HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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the itinerant hawker licences including that of frozen confectionery. The Urban Council, on the contrary, has dumped this trade. This runs contrary to the traditional value this Council has always awarded to this trade. The result is the emergence of a divergent situation of one licence, two systems'. Could it be said that the Regional Council's decision is wrong? Or that this Council's decision on compulsory elimination is more sensible than that of the Regional Council? Obviously the answer is in the negative.
In the light of the above three considerations and the characteristics of the frozen confectionery trade that distinguish it from other trades, this Council should withdraw its 'post-dated cheque' which will cause unemployment and should return to this trade their right to operate so that they can continue to serve the tourists and the public. This will also have the advantage of not creating more unemployment.
As the Council in its last term of office has made a mistake in adopting this policy of compulsory elimination of itinerant (frozen confectionery) hawker licences, it is absolutely necessary that this Council should set things right and abolish the above policy that does not have the support of the community.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is imperative for this Council in its current term of office to review the implementation of elimination of itinerant hawker licences by April 1996 and to formulate a new plan to properly accommodate over 1,700 aged itinerant hawker licence holders. Anyhow, this fully elected Council should in no way aggravate the unemployment situation by adding 1,741 unemployed old hawkers to the existing 110,000-plus unemployed in Hong Kong. Moreover, even when their licences are cancelled, these old people will ultimately be forced to go back to their old trade in order to make a living. The Council's compulsory deletion policy will only end up turning former itinerant hawker licence holders into illegal hawkers, thus adding 1,700 to the present number of illegal hawkers in Hong Kong. What a joke if that should happen?
May I appeal to my colleagues in this Council and those in the Department to show mercy in the implementation of the Council's compulsory deletion policy.
With these remarks, Mr Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. JOSEPH LAI CHI-KEONG (in Cantonese):—
The 'Autonomous Culture' of Hong Kong
Mr. Chairman,
1.
Comments on the Arts Policy Review Report 1993
The Arts Policy Review Report published by the Government in 1993 was generally criticized by the public as a document in mere officialese without
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