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This makes the most conservative report of the Urban Council on local administration published in 1969 and the Government's white paper on the future organisation of the Urban Council published in 1971 become meaningless. For this very reason, I do not intend to make further suggestions to include, whether in full or in part, education, medical service, transport and social welfare, which are closely related to the daily life of the people in the jurisdiction of the Urban Council. At the same time, as an elected member, I feel it necessary to make it clear to the electorate that the Urban Council's failure to provide greater service to the public is due to the attitude of the Hong Kong Government and the British Government and for this they should bear the greatest responsibility.
Turning to the work of the Council in the third year of its so-called financial autonomy, there are many things which call for a review. However, as there are as many as 12 select committees under the Council, I would only confine my comments on the work of the Administration and Hawker Select Committee at this debate.
(1) On the work of the Administration Select Committee
According to the Statement of the Aims for this year, the Administration Select Committee deals with staff establishment, administration and public relations. In my opinion, what deserves our special attention is the fact that the Council is not allowed to intervene in staff matters and matters concerning conditions of service of the staff under the employment of the Urban Services Department. Before gaining financial autonomy, the Council signed a memorandum of administrative arrangements with the Hong Kong Government and it is this memorandum that makes the so-called financial autonomy meaningless because according to this memorandum, the Council has no say on the management of staff, for whom we spend over 80% of our resources. However, most people think that the Urban Council and its Councillors should be responsible for the efficiency of the Urban Services Department personnel, but, in fact, we Urban Councillors do not even have the right to read the internal documents of the Urban Services Department. This shows clearly how the authorities of the Urban Council clash with its responsibilities.
(2) As the Vice-chairman of the Hawkers Select Committee, I regret to say that the Urban Council has not yet found out an effective and practicable way of solving the hawker problem in Hong Kong. Opinions on the controversial Hawker Permitted Area Scheme are divided not only among the public, but also among the Urban Councillors themselves. The unreasonable increase in hawker licence fees has aroused strong opposition from many members of the public as well as the Councillors. Although the proposal for fee increases was approved by a majority vote, such a resolution has, in my opinion, shattered the prestige and damaged the image of the Council in the public mind. If the Council continues to act in such a disharmonious way, it will gradually lose its importance and influence. At the same time, it will gradually be reduced to a mere affiliated window-dressing body of the government hierarchy.
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(3) I do not intend to make further comments on the work of the other ten Select Committees of the Council in detail. Though I understand that many Select Committee Chairmen and Members are striving hard to promote the work of their respective Select Committees, yet owing to the fact that Urban Councillors, being honorary, do not work full-time, the time and the efforts they can afford to spend are certainly not without limits. Besides, problems that are of great concern to the public such as education, medical service and social welfare are outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Council. So before any reasonable reform is made to the structure and jurisdiction of the Council, the Council cannot possibly be expected to serve the people of Hong Kong more than it can do at present.
Having stated my opinions, I wish to support the motion on the Statement of Aims of the various Select Committees.
(Mr. B. A. BERNACCHI left the meeting at this point.)
MR. EDMUND W. H. CHOW (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, today, we gather here to discuss the statement of aims for our next financial year. It is my opinion that a review on our work in the past will be of help in deciding our future attitude, functions and policy. Though considerable achievements have been made in the past, in the eyes of the people, we deserve commendation as much as condemnation. We should not feel complacent by looking on the "bright" side of things. The fact that we failed to satisfy the people was because we frequently had our decision and measures based on what we "liked" or "disliked", instead of taking the wish of the people as deciding factors. Worse still, we disregard public opinions or even run counter to them. To pay heed to public opinions does not mean that we favour "blind adherence" because if so, it means that we are brainless, lacking judgment.
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