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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 11 December 1984
The reasons that Beijing agrees to Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong and the territory remaining unchanged for 50 years are that she attaches much importance to the present system and performance of Hong Kong. If we effect too rapid changes which completely alter Hong Kong, it may not be acceptable to China and may give her cause for doubt in 1997.
Will rapid changes in the system of government be viewed with favour by the investors and industrialists in Hong Kong? Will Hong Kong still attract overseas funds? These questions do merit our serious consideration.
In order to satisfy the strong demands of some to hold free elections and also to experiment with the idea of giving more power to the people, we may, on a trial basis, reserve 6 seats in the Legislative Council for direct election in 1988 and reduce the number of appointed members to 16 while the other seats will remain the same.
If practicable and agreed by Beijing, more seats in the Legislative Council may be open to direct election in 1991.
Whether or not to increase the number of seats for direct election will depend on whether Hong Kong is able to sustain its prosperity and stability in the coming 12 years.
After drafting of the Basic Law for Hong Kong, more and more people from China Mainland will come to Hong Kong and they will occupy important positions in various trades and professions. Some people may think that the prospects of Hong Kong are unpredictable, but China is of the opinion that Hong Kong has a great future and will, if well handled, contribute much to China.
As China's influences gradually increase, Hong Kong people's thinking will inevitably be much changed after 1991. By then some of the key political figures in Hong Kong may be those immigrated from China in the past 10 years. So each time before we hold an election, a review should be made and the matter appropriately handled.
Sir, I support the motion.
DR. THE HONOURABLE KIM Y. S. CHAN (in English):—Mr. Chairman, publication of the White Paper on the Further Development of Representative Government has introduced a new page in the history of Hong Kong. The cautious approach advocated in the document reflects the realistic concern that other prototype political systems should not be transplanted and imposed on our community which has achieved stability and prosperity in our own unique way. Undoubtedly, our efforts to-date to avert adversarial politics have assisted us to adopt a pragmatic approach to cope with our problems.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
11 December 1984
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Now that we are entering into a new phase of political evolution, there will be increased discussions on the controversies of policy issues. However, we must avoid the development of 'mad-dog politicians.' In order to show off their presence, some politicians may advance attacks by nit-picking, with destructive remarks not conducive to pragmatic policy-making. To guard against this, ideally, the community should be able to distinguish and reject these practices. Admittedly, this is never so easy when critiques always sound sensational to a politically inexperienced community.
To prevent such malpractices, I see two possible safeguards. First, the media should play a supervisory role in the process of monitoring government to distinguish the nit-pickers from the policy-makers. I am sure that the mass media are well aware of their responsibilities.
Second, we must promote civic education. With sufficient knowledge of government affairs, the public can use good judgement in exercising their rights. While the Government will pursue the development of civic education as discussed in the White Paper, the Urban Council must also play an active role. The Council should develop a civic education programme on urban affairs. Audio and visual aids can be developed accompanied by detailed and well-referenced notes. This will assist Urban Councillors or departmental officers to lead discussions in different forums. Recently, I had the opportunity of giving a seminar to students of the Hong Kong Polytechnic and the Hong Kong Management Association on a related topic. With the assistance of our Public Information Unit, a set of visual aids was developed. This would serve as a good basis for further development. I do urge fellow Urban Councillors to devote time in promoting civic education so that the public can have the benefit of their intimate experiences. Such a programme will reflect the significance of civic education as well as the important role of the Urban Council in our future political structure. Nevertheless, promoting civic education is only half the task, for it is the development of the ability for the public to judge that is the most difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, we must try.
Mr. Chairman, for the discussion to follow, I need to declare my interest as a member of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants. The exclusion of qualified accountants as a functional constituency is indeed a regrettable omission. Aside from their knowledge and expertise, accountants serve the business sector both internally and externally. Their functions as well as their knowledge of the commercial scene certainly make them indispensable in our society. I suggest that the omission of accountants as a functional constituency should be reviewed.
Before I vote on the motion before Council, I must state that I am in support of a review in 1987 as I suggested in our last debate on the Green Paper. The motion before Council urges the Government to prepare plans for direct elections. I do not disagree with it as direct elections must be considered as an integral part of the 1987 review. However, no inferences should be drawn until
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