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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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communication. Very often, itinerant hawker unions had to petition many times to the Council and put pressure by staging protests before the authorities concerned finally faced the matter. I feel we need better communication and a consultative machinery. I am afraid at present we do not have that machinery. The machinery should get Council Members, Departmental officers and representatives of itinerant hawkers together in direct negotiation. There should be a direct dialogue about the 1500-odd spaces offered by the Department. Are the spaces welcomed by them? What better suggestions do they have? Are there better spaces for the Council to choose as a matter of policy? If we have this machinery, all three sides can get together and discuss. I am sure we can come up with a third and a fourth option.
While giving support to Mr. Wong's motion, I urge the Council to make a review over two points just raised by me. One is the carrot policy to attract hawkers choose viable places. The other one is to set up a communication machinery for all itinerant hawkers, hawkers' unions and representatives to enter in joint discussions with the relevant Select Committees of the Council, Members' representatives and the Department. In this way, a positive way to solve the legacy of history will be arrived at. I support Mr. Daniel WONG's motion.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): Will Mr. Daniel WONG come back to the meeting? If Mr. WONG is not back within one minute, I will put the motion to vote. All right, time's up. The motion was put and seconded. Council Members have spoken in order. I now put the motion to vote.
The motion was put.
The motion was carried with twelve votes for and six abstentions.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): We now move on to the second motion. The second motion is to be moved by Ms. Jennifer CHOW Kit-bing and amended by Mr. Stanley NG Wing-fai. Ms. CHOW will move her motion first.
(2a) MS. JENNIFER CHOW KIT-BING moved the following motion:
'Resolved to urge the Urban Council to come up as early as possible with a vision plan of capital work projects for the next ten years in order to assess more accurately the land required for municipal facilities in the coming ten years and to ensure sufficient land can be obtained for development purposes and municipal facilities can cope with the needs of the whole community.'
She said (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, 'enriching city life' as pointed out by the Chairman Dr. Ronald LEUNG is not just a slogan. It is a firm commitment of the Council for the betterment of our citizens' present and future livelihood.
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