Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa met separately with business, social and political leaders Monday for the first time since the mass protest on July 1.

At the meetings, the chief executive pledged to listen to views from different quarters on his performance in the first six years and on certain recent events. This shows that Tung, through his actions, is trying hard to establish a "people-oriented" ruling concept, keep in close contact with the people, and actively open up more channels for political discussion.

In the six years since reunification, Tung has done a lot of work on the implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle as well as economic development. For that he has won international recognition and acclaim.

Yet, instead of dodging people's criticism by claiming credit for such accomplishments, he admitted the shortcomings of his governance and responded to people's demands with a positive attitude. He promised to see representatives from business chambers, different sectors of society, the media and political critics on a regular basis from now on. His meeting with business, social and political leaders yesterday demonstrated that he and his leadership team are advancing with the times and striving to enhance their style of governance.

Although some of those who marched on July 1 were skeptical of Article 23 legislation, more were actually upset with the economic conditions and some of the government's policies. On the one hand, they hoped to see the revival of the economy and the improvement of their livelihoods in a timely manner. On the other hand, they do not want the stability of Hong Kong to be prejudiced in such a way that the government and society could not concentrate in resolving the current problems. It is now the common objective of all walks of life and mainstream public opinion to seek stability, solidarity, survival and development, which are the keys to Hong Kong people's well-being.

A minority of politicians who insist on toppling Tung and wreaking havoc in the SAR and who ignore the overall and long-term interests of the territory are purposely oblivious of the fact that overcoming the current economic woes is the most urgent task of the SAR. Obviously, between responding to the general demand for economic rejuvenation and arousing social antagonism and rifts, it is easy to determine which course of action is right and which is wrong.

Since Hong Kong is currently facing myriads of difficulties, over-politicization in society would hamper the joint efforts of the community and the government in surmounting these problems. We therefore hope that Hongkongers from all strata of society should bear in mind their responsibility to safeguard the overall interests of the SAR. They should articulate their thoughts and expectations to the chief executive and put forward more constructive proposals on how to maintain social stability, kickstart an economic rebound and improve people's livelihoods.

The central government is very concerned about the plight in which Hong Kong has found itself, and has acted to help out. The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) was signed at the end of June in Hong Kong. Since then Beijing, upon the request of Tung, has further accelerated the implementation of the arrangement and substantiated many of its major provisions.

How to translate the favourable contents of CEPA to Hong Kong's competitive edge in order to create more jobs and wealth for the local populace is something that requires serious discussions among different quarters and positive proposals from them.

Besides adopting public opinions, the SAR government should also adjust its policies to tally with all trades and professions in the implementation and utilization of CEPA and to restore people's confidence and economic vitality as quickly as possible.

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