Page 118 of 201
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I believe in democracy, but sometimes I lose hope that the people who really care will ever reach the top so that this world may live in peace. As our neighbours in the Philippines are experiencing, democracy and peace are not given a chance. There is no danger from democracy if those at the helm are dedicated to prosperity with justice; if they are accountable and not merely ambitious. I believe that within the next ten years we shall have enough young and middle-aged literate people for the majority to vote intelligently. Most people ask for nothing more—and nothing less—than a just and peaceful social order. The people I fear are those who seek power and wealth for themselves, those who have not studied the course of human history and have therefore never learned the lessons of history. Ambition for power and wealth has always had sad consequences for the people of any country—if you look around in Asia you will see the chaos caused by ambition for power and wealth. Hong Kong needs a breed of people who care about people, who care about the community, about their country, and about the world in general. With this kind of leadership, no one needs to live in fear, but without it, we are all at the mercy of the most unscrupulous.
Our journey through life is short, as the passing of the Governor has shown us, and the only worthwhile reward is to have contributed to its improvement. And this I urge our young politicians to do, to contribute their efforts to service in the community, in China, and in the world.
With these words I support the motion.
(Mr. Lo King-man left at this point—2.55 p.m.)
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English): Mr. Chairman, a cursory glance at the Urban Council's Statement of Aims for 1987/88 will surely give an insight into the manifold activities and wide technical expertise that the Council and its executive arm, the USD, possess to provide a better living environment for our 4 million residents on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Having been a directly elected Urban Councillor continuously for just about 30 years, I can attest to the fact that over the years the Urban Council has become a dynamic and significant factor in our political structure in the areas for which it has statutory and financial responsibilities, covering environmental hygiene, keeping Hong Kong streets clean, the management of hawker trading, community recreation, and entertainment and sports.
I recall that during the years that I was Urban Council Chairman, mayors and their key officials from many large cities of the world, and from mainland China as well, had visited us and paid high tribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of the Council and USD.
During my years of service as an elected Urban Councillor I have had the opportunity to study at first hand municipal administration in many cities in other countries and it is my firm belief that the high standards we have achieved are second to none in the world.
Recently, some District Board Councillors have called for the dissolution of the Urban Council, and for much of the Council's statutory responsibilities to be transferred to the District Boards. I do not believe that it is feasible or wise to do so either now or in the foreseeable future for the following reasons:
(1) First of all, let me emphasize that the Urban Council has a history of growth and development of just over 100 years, and it has accumulated an internationally recognized record of good administration and accomplishment in the area of its statutory responsibilities. So much so, that there has been built up over the years a convention whereby matters within the Urban Council's purview are not raised or debated in the Legislative Council. This convention has worked well and I see no reason why it should not be continued.
(2) Secondly, the District Board system has been established only a few years ago, and within the administrative machinery of Hong Kong it is basically advisory and consultative in nature. For example, the Urban Council has an annual budget of $2,000 million, while each District Board has the role of advising the Government through its City District Officer on the spending of Government funds on district community and environment improvement projects amounting to between $1 to $3 million annually, depending on the population size of each district.
(3) The Urban Council has a Capital Works Programme totalling about $2.7 billion over the next 5 years. Many of the projects in the Programme are large projects requiring advance planning and financial commitment. A number of the projects are territory-wide serving Hong Kong's 5.5 million population, such as the Joint Government/UC Cultural Centre project in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Museum of Science and Technology and the Museum of History.
Mr. Chairman, these are a few of the cogent reasons why I believe that the Urban Council should continue to play a constructive and continuous role on a regional basis in the 3-tiered political structure of Hong Kong.
May I now turn to the 1987/88 Statement of Aims in regard to the work of the District Relations Select Committee, of which I am Chairman.
Paragraph 4(a) on District Relations in the Council's Statement of Aims charges the Select Committee 'To produce, and keep under review, an overall Urban Council policy on relations with District Boards'.
As Councillors are aware, there are ten District Boards covering areas with population varying in number from 200,000 to 700,000.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 118 of 201