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Question:
[24 FEBRUARY 1981 ]
We
Of course, with their increase in population, natural and incursive, however fast you build you are going to find families living on top of each other. have that in this country, especially under this Govern- ment. But I repeat that the progress has been spec- tacular. The Hong Kong housing authority is the world's largest landlord. More than 40 per cent. of its people now live in public housing, and by the end of the 'eighties this figure will have reached 60 per cent. The rents are low, usually rather less than 10 per cent. of income.
In the field of education--and I was delighted to be part of this movement forward in the years between 1974 and 1979--free compulsory education has been extended to all children up to their 15th birthday. How recently was it that compulsory education up to the age of 15 was enacted in this country? It was not so very long ago. Technical and university education is increasing steadily. As to health care, the expectation of life in Hong Kong is about the same as in the United Kingdom. Its infant mortality rate is now a little lower than ours. These are not the results of a repressive, illiberal, anti-social Government: these are the results of humane, wise and dedicated devotion to the interests of the people of Hong Kong.
Provision for old age and unemployment still remains uninsured, and here I will join hands with my noble friend and say that it is time that social benefits of that kind were in fact nationalised. There is no ideology in this. Unless you have a system of insured social security, you are bound to have the dreaded and hated means test. 1 commend the point once more to the Government, as I commended it to the Hong Kong Government more than once during my tenure of office.
As to labour legislation (my noble friend was very critical of this, and I was surprised to hear him being quite so critical) 42 of the International Labour Organisation conventions have ben applied to Hong Kong. This is a record which compares very favourably with that of any other neighbouring Asian country, including Japan, which has notched up not 42 but 36, So Hong Kong is leading the league in its attempt to apply International Labour Organisation standards to the treatment of its labour force. There have been very marked advances, as I have seen, in the control of employment of young children, which in the past was a dreadful blot on the life and system of the colony; in improving maternity leave benefits; and in improving employment safety regulations. A good deal remains to be done, of course, but let us remember that against a mass of difficulties-of unique difficulties-a tre- mendous lot has been achieved. In another important field--that of the eradication of corruption-it is now generally recognised that the back of syndicated cor- ruption has been broken. The independent commis- sion against corruption has done magnificent work under the inspiration of the Governor and the courage- ous leadership of Sir Jack Cater, the present Chief Secretary. This should be placed on the record, too.
On democratisation (or, as our Chinese friends in Hong Kong and on the mainland would say, on parti- cipation) on the question of democratic participation, I agree with my noble friend that progress has been too slow. I was continually pressing for stronger and quicker action in this direction, but always mindful
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of the fact that our Chinese friends see democracy in a rather different light from ours. They are more con- cerned with participation. There are their mutual aid committees. I sat in on the meeting of one of these excellent local committees. As to freedom of expres- sion, really, with a free press and complete freedom of expression within those local communities and wherever I went, I really do not recognise the picture that my noble friend has painted.
Now they believe in participation; that is, in people coming together and discussing. The formalities that we have recently grown up with--the ballot paper, the secret ballot and so on are recent graces in the democratic life of this country. It was non-existent up to 1832; it only really got going in 1885; and women were shut right out of it up till 1918, and were let in only by a kind of odious age selection after that. That is only 60 years ago. The Chinese approach this rather differently from ourselves. That does not excuse any unwillingness by the present Government in Hong Kong to extend the opportunity of participa- tion, so that the Chinese majority are increasingly drawn into the institutions of government and adminis- tration. I believe they are, but far too slowly.
There has been progress at all levels, from the legislative and executive councils down to the district councils. More and more Chinese have been brought in; and certainly it is of importance that the Chinese who are brought in at various levels are properly qualified to do the work, because it is very hard work, very responsible work, that they do. We have the White Paper of January of this year, proposing directly- elected members of the urban district boards, and our own Home Office, I understand, is advising on electoral procedures. I put in the caveat once more that, while Home Office electoral procedures in the United Kingdom may in our eyes be perfect, or capable of perfection, by the time they are applied in Hong Kong, or indeed in Africa, they may need to be modified somewhat without impairing their essential, democratic
purpose.
The reasons for all this progress-and it is real progress—are not far to see. I have mentioned the wise and humane leadership of Sir Murray MacLehose, who, against his own inclinations of comfort and interest, has twice agreed to extend his period of governorship. He has been aided by some remarkable men and women, British and Chinese, and indeed he and his assistants have identified the targets of oppor- tunity. For instance, although it is physically impos- sible for the population of this colony to feed more than a very tiny proportion of its population, its fishing industry, with 5,500 boats employing 36,000 people, meets more than 90 per cent. of its local fishing needs.
Where it is to be got, this colony (with very few resources) goes out and gets it. They make the best of what they have. Of course, it has major assets in its sheltered harbour, the only developed deepwater port on the Chinese coast and for a long time its main activity as a colony was trade. But, as that ceased to be its major occupation, the present Government and their immediate predecessors saw to it that not only service industries and tourism were rapidly developed but that manufacturing industry, which depends almost exclusively on the attraction of investment--