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Lord Goronwy-Roberts,
URBAN
市政局
Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs IN Whitehall,
London S.W.I,
United Kingdom.
Dear Sir,
COUNCIL
XL 1978
4th June, 1978.
5.51 Mr Murray
Ar McLaren
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The undersigned are a group of independent Clected members of the Hong Kong Urban Council, which is the only public body with any form of elected representation. We wish to make the following submissions for your consideration, and will begin by quoting from the editorial of a Hong Kong newspaper (STANDARD - 8/6/78):-
2.
"Signature campaigns, petitions, letters to the editor, radio phone-in shows, and, in extreme cases, public demonstration are the only ways in which Hong Kong's people can represent their views to their leaders. Until a better system is introduced those leaders should pay more attention to what the people around them are saying."
3. This aptly sums up the Hong Kong scene, where a Government without elected representatives from the people can ride rough-shod over its citizens with impunity, and even with the blessing of the British Government.
To make a show of meeting this deficiency, the Hong Kong Government set up certain institutions after the riots of 1966 and 1967. One of these was the so-called OMBUDSMAN, known locally as UMELCO because it is made up of the Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, all Government appointees with a known history of compliance with the Government to which they owe their appointment. About the same time, the City District Officers' scheme was set up; these officers are all Government servants who are supposed to act as a bridge between the Government and the people. In practice they function as enquiry officers who interpret Government policy to the people. They do indeed keep a check on public opinion, but because they are never able to change policy in response to public opinion, but rather act as sources of information and as go-betweens to persuade the people to accept Government's decisions, they are looked upon as some kind of Government spy.
4/in
Cont./5.
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