Hong Kong’s Spaghetti Junction in policymaking

The Policy Address offered the goal of combining "economic development needs with environmental protection and conservation to create a better living environment". That outcome can only be achieved if bureaux and departments integrate their policies in order to create comprehensive coordination of the massive public investments that are already being made.

The challenge is to identify who within the vast government bureaucracy should be responsible for joining things up.

Obviously, the Chief Executive as head of the government ought to provide an overall political vision as the basis for co-ordinated policy initiatives. The Chief Executive also has a duty to ensure ministers work together. But it is the Chief Secretary who ought to have the job of getting all the government agencies involved to co-operate from the initial planning to the project's successful delivery on time, within budget and thoroughly green.

None of this is rocket science – but it needs leadership and clear thinking.