1995年香港總督彭定康農曆新年賀辭
Read by Christopher PATTEN, Cantonese voiceover by CHUNG Wai-ming
你哋好。一年就快過去，另外一年亦都來臨，而家喺我哋同家人同親友歡聚一堂嘅時候，我相信大家都會花多啲時間，想一想喺過去一年裡便，我哋認為做得滿意嘅事，包括我哋真正喜歡做嘅事、一齊分享過嘅趣事以及合力實現嘅理想。我哋亦會展望新嘅一年，想到一切我哋希望做嘅事、希望付諸實行嘅明智決定同埋希望成功完成嘅工作。
當我哋為家人想到要做嘅事嘅時候，相信我哋亦同樣為社會設想，為香港呢個美好嘅城市設想。喺過去一年，雖然偶然有波折，但係我哋仍然能夠一一咁應付到。而且我相信，喺世界其他地方，差不多冇人應付得好過我哋。
經濟問題困擾住整個世界，但係香港喺過去幾十年來一直都能夠應付裕如，而且可以講係傲視同儕添。點解？其實幾份報章同雜誌，以及美國智囊團，喺舊年發表嘅意見，都可以為我哋提供部分嘅答案。佢哋有啲將香港稱為全世界最有利於營商嘅城市，有啲稱讚香港係全世界最自由嘅經濟體系，又有啲認為香港係全世界競爭最激烈嘅地方之一。香港市民實力十足，勇於進取，刻苦耐勞，為香港創造好多優越條件，使我哋嘅經濟每年都持續增長。雖然其他地方都要面對種種問題，但係我哋仍然能夠撥出資源去做我哋想做嘅事。
我哋已經睇到舊年嘅部分工作成果，我哋目睹各項社會計劃不斷發展，尤其是喺培育青少年方面，我哋更加係不遺餘力，我相信呢個係你哋極為重視，亦都係香港前途嘅所繫。我哋將更多嘅資源用喺發展幼稚園、中小學、專上學院、訓練學校同大學嘅教育上。為咗確保青少年能夠獲得最佳嘅機會，呢方面嘅投資係至為重要嘅。
但係，我哋亦都為年老嘅市民設想，並且為佢哋提供更多嘅服務。我哋年長嘅親友為香港締造繁榮，因此佢哋應該享受香港今日嘅豐碩成果。佢哋應該同我哋一齊分享我哋嘅卓越成就。
金錢唔係生命中唯一最重要嘅嘢，我相信人人都希望心境安寧，因此努力使香港成為一個非常安全嘅居住地方。喺呢方面，我哋做得出色過其他地方，但係我哋唔會因此自滿。香港有出色嘅警隊，我希望佢哋經常獲得應有嘅資源同支持，你哋透過參與撲滅罪行委員會等嘅工作，給予警隊好多支持。喺我哋嘅努力之下，香港會繼續係亞太區，甚至係全球其中一個最安全嘅地方。
呢啲係過去嘅事。將來又點樣？我哋仍然需要確保香港嘅經濟能夠繼續使我哋獲得理想中嘅生活同水平。我哋仍然要不斷發展各項社會計劃。我認為我哋喺新嘅一年仲要注意幾件非常重要嘅事。首先，法治係使香港出類拔萃同取得卓越成就嘅原因之一。我哋訂立嘅公平規則，適用於每一個人，不論佢係乜嘢身分，就算係總督都要遵守。呢種法治精神，亦都令香港成為一個特別適合營商嘅理想地方，並且提供一種團結社會嘅力量，使社會更加穩定同繁榮。
我哋都知道我哋需要肩負歷史任務，盡量使香港喺一九九七年成功過渡。對我哋嚟講，呢項係艱鉅嘅任務。但係我哋希望能夠同中方官員有更佳嘅合作，取得更好嘅成績。因為如果能夠成功完呢一項偉大而獨特嘅任務，將香港主權移交中國，對我哋各方面都有好處。
相信各位都知道，每一個星期我都會花費好多時間巡視各區，探訪屋邨、學校、醫院、工廠以及其他不同嘅地方。我想真係睇到差不多香港嘅每一樣事物，有時仲去勻香港嘅每一個地方添。舊年，我巡視各區嘅時候，得到各位親切迎迓，盛情款待，我要借呢個機會向你哋致謝。
我未必同你哋每一位都見過面，但係有時我覺得大家好似見過面，對於我喺過去一年未曾有機會同各位相遇過嘅市民，我謹祝你哋喺新嘅一年萬事如意、身體健康。
我殷切盼望能夠喺新嘅一年有機會同各位見面。喺呢度，我謹代表內子同女兒，恭祝全港市民新年快樂。我深信，我哋都期望香港以及我哋嘅家園喺豬年事事順遂，心想事成。恭喜發財。
Good evening.
