Semp 27/10
Students' forum
has doubts on Urbco reforms
A five-member panel at a Hongkong University Students' Union forum on local reforms expressed doubts yesterday about the feasibility of proposed reforms for the Urban Council contained in the White Paper.
An Urban Councillor, Mrs Elsie Elliott, said the franchise of voters should be expanded to bring about a truly representative body, claiming the present voters constituted only .5 per cent of the adult population or .25 per cent of the whole population.
She claimed Government was going to have more and more of the Council's powers transferred to the "advisory bodies".
The Council would only be given increased powers in the licensing of cinemas, skating rinks, barber shops and table tennis halls.
On the question of financial autonomy, the Urban Council would be made a "scapegoat" if it were to raise rates to meet its expenditures.
Another speaker, Dr J. N. Miners of the Political Sciences Department of HKU, said Government had considered it better to extend the advisory bodies.
'Irresponsible'
He considered members on these advisory bodies unpresentative and irresponsible" as they were appointed by Government.
He said the poor had no voice in Government at all under the present set-up, and there was no way for them to express their views in any "legal or constitutional" ways.
"The White Paper makes no forward-looking provisions for the poor to be heard," said Dr Miners.
The Secretary-General of the Civic Association, Mr Edmund Chow, said the White Paper seemed to have, on face value, more merits than demerits.
"But we are unhappy with these proposals. It is an unwise attempt by Government to downgrade the status and scope of the Urban Council," he claimed.
The White Paper should not be accepted, he said, as it would restrict rather than expand the powers of the Urban Council.
Mr
Chow called for automatic registration to increase the number of voters.
Another Urban Councillor, Mr Peter C. K. Chan, advocat- ed an elected majority in the Council.
The Chairman of the Social Science Society of HKU, Mr Yu Hoi-gin, called for the abolition of the Council.
He suggested increased representation on
Legislative Council.
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