CONFIDENTIAL
Social Programmes
9.
The Governor rightly comments that the success of his very
extensive social programme depends on the continued economic
success of Hong Kong. If this fails a very serious social as well
as economic situation could arise.
Crime
10.
The despatch implies that the failure of the "Fight Violent
Crime" campaign to achieve total success was largely due to the
concurrent problems of the death sentence and the escape of Chief
Superintendent Godber. These undoubtedly had an effect. But some
responsible people in Hong Kong also believe that the campaign
may have been mounted too quickly after the "Keep Hong Kong Clean"
campaign. This belief relates to the problems of popular
participation and the popular attitude to the Government which the
Governor deals with in the last part of his despatch.
The "Fight
Violent Crime" campaign depended very largely on participation by
local committees which had to be hurriedly assembled and were
largely taken over from previous campaigns; and also on a strong
and concentrated effort by all organs of Government.
Government's efforts to develop self-generating and sustaining
local groups of citizens, much of the driving force for community
improvement in Hong Kong still has to come from the District
Administration and the City District Officers. Some of these felt
harried and overworked by the quick succession of campaigns. The
Governor is very aware of this and would not ideally have launched
into the "Fight Violent Crime" campaign quite so quickly, if the
problem had not been so serious and expanding so rapidly.
Despite the
CONFIDENTIAL
/Corruption