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He
reflected a great deal of enthusiasm or interest. wondered therefore whether instead of enlarging the Urban Council, the Board system (with elected members) might be developed.
22. Mr. Wang said that public reaction to the CDO scheme had been good. The Urban Council case was that there is a gap between Government and the people. What was really needed was to provide an outlet for young people (such as John Tan) who will be coming into adult society shortly. He was not in full agreement with all that was in the Dickinson Report. It was too ambitious and the timing was perhaps wrong. What was needed was a flexible
approach to meet the coming tide.
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23. Lord Shepherd said he had one final point to make. While he had not yet made up his mind on what should be done, he thought it essential that a way should be found for the coming generation to play a part in due course in the formulation of policy. He did not think that the present composition of the Executive and Legislative Councils met the bill. To get on to these Councils one had to be successful and in Hong Kong that meant being successful in business or industry. It might be argued by some that members were simply looking after their own interests or were little more than cyphers. With the next generation t things would be different. The problem was to demonstrate to the youth of today how they could participate in Government. He could not see how the reform of local government would help in this connection.
24. Lord Shepherd then reverted to the Board proposal which he had mentioned earlier. He thought that this was some- thing which ought to be looked at and suggested that this might be done by the appointment, by the Governor, of a joint committee of the Legislative and Urban Councils to find ways and means of devising an acceptable formula. 25. Sir Albert Rodrigues said that he would not disagree in principle to this suggestion.
26. Mr. Gordon said that he endorsed Lord Shepherd's
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27. Mr. Wong maintained that it was essential to bring to a conclusion the proposals put forward about the Urban Council. The Dickinson Report was by and large not too bad. It did not harm and could only bring good since it provided for the ventilation of grievances."
Several members stressed that Mr. Wong's view was
not shared by the majority of UMELCO
28. Lord Shepherd said that quite clearly there was not much difference in object between anyone who had spoken today The problem was how to achieve the desired ends.
29. Lord Shepherd said that members had rightly praised the DCO scheme. Its success was not due to the scheme itself but in its operation by the young Chinese District Officers. They were dealing with something like 70-100 cases a day. The scheme had demonstrated in his view the need for an ombudsman, or someone similar. He had on his earlier visit to the Colony in 1967 put forward the idea of an ombudsman, though he now ceded that there were difficulties in setting up such a post in Hong Kong. He suggested that perhaps consideration might be given to the setting up of a secretariat, in a separate office, to act on behalf of the UMELCO in dealing with complaints of maladministration from the public. A high-powered secretary could call for papers and if he was unable to put a matter right himself, he could then put it to members of UMELCO. Such a scheme would give the man in the street yet another peep at the workings of Government. He wondered whether such an idea commended itself.
30. Mr. Gordon said that UMELCO was already working along similar lines. They already had an office and a secretariat.
31. Sir AlbertRodrigues said that he would accept that ‚if UMELCO could get a secretary of the right calibre, he should be given executive functions.
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32. Lord Shepherd stressed that what was needed really was something along the lines of a super DCO.
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