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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
use this constitutional document to keep Hong Kong as a viable international city and going economic concern, and to preserve our living standards and way of life, under the 'One Country-Two Systems' concept. In other words, we the people of Hong Kong have no choice but to utilize the Basic Law to develop and entrench our evolving democratic institutions and existing personal freedoms.
Bill of Rights
In the next two months Hong Kong people should study and debate the White Paper on the Bill of Rights to make sure that it will not be a 'lame duck' Bill but that in practice and enforcement it will generate more confidence in ensuring the personal freedoms to which we are accustomed and which we value so much.
The Urban Council should debate this White Paper during the consultation period.
Urban Council Relations with China
As is well known, the Urban Council has for many years taken the lead in promoting exchanges with Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in culture, sports, etc. An excellent example has been the Joint Urban and Regional Councils Flower Show held at Victoria Park last week, where many provinces in China participated, and where a record number of over 300,000 visitors came despite the rainy weather.
During the coming years, the Urban Council should keep on expanding its friendly links with Chinese cities in culture, sports and related fields, so as to promote more mutual understanding and mutual cooperation between Hong Kong people and China's 1.1 billion population.
Urban Council's representation in Legco
The 1988 White Paper on the Development of Representative Government proposed the retention of two special constituencies for the Urban and Regional Councils, each to elect one Member to Legco. I support the Urban Council's representations to the Government that URBCO should be allotted two seats in Legco in 1991. Whether or not the Urban Council's representation will be by way of a Special Constituency or as a Functional Constituency is not of such vital importance; what is more important is that the Urban Council, because of the scope and major impact it plays in the daily lives of the 4 million urban residents, must retain and strengthen representation in Legco to reflect their needs and concerns and for the benefit of the community as a whole.
The Financial Secretary in his Budget Speech has announced an increase of 1.5% on the General Rate, and the Urban Council will soon have to negotiate with the Government on obtaining a fair share of the General Rate to fulfil its responsibilities to the public. The Urban Council would want to make sure that capital projects by way of recreation facilities, market projects, etc. for the 1991/92 period will not be delayed because the Government will not give the Urban Council its fair share of the General Rate.
1997
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
In 1997, there will still be 6 million Hong Kong residents here, no matter how many tens of thousands leave Hong Kong every year. It is to these 6 million that the Urban Council has a commitment to steadily improve their living environment and to instil in them a sense of citizenship and community responsibility. Such commitment will ensure Hong Kong remaining as an economic hub in the Pacific Region, an international trading, manufacturing and financial centre, able to make a powerful contribution to China's modernization programme and to the living standards of China's population which is expected to be over 1.2 billion by the end of the century.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I remember that three weeks ago, at the Standing Committee of the Whole Council meeting, we discussed whether or not we should debate the Basic Law. At that time, everybody appeared to favour it being debated and a very senior member of this Council said that he could come up with a motion for today's debate but one week ago at the Standing Committee of the Whole Council meeting, this senior member told us that most of the Urban Councillors were not interested in the Basic Law and so it was better not to have such a debate. At that meeting, when I asked colleagues whether or not they would be interested in debating the Basic Law, the response was that no one was interested in this anymore. That is the reason why the topic of discussion today has been changed from the Basic Law to 1991 Direct Election. This reflects very clearly the senses of no help, no power and no talk on the part of Hong Kong people.
Regarding today's motion, I think what is passed is passed and we have to face the actual reality. As Urban Councillors, we have to be pragmatic and this fits into Hong Kong's culture very nicely and simply because Hong Kong has this pragmatic culture, Hong Kong may stand a very good chance of going over 1997 and beyond. I have mixed feelings regarding this response. On the one hand, I am optimistic because Hong Kong people are so positive in thinking. On the other hand, I am quite frustrated because there are many important topics that cannot be discussed at the Council.
On the question of Legislative Council constituencies, at the Annual Conventional Debate of the Urban Council in January, I mentioned a lot on this and I would not like to repeat today. I would like to ask the Secretary to forward my speech on the Annual Conventional Debate to the Government.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have the following comments to make regarding today's motion. Regarding the composition of Legislative Council in 1991, I think official members should be reduced from ten to three in 1991, appointed members be reduced from twenty to sixteen, functional representatives from fourteen be increased to twenty-one and Municipal Councils two, and directly elected eighteen, so altogether sixty. I think official members should gradually be reduced. In 1991, the three major
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