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HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
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efficient and responsive delivery of services to our evolving community', is There any difference in 'responsive delivery' and 'efficiency' before and after the Handover?
Moreover, the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr. Michael SUEN Ming-yeung, announced that, in line with this part of Mr. TUNG's speech in the Policy Address, the Administration will review the structure and operation of the two Municipal Councils and the District Boards in two directions: to see whether there is a need for the two Municipal Councils to be merged, and whether the two Municipal Councils and the District Boards are required to be merged into a one-tier structure. Mr. SUEN owed us a full explanation as to whether there was any relevancy between the two directions he mentioned and Mr. TUNG's 'fresh look', 'evolving community', 'responsive delivery' and 'services'. After all, the Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and Sport, Mr. BRIAN CHAU Tak-hay, is more honest. He reflected, with some regret, that the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau is a 'commander without soldiers', and the two Municipal Councils have got the largest share of resources for the promotion of cultural and arts activities. A study on how to pool together resources and bring about structural change is therefore needed in order to implement Mr. Tung's patriotism-oriented policy on education and culture mentioned in the Policy Address. Indeed, what Mr. CHAU said unexpectedly revealed the implicit meaning of Mr. Tung's and Mr. SUEN's statement. As a 'commander without soldiers', Mr. CHAU wants to be a 'commander with soldiers'. Probably, he would like to follow the practice of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty - gather all soldiers in the capital city of Xianyang.
Recently, the chorus for review has died down and our Chairman has not even uttered a word on this matter in his speech. Is this a beat to retreat or just a re-deployment to do something under cover? Indeed, anything that goes against democracy, though able to outshine others for a while, will be superseded and eliminated in the end. The standpoint of the Democratic Party is that merging of the two Municipal Councils can be examined but merging of the two Municipal Councils with the District Boards is definitely out of the question. I must stress that 'can be examined' doesn't mean 'agreed'. The result of the examination may bring about agreement as well as opposition. As far as the Council's organisational set-up and its relations with the Department, its specific operation and standing orders are concerned, I think there are many areas that call for improvement and review. However, if merging takes place hastily before making improvements and conducting reviews, I reckon that more inadequacies and drawbacks will surface.
Some Members mentioned 'elected' and 'appointed' in their speeches on the day before yesterday. In fact, legally and nominally, we are all appointed. In our letters of appointment, it is clearly stated that our term of office will not straddle the end of 1999. It means that elections for the two Municipal Councils must be held before the end of next year. By that time will the electoral regulations be amended? In the 1995 Urban Council election, all
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