HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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And then there is our Urban Services Department Training School, which trains all the health inspectors of Hong Kong and is recognized by the relevant bodies of Britain. It is the organization responsible for the training of the front-line staff in the area of hygiene supervision. Given its heavy responsibilities, I consider that it is highly undesirable to have it replaced by one or more local organizations.
It can thus be seen that if changes are to be made to the functions of the Urban Council, careful consideration must be given to future distribution of duties and operational efficiency before any decision is made. Changes must not be made rashly simply for the sake of changing.
I have heard some proposals from the press and I wish to make some preliminary comments and response.
There are rumours that some of the Urban Council's centrally oriented functions would be placed under the management of a certain government department, meaning that the duties now being executed by an elected council would be taken over by certain individual officials who are executive-led and are not elected, or by some advisory boards with appointed members. I am sure this is a giant step backward for democracy. I am not a democrat but still I consider that if we did this, it would be a big retrogression in democracy. I consider this to be unacceptable.
The Basic Law has provided for the gradual development of a democratic government. Democracy will be developed in the years to come. While the schedule for implementation is disputable, the direction has been clearly laid down. We often warn against breaking the Basic Law, but such a move, as I see it, would likely run contrary to the spirit of the Basic Law.
Another rumour has it saying that the two municipal councils (the Urban and Regional Councils) would be abolished and replaced by five or six small municipal councils formed by the existing 18 District Boards, and the existing duties would be distributed among these five or six councils. As I said just now, there are certain centrally oriented functions and duties which could not possibly be re-allocated in this way.
Already the Urban and Regional Councils are being criticized by outsiders for lack of coordination in policy-making, duplication of structures and having local vested interests, thereby affecting the central and overall interests of Hong Kong and incurring additional expenditure. Numerous disadvantages have already stemmed from the existence of only two municipal councils. If the number of councils was increased to five or six, the problems would multiply, wouldn't they? I therefore consider that this concept is hardly acceptable.
Another proposition is that the Urban and Regional Councils should be merged. Mr. Joseph CHAN gave an account of the history concerned just now. He told us the story as our senior. I was already working in the Council then. The entire Council then repeatedly advised the central government against
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