Some called the right to nominate the chief executive candidates genuine universal suffrage. But is that the absolute answer to everything? There is no single model to success. China, in its single-party political setting, has managed to advance quickly in economic progress within the last three decades. It is a development model different from that in the Western world.

Hong Kong has been an economic miracle in history. I am sure that Hong Kong people working together can create a political miracle, too. However, there is no immediate fix. We are faced with a long and continuing journey.

Now that the electoral reform debate is over, we should shift our focus to other pressing issues. In addition to addressing livelihood issues such as housing, education, social welfare, ageing population, etcetera, it is vital that Hong Kong moves forward in economic development. I think economic development and social development should go hand in hand, particularly in view of economic setbacks caused by the unrest last year, and the continual regional and global competition that we are facing. Through economic growth, we can create wealth and bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots, giving stability.

The late Nobel laureate Milton Friedman once said: "If you want to see capitalism at work, go to Hong Kong." We have things in our economy that we can take pride in.

I call for, firstly, the Lion Rock spirit of Hong Kong people: working together with drive and persistence in the face of difficulty and putting aside conflicts, as we are all in the same boat. Hong Kong prospered with this spirit in the past. If it has been asleep, let us revive it. As a community, we should aim for consensus while accepting differences that naturally exist in a place of diversity.

Over many years we have established our core values, such as freedom, rule of law, democracy, integrity, professionalism and so on. The younger generation, in particular, should not take things for granted and should realise that society does not owe them anything.

We have freedom, as indeed Hong Kong has been rated the freest economy for 21 years by the Heritage Foundation. But we should not exert ourselves fighting for a cause in the name of freedom to the detriment of other values. Therefore, I also call for respect for the rule of law and the true spirit of democracy, with a pursuit of ideals in a civilised way, not inflicting any violence or harm on others. We need to revisit these core values and basic principles - in our schools and through public promotion.

In bringing the community together again, a crucial approach is to align interests and directions. The government, the business sector and individuals have a role in this. There are areas of common interest, starting from smaller projects, such as a clean-the-city campaign, health and fitness, promoting the arts, fighting crime and the like. All these small things will make a big difference.

To move forward, we need to build and rebuild our culture. Values that have been built before could lapse over time, and it takes sustained effort to build and refine a culture. It is therefore necessary to develop a strategy to build and rebuild the Hong Kong culture and engage both the older and the younger generation in the process, through common and reachable goals.

I think it should talk more about its vision and where the city should go from here. These are things that have not been mentioned much. The chief executive, for example, could present regularly his vision on the critical success factors: economic, social and other factors such as quality of life. And he can discuss the way he wants to go about ensuring them. Of course, he can't do it by himself. That's where consultation comes in, and it's got to be two-way communication.

Like a board director, the leader should have excellent rapport with his cabinet and inspire executive councillors to come up with appropriate policies for the government and society to move forward. It won't work with the voice of one person.

It's all about teamwork and how members of the team are led to bring about new ideas. The leader should also mandate the ministers to carry out policies at the respective bureaus and evaluate the results. Aside from getting reports from his ministers, he should listen to all levels in society, including the media, for feedback.

As for the evaluation of the cabinet itself, there is a provision for a board evaluation, in which members of the board go through a self-evaluation. The objective is not finger-pointing, but learning how to do things better. Such a mechanism should be instituted to evaluate the entire cabinet. Lastly, all cabinet members should be open to new learning, in order to keep up with the times.

A recent hot topic in the corporate world is addressing ESG - environmental, social and governance goals. This is a global trend in furthering the role and contribution of the business sector.

Traditionally, a company's performance has been focused on financial achievements. Now, there has been progress in making companies more environmentally and socially responsible in contributing to the long-term well-being of people and the environment.

Corporate sustainability is a gradual global evolution in business, to generate ethical achievements expressed in social responsibility, environmental stewardship and good governance, hand-in-hand with driving financial results. If our companies work together on ESG policies, the Hong Kong economy and overall community stand to gain.

I think people in Hong Kong are getting rather tense and uptight, like an arrow mounted on the bow about to discharge, as the Chinese saying goes.

I earnestly hope we can work towards improving our quality of life, enjoying better health and fitness.

Arts appreciation, for example, can bring about a wider horizon for the mind. My many years with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra can testify to that positive effect.

Hong Kong corporate governance veteran Carlye Tsui has one foot in business but the other firmly in the arts

From the Aids advisory council to being an Ocean Park board member, Carlye Tsui Wai-ling has more than 20 public service appointments under her belt.

She began her career in the nascent IT industry in the 1970s after earning a degree in economics from the University of Hong Kong. Her contributions to public education on computer literacy over the next decade culminated in her being named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of 1981.

Tsui further honed her IT expertise as a member of the Urban Council - the now-defunct body that was responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon - which she joined in 1990.

She soon became chairman of its IT sub-committee working on computerising systems for ticketing and library services, among others. For that, she was named IT Achiever of the Year in 1992.

Her public service in Aids education was recognised when she became one of the last Hongkongers to be conferred with an MBE on the eve of the 1997 handover. That year, she joined the council's successor, the Provisional Urban Council, where she served until 1999.

After serving as chairman of Chung Ying Theatre Company for four years, she took on the job in 2000 of steering corporatisation of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. The project combined her expertise in corporate governance with her love for the arts. The latter, she says, is a pursuit she shared with her late husband, Irishman and fellow IT professional Anthony "Con" Conway, who died in 2012.

She fondly quotes Conway as saying "arts should be developed and promoted not only for the betterment of quality of life but also for cultivating peaceful minds - a philosophy that I strongly agree with".

In 2001, Tsui became the founding council chairman of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Incorporated and was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star two years later.

In 2007, she relinquished her membership of Wan Chai District Council after seven years. In the same year, she completed a four-year course at Middlesex University in Britain to earn her PhD, and received an award for being the most outstanding professional doctorate candidate.

Chief executive of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors since 1998, Tsui says she believes good corporate governance is essential to the development of any company as well as the economy as a whole.

The practice of good corporate governance, she says, contributes towards creating an attractive platform for investment and maintaining Hong Kong's status as a leading financial centre.