HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 May 1988
1373
Last but not least, Sir, it is often those less educated who, coupled with neglect by their poor and broken families and seeing little future ahead for themselves, enter the world of crime and prostitution to satisfy their own material needs. It is this group of youth that special efforts should be made to offer them a bright future with vocational, technical training and the apprenticeship scheme. They should be given better opportunities and facilities, so that they too should be made to feel contributory to Hong Kong.
Sir, I conclude with a request to the early formation of a commission of youth, to formulate, review and update a youth policy, in Hong Kong.
Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. CHAN YING-LUN (in Cantonese): Sir, when I was a youth I learnt that following the right or the wrong way involves only a very subtle change. I am very concerned about the youth problem because of my personal experience. I was often discriminated by the friends around me when I was six, and I was beaten up when I was around 16 or 17 and I was also extorted for protection fees later on. Fortunately, I had some very good classmates and good teachers who helped me and only with their help was I able to resist the temptation of going astray. Now I understand that it is, indeed, very difficult for one to live under such surroundings and resist temptations. I had grown to believe that if I could help the young people to turn a new leaf, then my life would have been spent very worthily. I have tried to come into contact with some marginal youths in soccer pitches, but I could not go very frequently and I was not professionally trained. That is why I felt very frustrated and that is why I also respect very much the social workers and teachers who devoted their time to helping the young people to turn a new leaf. I think that they have led a very meaningful life.
But the Government has not paid much attention to youth counselling. Youth counselling has played a very small part in all the government ad- ministration affairs. The Government has ignored the importance of this area. I can cite an example. At the entrance to a village in Shau Kei Wan squatter areas, you can always see a crowd of delinquents loitering thus causing threats and psychological burden to the residents there. The villagers suspect that they have taken drugs and four fires have broken out recently in the village and the residents had already gathered enough evidence to show that two of the fires. broke out mainly because of the candle-light parties held by the delinquent youths in two empty huts. But the Government did not do anything to chase them away, neither did the Government send anyone to counsel the young people, and the villagers were really very, very angry. Regarding the youths, they feel that it is indeed a great pity that they lead such lives.
Sir, are there any parents who do not want their children to grow up healthily? Are there any teachers who do not want their students to grow up to be useful members of the society? Although the responsibility for teaching our