I think at the end of one year and the beginning of the next, when we're gathered together at home with our families and loved ones, all of us spend a good deal of time thinking about what's gone well in the previous year: the things we've really enjoyed, the jokes we've shared together, the ambitions that we've realised together.
And we look forward to a new year, to all the things we'd like to do, all the good resolutions we've made, all the things we'd like to succeed in.
Just as we think about that for our families, I guess we think much the same about our community, much the same about this wonderful city of Hong Kong.
Over the last year, despite the occasional ups and downs, we've managed to cope once again more successfully than I guess almost anybody else in the world could manage. There are economic troubles around the place, but Hong Kong has always shown itself, for decade after decade, to be much more capable at coping with all that than almost anyone else in the world.
Why?
Well, one or two newspapers and magazines and American think-tanks have given us a clue over the last year. One of them said that Hong Kong was the most business-friendly city in the world, another said that this was the freest economy in the world, another that we were one of the most competitive places in the world.
Because of all that, which is a huge tribute to your strength and courage and hard work, we've had year after year of economic growth, and we've been able - despite the problems elsewhere - to provide the resources to do the things that we want to do.
We've seen some of that in the last year. We've seen our social programmes developing. In particular, and - I think this is where you place so much priority - we've been able to do more for the young, and that's where our future lies. We've been investing more in kindergartens, in elementary and secondary schools, and in colleges, training colleges, and universities. That's so important to make sure that our young people have the best possible chance in life.
But we've also thought more and done more for the elderly. It's our elderly relatives, our elderly friends, who built Hong Kong, and they deserve the best of Hong Kong today. They deserve to share in some of our success.
It's not just money that matters in life. I think people want peace of mind, and we've done better than others - without being at all complacent - in keeping our city a pretty safe place to live in. We have a marvellous police force here in Hong Kong. I want to see that they always have the resources and support that they deserve. You give them a lot of that support, with the fight crime committees and so on. And with our help I know that Hong Kong will go on being one of the very safest places not just in the region but in the world.
So that's the past. What of the future?
We have to go on making sure that our economy can go on delivering the quality and standard of living that all of us desire. We have to go on developing our social programmes.
There are a couple of other things which I guess will matter very much over the coming year.
First, one thing which helps to make Hong Kong distinctive and helps to make Hong Kong successful is the rule of law: the fact that we have fair rules that apply to everyone. Whoever you are, whether you're the Governor or whoever, the same rules apply. That makes this a particularly good place to do business, but it also provides some of the glue which holds our society together, and makes it more stable as well as more prosperous.
And we all know that we've got a historic task: to manage the transition through 1997 as successfully as possible. It's difficult for all of us to do that. But we want to work better and more successfully with our Chinese colleagues, because it's in all our interests to succeed in the great and unique enterprise which is represented by the transition to Chinese sovereignty.
I spend, as I think you know, a good deal of each week out on the street, visiting housing estates, schools, hospitals, factories, and places of work. Really, I think, getting to see almost everything in Hong Kong, and sometimes it seems getting to see everywhere. I'd like to thank all of you for your kindness and your courtesy and the warmth of your greeting whenever I've been out and about in the last year.
I probably haven't seen all of you, although it sometimes feels as though I have. For those of you that I haven't seen personally over the past year, I'd like to offer my warmest good wishes for the year ahead.
I very much hope that we will meet over the next 12 months. In the meantime, on behalf of my wife Lavender and my family, I wish everyone a very Happy New Year.
All of us, I'm sure, want for Hong Kong what we want, in the Year of the Pig, for our families. Kung Hei Fat Choy.
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