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grievances. Sir Albert Rodrigues said that they were trying to
improve their office. The City District Officers were also available
for citizens' grievances and he was of the view that it would be unwise
to introduce an ombudsman Mr. Stewart said that it was important
that there should be more than one channel for complaints and that the
poorest citizen should have the opportunity to have his grievances made
articulate. He would like to see the existing channels improved first,
before looking for new ones. Mr. Herries said that there was a danger
that the ombudsman would be seen as a panacea.
17. Mr. Stewart referred to Sir Albert Rodrigues's remark about the
demand for constitutional change and asked which sections of the public
were in favour of it. Mr. Kan said that it was mainly expatriates,
such people as lecturers in the University and people who came to
Hong Kong only for a short time. As had happened in the case of the
Urban Council, if you were to introduce one or two elected members in
the Council there would be pressue for more and you would end up
with a wholly elected Council. Mr. Stewart said that in Britain we
tended to regard election as the normal method of government. It had
been represented to him that the position in Hong Kong was different
but what was the precise objection to the growth of elected membership?
Mr. Kan said that more than half the population of Hong Kong came from
over the border. Most of them were in Hong Kong for convenience and
had only come there in the last ten to fifteen years. Moreover in any
electoral system there would be bound to be a conflict between the
communist and the Taiwan Chinese.
18.
Mr. Stewart said that he could see how a visitor to Hong Kong
might be able to find fault and to pinpoint areas for improvement.
The fact was that much had been achieved and the more you achieved,
the greater was the demand for improvement.
They should not despair.
/Mr. Kan.