Speech by the Guest of Honour
Dr Jack So, GBM, GBS, OBE, JP
Former Chairman of Airport Authority, Trade Development Council and MTR Corporation
Mrs Cherry Tse Executive Vice President. Professor CS Lau, Dean of Medicine. Professor Rosie Young, Dr Theresa Li. Medical graduates. Ladies and gentleman.
It is a great honour for me to speak to such a happy gathering of medical graduates. Congratulations on your graduation. It represents the culmination of many years of dedicated study and hard work, supported and encouraged by parents and family members, many of whom are here today to join in the celebration! Well done parents and family, lets give them a round of applause.
From the community's point of view, it is great news to have such a substantial enhancement to the strength of the medical profession, young doctors, nurses, dentists and other professionals completing a wholistic line up of the health industry. A healthy community is the foundation of society, without which we can forget about economic development or financial prosperity.
I was not smart enough to study medicine, so I had to find other ways to make a living. I was a business student at HKU. Business is also a difficult subject — difficult to fail! This occasion reminds me of the time I graduated long before you were born. I joined the Government and did two jobs that reflected the conditions at the time. Hong Kong was very poor and backward. Most people worked in factories making garments, toys, plastic flowers, and other basic goods. The huge influx of immigrants — more than a quarter of a million — meant that many could not afford proper housing. As a result, large squatter areas appeared all over the territory. Kowloon Walled City was just one example. With no proper drainage or power supply, these shanty towns were not only health hazards but also breeding grounds for illegal activities. At the same time, bribery and corruption were rampant — not only in government but also in the business sector.
My first job was squatter clearance, taking down the illegal structures to clear the ground for proper development, whilst moving the residents to multi storey public housing with facilities. It was the start of a huge housing program which today provide accommodation for almost 50% of population. The next job was anti-corruption, joining the ICAC, working to achieve an attitude change through a three prong approach, ie, operation, prevention and education. These two movements, public housing and anti-corruption have changed HK drastically and have seen the city through two major economic transformations, from manufacturing centre to re-export center, and then from re export center to service center all the way to the modern and lawful society we live in today.
One major factor that brought about our fast economic growth was the opening of the China mainland market which gave HK people both the resources and the opportunities to diversify and to grow big. HK has seen many past ups and downs but with the support of the Chinese Mainland, each time bounced back stronger than before.
I left the government after several years and these changes gave me many opportunities. In the private sector, I went through stockbroking, investment banking and fund management, but it was in the public services I got the chance to make a rewarding career. I am proud to say that a walk around the city, you will be surrounded by the things i did in the past 50 years. As Chairman of TDC, we built the convention center and started many of the exhibitions including the book fair, Art Basel etc. while working for the MTR we built many railway lines including the Airport Express, also the above station developments such as the IFC and ICC. We also invented the Octopus card and built the Cable Car at Lantau Island. When you fly and take off from the HK international airport, you must have noticed the enlarged and upgraded 3 runway system. Moreover, when you travel to BJ, SH, SZ or even London, you probably noticed that some of the subway lines and airports were either built or managed by the MTR or AA. For me personally, one of the most satisfactory jobs was this auditorium and indeed this whole Centennial Campus, it was fund raised and built during my tenure as Chairman of the HKU Campus Development Committee.
In spite of this track record, I felt my efforts could never measure up the high standard of excellence set by the health service and medical profession. You are the inspiration for all other lines of businesses. Like the rest of the community, I owe my health and life to your professionalism.
Let me tell you a true story, I was at London Heathrow for a meeting and had already checked in my luggage for the noon flight back to Hong Kong when I began feeling a slight pain. I thought nothing of it until my London airport host suggested that I see the airport doctor. The doctor advised me to postpone my flight and get a scan at a nearby hospital. Still, I was insisting on boarding the noon flight — after all, there was an important golf game waiting in Hong Kong! To help me make a decision, I called a doctor friend back home for his opinion. He said, “It could be acute appendicitis — if not treated in time, it could lead to life-threatening peritonitis.” To cut a long story short — he was right. I had the operation within six hours. Looking back, if I had boarded that noon flight, I would have been somewhere over Russian airspace. Even if the pilot agreed to an emergency landing, I would have had great difficulty getting to a hospital. Not many people there speak English — except, perhaps, President Putin! From that time on, my motto in life has been “Always listen to the doctor!”. Today is an exception.
To save lives and relieve suffering is your sacred duty. This belief was reaffirmed when I recently joined the Governance Committee of the Hospital Authority and came to understand the hard work, responsibility, and devotion of our medical professionals, especially those working in the public sector. Always quiet, low profile, often criticised, seldom praised. You are the unsung heroes of Hong Kong.
I am grateful to HK and mother country China for giving me the opportunity. In the past 50 years. But imagine the opportunities your generation will get in the next fifty years with China now becoming the second largest economy in the world, the opening up of the Belt and Road and the GBA. And we are entering the era of artificial intelligence and with multiple application in the field of medicine and HKU is the top university in Asia.
To conclude, we have one of the best public health systems and the longest life expectancy in the world — all because of you. And here you are, ready to serve and safeguard not only Hong Kong, but humanity as a whole.
Dear graduates, Hong Kong needs you, and the world needs you. Once again, congratulations, and my best wishes to all of you for a successful and rewarding career.
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