HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Two Camps-Elected and Appointed—in the Council
For the first few years of my service on the Council I believed that since all members were working for the benefit of the public, there should not be any division between the elected and the appointed. In fact, before the withdrawal of all Official Members, we worked together quite well in pressing the official members on matters within their respective fields for the benefit of the people. However, with the change of circumstances in April 1973, when all Officials withdrew, my naive thinking soon proved to be unrealistic. I am sure that some of my colleagues will flatly deny that there exist two "camps". Such denial is of course quite unnecessary because the words "elected" and "appointed" clearly denominate our different origin and background, and furthermore, having two camps can be highly desirable in that we can compete with each other to see which group can provide better service to the public.
The Totally Disorganized Elected Camp
To be fair, I admit that my appointed colleagues' performance on the Council in regard to attending the numerous meetings and their sense of responsibility are higher than those of the elected, of course, only on average. An important feature of the appointed members is that they meet regularly and frequently to discuss council business and have been able to arrive at a decision on important issues which is acceptable to them all. The situation on the elected side is very different. Not only do we have political groups, each very conscious of its group interests, but also we have five independents who are, more often than not, far apart in their views. For the past three years, at the persistence of a lady colleague and myself, we have managed to hold less than ten gatherings, at which the maximum attendance was six and one of the political group leaders has never turned up even once. As a result, in all important issues from the election of the Chairman of the Council downward, the appointed side has always had the upper hand with the elected helplessly at their mercy. A rather disgraceful situation indeed. I do not think that the appointed members should be blamed for having taken advantage of a totally disorganized elected camp.
After all, who could possibly resist such a greater temptation? It was fortunate that most if not all jobs undertaken by appointed members are well done, particularly in recreation and cultural affairs, where they seem to have shown the greatest interest.
The weakness of the Elected Camp
(i) Generally speaking, the appointed members are, financially much better off than the elected. Consequently, the former can usually manage to spend more time on Council affairs.
(ii) Not enough elected members take their promises to electors serious enough. Every candidate during an election promises to serve the best interests of the public. If they are serious, how can they not even just come together and be united?
(iii) Government's decision to appoint elected urban councillors, without consulting elected members, to serve on the Legislative Council is a tricky manoeuvre to disrupt the possible unity of the elected members.
It is obvious that those appointed to Legco must co-operate with and respect the views of Government, which on occasion can be contrary to the interests of the public. Otherwise, their terms of appointment might not be renewed. Furthermore, those so appointed are prone to the illusion that they are superior to their elected colleagues. Such a one may think that it is not worth his while to attend an elected gathering, even for a simple exchange of views. By so doing, he fails in his duty to bridge the gap between the two Councils, which should be one of his prime responsibilities.
What I should like to see
In spite of the rather unsatisfactory performance of us elected members, my confidence in elected representation has not been shaken. Let us look to the Greater London Council, where the few remaining appointed members, the aldermen, will be abolished by 1977, i.e. next year, after over a hundred years of experience in running a local authority. Firstly, I wish that all elected members would put the interests of the public over and above personal or party interests. Only then shall we have a fair chance of competing with our appointed colleagues in serving the public. Secondly, I wish each and all of us to give careful thought to the current unsatisfactory situation, to seek out the obstacles to our unity and how to overcome them. Thirdly, I wish Government would honour its promise, made years ago, to gradually increase the elected seats while reducing those of the appointed. When the elected members are in the majority, no one will be able to excuse himself for not doing enough on the ground that the appointed control the council.
Mr. Chairman, it was with great hesitation that I drafted this short speech and indeed with a heavy heart. I fully realise that what I have just said will offend some of my elected colleagues. However, as an elected urban councillor, I feel that I am obliged to tell the public, particularly the electors, the truth, because the future of elective democracy in Hong Kong depends very much on the performance of us elected members in this Council, which is the only body enjoying elected representation.
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