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PUBLIC RELATIONS SUB-DIVISION
DATE: 7th January, 1981
Full Translation of a New Year Article in Wen Wei Po on
January 5, 1981.
Writer Chan Lam (Staff Reporter)
Headline: Not an easy year
Sub-headline: A look at problems confronting the Hong Kong Government this year
As we left 1980 and entered 1981, a wave of protests from a wide cross-section of the community has arisen against price increases. These include protests against drastic bus fare rises, higher power tariffs, substantial rent increases by the Housing Department and so on.
As a matter of fact, complaints and petitions have been on the increase in recent years. For the newsman, rarely a day passes without this kind of news and he has to go out almost every day to cover it.
The rate of inflation has been a two-digit figure in recent years, and was estimated at 15 per cent last year. Price increases are so common that the public in general have, for quite some time, become insensitive to them. But then, why are the public reacting so vigorously to the price spiral this time?
Reasons behind the increase in petitions
As a lecturer in political science and public administration at the Chinese University, Dr. Joseph Cheng, has pointed ut, there are two reasons for the increase in petitions in the past year:
1.
2.
સ્થં
The local economy has taken a turn for the worse following a general recession in our export markets. This, together with disturbances brought about by the serious problem of inflation, has resulted in a drop in the wages for many workers in real terms, although there appears to be a slight growth in their wages generally.: As result of the economic recession and decline in real wages for the general public, more social problems have arisen. And people have become particularly sensitive to issues which appear to be unfair to them.
As people's social consciousness grows, especially when they have learnt from experience in the numerous previous incidents, they realise that if they do not fight for fair treatment,, they will never get it.
The Government will face new challenges
Looking ahead to 1981, we can see that our export trade will still be affected by the economic, recession in the West. At the same time, various trades have raised their charges and prices since the New Year, and Hong Kong can be expected to remain under the pressure of serious inflation this year. Being dealt a double blow by a stagnant economy and serious inflation, residents can hardly expect a good life and, as a result, this year will see no fewer social problems than last year. The Government will have to meet the challenge of how to deal with these problems.