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HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
209
MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese);—Mr. Chairman, I support Ms. Ada WONG's motion.
To go to the point, I feel that the Urban Council should rectify its many bad old habits. I am not going to repeat what other Members have said. I just want to speak briefly about the accounting system. Each time the Council embarks on a new works project, the task is given over to the Architectural Services Department which charges a very high 16% on cost. If we contract out to outside architects or the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers, they charge 10% on cost at most. Sometimes, the charge may be as low as 8%. We have very often heard the voice that no change would be better since any change might affect the entire situation. There has always been the intention to improve and rectify, but efforts have always been foiled for certain reasons.
In fact, I think we have severed the limb for fear of it getting bad so that we have not faced up to the imperfections. Now that the Provisional Urban Council has sworn in, I hope we can step out with this motion moved by Ms. Ada WONG. I want us to do away with undesirable practices and introduce new, desirable ones.
Mr. Chairman, I want to state my position here that the motion before us is a good one. This Council should consider matters carefully and communicate more with the SAR government. I hope that new Members among us will bring new insight. I want to join them in contributing to our work in the provision of good services. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese);—Does anyone else want to speak? If not, will the mover of the motion exercise her right of reply?
Ms. ADA Wong Ying-kay (in Cantonese):-Let me thank Members who speak in support of my motion first.
Ms. Jennifer CHOW questioned whether this would be an opportune time. I think it is. The SAR government has just been established. There is no need for us to take over other people's burden left to us. For its own reasons, the Hong Kong Government under the British rule sought to trim down the powers of our only elected Council without much deep thinking. We are now left with bits and pieces. I think we all know that this is bad for the long term interest and development of our society. I think we should not go for radical changes. I am not a radical person and I do not want major changes, I just want to pull down undesirable burdens so that the future of this Council will be better and more to the benefit of Hong Kong.
If our power is still piecemeal, I am afraid we cannot implement Five Year Plans in a cost effective way. A review does not delay anything. It is just an excuse for those who are over-worried. The financial autonomy of the Urban Council took 7 years from 1966 to 1973 to materialize. My motion asks to step out the first step. I believe it will take a long time and a lot of negotiations to
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