Page 89 of 115
166
Page 89 of 115
167
# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I trust that the arrival of politics on the Council scene will not slow down but, if possible, will actually speed up the work of the Council. If politics are a necessary evil in a growing democracy, we must not allow that necessary evil to divert our energies from service to people into service to parties. I hope we shall never lose sight of the fact that democracy means allowing all, and not just some of the people to have a say in what their representatives decide to do and not adopt the concept of using the people to serve the party, as we have seen happen in some other burgeoning democracies. We need to acknowledge that in a democracy, the people consist of all classes, the workers, the business people, and the administrators. Hong Kong needs capital, it needs labour, and it also needs the civil service. Not one of them, in a true democracy, should take precedence over the others, because not one of them can exist without the support of the others. It is up to us as representatives of the people on this Council to treat all three sectors equally, whether or not they voted for us as candidates, and whether or not they took the trouble to register to vote. We also have the heavy responsibility to be totally fair not only to all people of our own constituencies, but also to the people of every district within this Council's jurisdiction.
A few years ago, a candidate in a Canadian election promised her constituents that if they elected her, she would increase all their benefits and at the same time, reduce their taxes. She lost her election and she deserved to lose for making promises that everyone knew were impossible to fulfill.
Today, I would like to take the opportunity of paying my respects to those in the administration who work unseen for our community, those in the Urban Services Department who see a need and make plans for new projects to benefit the people, for improving old venues, and for introducing new activities for old and young. Their contribution to the community is incalculable. Yet they remain behind the scenes and more often than not, only come to public knowledge when something goes wrong and they have to face the music. Our Council changes every three or four years, but the work of the administration continues no matter who sits in this Chamber. It is inevitable that at times there may be mistakes or accidents and they are the likely targets for blame. This year, we have had to face a number of problems, in the Stadium, in the Cultural Centre, and even in one of our museums. When these unforeseen errors or accidents occur, we all have to face the responsibility and not just look for a scapegoat. We need on each occasion to analyse the problem, make amends for errors and ensure that the same does not happen again. While we cannot be complacent, we must not wash our hands and lay the blame on others unless they have been inexcusably irresponsible.
I apologise if I appear to be preaching a bit to my colleagues. I read a great deal about world affairs, and I see the terrible sufferings of the ordinary citizens of Rwanda, Bosnia and some parts of Russia. These sufferings should serve as a warning that to be truly democratic, we need to be tolerant of the opinions, the religions, the traditions and the beliefs of others. When politicians enter a power struggle, they should consider how many people may in the end be those who suffer. I have confidence that Hong Kong will escape unrest or serious confrontation such as has brought suffering to many countries where the people dreamed of a democratic utopia but found only death and destruction.
My 1995 wish for our community is that we may have peace now and a peaceful transition in 1997 and beyond.
Mr. Chairman, I support the Motion.
Miss Cecilia YEUNG LAI-YIN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman and colleagues, time flies and it is the Annual Convention Debate again. Counting my years of service with this Council, I note that it is already my silver jubilee this year. All through these years, I have worked with colleagues of different terms to improve urban facilities and related legislation and I have availed myself of the guidance of our chairmen and the cooperation of my colleagues. Since the Council became financially autonomous in 1973, it has changed Hong Kong from what people called a 'cultural desert' into a city with multifarious facilities. This is indeed a big improvement. Time really flies, as you Mr. Chairman and Mrs. Tu have said just now, the Urban Council has really changed a lot, and this is only possible through the cooperation of all Members.
Although there is still room for further improvement and development in many areas and a number of uncompleted tasks are still going on, with the limited financial and land resources available to us, the performance of the Council is, I think, more than satisfactory. As Mr. Chairman has just said, it is something not easy to achieve.
I hope in future the Council will pay attention to the following two points. In fact, I have more than two points to make, but I think I will leave them for my colleagues to bring up.
The Council is an important organization responsible for taking care of many aspects of our daily life, including food, recreation, sports, culture and entertainment. In fact, unlike what the people at large may think, good living means more than just the provision of welfare and pecuniary benefits. The Urban Council does play a very important role in helping the public build up a healthy life. Of the three tiers of councils, the District Boards are at the most basic level and have really direct contact with the public. Therefore, I think that the Urban Council should cooperate with the District Boards in identifying the actual needs of the community and carrying through (its policies).
The second point I want to raise is something that I, as an Urban Councillor, feel quite ashamed of. It is the long-standing hawker problem. I hope that we can have a practical and feasible solution before 1996 and problems concerning shops, amenities and hygiene can be properly dealt with. I believe that the public would be glad to hear that an efficient Urban Council has an answer to such a problem before 1997. The Urban Council is an organization which truly serves the public, so let us not treat it as a venue for political disputes. Mrs. Tu has expressed the same view. We hope the Council will not try to solve problems through disputes because it will not be in the interest of the public. Later, many colleagues will express their valuable opinions which will form future objectives of the Council in providing services.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. JOSEPH CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): In reviewing the activities of the Libraries Select Committee over the past year in the capacity of its Chairman, I am pleased to
Page 89 of 115
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 89 of 115