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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
With these remarks, I support the motion before this Council. (Applause).
MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN:--Mr. Chairman, as this is the first Annual Conventional Debate in which I am participating as an elected Member, and speaking fairly down the list of speakers, I shall be brief and confine myself to certain aspects of the work of this Council in which I am specially interested.
On Election
It has been suggested that election and voting should be made compulsory, and this has been considered impracticable for various reasons among which is that though there may be automatic registration of votes, it is impossible to compel a voter to attend the election to exercise his right as a citizen by voting, for one must remember that though one may drag a horse to the river, one cannot force it to drink. Besides, a voter may have no desire to vote for any of the candidates for reasons best known to himself, and therefore he may choose not to elect any of them.
Another difficulty in getting voters to attend an election is the lack of voting stations in the New Territories, as residents of districts in the New Territories would have to travel to Kowloon to cast their vote, and this is obviously expecting too much of them, however civic-minded they may be. It is therefore suggested for the consideration of those concerned that election or voting stations should be established in the larger towns of the New Territories, such as Tsuen Wan, Castle Peak, Yuen Long, Fanling, Tai Po and Sha Tin.
As regards places where voters may vote—hitherto a voter must go to a designated place to cast his vote at the polling station which may not be to his convenience. Why not let the voter himself decide where he should vote so that he can exercise his right at his own time and convenience? Also, many voters find it difficult and inconvenient to attend at the polling stations either during the lunch time which leaves them little time to have their midday meal and to visit the polling station, or after office hours when everyone would want to reach home early, traffic congestion and lack of transport being what it is. Would it be too much to declare voting day a public holiday to enable voters to have the time to attend the election at their own convenience?
Refuse Disposal and Cleansing
It is noticed that refuse-collection points in our densely populated urban areas are causing great nuisance to residents in the way of offensive odours when the refuse is piled up awaiting collection.
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Rubbish, though collected twice daily at collection points, does not remedy the situation; this is because the rubbish at collection points is constantly being dumped and increased in quantity. During the hot summer months where flies and insects congregate around these evil-smelling piles, the situations can become unbearable, and would seriously affect the health of residents in the surrounding areas.
At present refuse is placed in bamboo baskets without cover, thus exposed to flies and other insects. Why not, therefore, provide plastic containers, or even metal ones with lids or trailers so that the terrible odours may be reduced, and the refuse is not scattered about everywhere?
Resettlement and Environmental Hygiene
It is observed that the older resettlement estates at, say, Tze Wan Shan and Ngau Tau Kok, and other places, open spaces intended for use as car parks or as open spaces and lanes for passage are being illegally occupied by structures many of which are for hawking. These obstructions are a potential death-trap in case of fire, and would seriously affect the sanitation of the surrounding areas, not to mention the threat to the health of the residents of the estates concerned.
Whilst it is right and proper that we provide the less well-to-do with cheap housing, we should also endeavour to raise the standard of environmental conditions of the residents by trying at least to maintain a semblance of cleanliness at these resettlement housing estates so that those obliged to live therein may find life less unbearable.
It is therefore suggested that in some of the older resettlement estates where numerous hawkers congregate at entrances to the estates, and obstructing the lanes and open spaces, there should be a revision of policy, with these illegal and obstructive hawkers re-sited elsewhere, enforcing an overall plan where every hawker should be compelled to move away from their present illegal pitches, and resettle in a specially designated hawkers' bazaar provided for the purpose.
Then, for the new resettlement estates, care must be taken to make suitable planning to avoid repeating former mistakes by providing sufficient shopping facilities for the residents living there so that they do not have to patronize these illegal hawkers who must then automatically be driven away for lack of business.
Meanwhile, it would be a good idea if the Resettlement Department, in conjunction with the Government Information Services would make a short educational film to show how pleasantly one could live in a resettlement estate if residents would try to discourage illegal hawking by not patronizing the hawkers, or not carry on illegal hawking themselves and by trying to keep the place clean and hygienic which would improve their health as well.
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