Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. I find it very meaningful for this new Policy Bureau to have the word “sports” in its name, which shows the Government’s determination to develop sports. The new Policy Bureau should formulate effective long-term policies to, apart from nurturing elite athletes, motivate people of all ages to do exercise. In particular, it should foster a sports culture among students, since most students prefer to play electronic games rather than playing sports nowadays, which will definitely undermine their physical and mental well-being in the long run. As such, the Government should subsidize schools to purchase sports equipment, organize more interschool competitions, and even work on enriching the content of physical education lessons with a view to fostering a sports culture among students. The new Policy Bureau should also encourage elderly persons to do exercise, including organizing exercise classes suitable for the elderly, such as Tai Chi classes and dance classes, in the districts. I believe that the community will become more healthy if everyone does exercise.
In addition to encouraging people to do exercise, cultivating people’s interest in watching sports events is also beneficial to their physical and mental well-being. Recently, the Radio Television Hong Kong (“RTHK”) has broadcast live football matches such as the Asian Cup Qualifiers and the AFC Cup, thereby enabling the public to watch the Hong Kong team’s games. It is learnt that a large number of young people and old football fans have been attracted to watch the broadcast, and they had a good time watching the matches. RTHK has indicated that some of the matches had recorded a viewership rating of more than five points, the result is very encouraging.
In fact, RTHK should consider setting up a sports channel for broadcasting live matches of the Hong Kong team and even the national team, whereas league matches of various ball games in Hong Kong and the Mainland can be broadcast on a regular basis. Drawing from the experience of providing live broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic Games, RTHK can also acquire the live broadcasting rights of international major sports events so that all Hong Kong people can watch the games for free. While live broadcasting entails a huge cost, it is certainly good value for money. It can provide quality entertainment for the public and cultivate their interest in sports, such that they can have a source of spiritual sustenance. At the same time, watching the games of the national team and the Hong Kong team can cultivate people’s love for the country and Hong Kong, which can also produce the effect of building solidarity among the people. Therefore, the live broadcasting of sports events will bring multiple benefits, it is definitely worthy of consideration by the Government.
Lastly, I would like to discuss work-life balance. I proposed a motion on promoting work-life balance in 2009. At that time, “work-life balance” was highly popular in foreign countries, but it was very unfamiliar to Hong Kong people, and many Members even asked me what it was back then. It has finally become increasingly popular in Hong Kong nowadays with the implementation of a five-day work week, paternity leave, work from home, flexible working hours, etc. An enterprise has even launched a pilot scheme for a four-and-a-half-day work week recently, which is indeed encouraging. People will enjoy good physical and mental health and have a happy family if they can take care of their personal or family life while working. Besides, facts have proven that these good measures will not affect productivity if proper arrangements are made, employers can hence rest assured.
In fact, I have proposed time and again that the Government should promote “work-life balance”. Although the Government has implemented some relevant policies, there is a lack of comprehensive and long-term planning. I hope that after the epidemic, the Government can set up a task force to formulate long-term policies, and draw reference from successful overseas experience to facilitate Hong Kong’s various trades and sectors in promoting measures on “work-life balance”.
Thank you, President.