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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
The establishment of the said Development Board/Council under the Recreation and Culture Branch and the Branch's tendering out of the Music Office have not only shaken the status of Urban Council but also gives the public a wrong impression that even the Council is accountable to the Recreation and Culture Branch.
In addition, three years ago the Government changed its financial arrangement with the Urban Council in that a budget has to be submitted to the Government for approval before fund is allocated according to the proportion of rates. As a result of this change, the Urban Council's source of funding has shifted from the public to the Government. Does this amount to a downgrade of the Urban Council's accountability?
Mr. Chairman, as you are the most open-minded chairman of Urban Council in recent years, I look forward to your involvement in leading all the responsible Urban Councillors, together with senior officials of the Urban Services Department, to give a serious thought to and make a review of the barrage of questions I have just raised. I hope the Council can enjoy a strong and healthy old life, go on providing better quality services to the local residents, and open up a brighter prospect for our urban services.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
Ms. YEUNG KAM-CHUN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I have served as an Urban Councillor for more than 2 years. During this period, Members in general have been able to formulate in a harmonious atmosphere policies aimed at creating an ideal city for the general public of Hong Kong. At the same time, the entire staff of the Urban Services Department have also done their best to implement and co-ordinate the policies we made. Therefore, it has been a very enjoyable time for me.
Having represented the Kwun Tong District Board for more than 2 years, I find that the environment of Kwun Tong district has indeed improved significantly. Except for the hawker problem which is most difficult to deal with, improvements have been made in other areas and in particular, modern facilities are being built one after another. For example, a leisure pool is now under construction, and a modern indoor games hall will soon be opened. Besides, more and more parks, recreational areas and sports grounds will be available for public use. As a result, Kwun Tong is no longer what it has been called 'an uncivilized zone'. However, it is most regrettable that with a population of 600,000, Kwun Tong district so far still lacks a cultural and recreational centre. I hope the Council will pay attention to this in future.
I find that the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department are rather conservative in some areas. For example:
1. To meet social needs, more children play rooms should be provided so that parents can deposit their kids there before going to the market, thus reducing the risks these children run when their parents have to lock them in at home. Although this should be the duty of the Social Welfare Department, the Council is also duty-bound to maintain the stability of the community and should therefore give a hand as well. Another problem is the shortage of parking spaces in markets and UC Complexes, which causes inconvenience to deliverymen and users of the libraries housed in the complexes. The question was raised when these buildings were under construction, but so far the parking facilities of such new venues have not yet improved.
2. I would also like to talk about the work of the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee'. I have been the Vice-Chairman of the Committee for almost a year and I regret to say that not much progress has been made by the committee. For instance, the annual television spectacular has not helped much in promoting the Campaign and has become rather stale. Therefore, it was no longer held in the current year. When I went to the countryside, to my chagrin I often found beautiful places strewn with heaps of rubbish. When my friends asked me if, as Vice-Chairman of the Committee, I thought Hong Kong was cleaner than before, I had nothing to say in reply. Why are people using the place so lacking in public spirit? Why do they just leave without cleaning up the mess? How should we encourage them to get rid of this bad habit?
I remember when I first joined the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee, I mentioned that the concept of keeping our environment clean should be instilled into small children. That is to say, children should be reminded to keep the environment clean when they are in kindergarten. Follow-up moral education in this aspect should be strengthened in primary and secondary schools so that people can cultivate good habits since childhood. If children and youngsters start to have such training in school and at home, when they go into society later, they will certainly become good citizens paying due regard to a clean environment. I, therefore, hope that next year we can encourage schools to plan their curricula along the line of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign through planning their curricula. I believe this will help improve our future.
Publicity is certainly important, but educating the next generation is even more important. I hope the Council will pay attention to this.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. YIM KWOK-ON (in Cantonese): In this year's Annual Debate, I would like to express my views on unlicensed hawkers operating at night in Mong Kok District. Also, I would like to discuss the form committee meetings of the Urban Council take.
I have raised the question of unlicensed hawkers operating at night in Mong Kok District in this Council before. I am returning to the same issue not because I have run out of topics for debate but because the problem remains virtually unabated, although I understand the USD General Duties Team has spared no efforts in its clearing operations.
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