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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
and using a strong hand to hastily dissolve the two elected Municipal Councils. Hence, this kind of hegemonic administration has become an inevitable tragedy in the process of democratic retrogression.
Mr. Chairman, we are terribly sorry to see that the democratic development of Hong Kong's political system has come to such a state. Though I support the motion, we are filled with all sorts of deep feelings over the dissolution of the Municipal Councils. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. STANLEY NG WING-FAI (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman,
At the Provisional Urban Council Annual Convention Debate 1999 held here today, I shall speak on behalf of the Democratic Party on licensing matters and would also take this opportunity to express my personal opinion. During the current term, Urban Councillors including those coming from the Democratic Party have brought about marked improvements in licensing matters. First of all, we are now providing citizens with better protection through measures such as stringent control on food premises hygiene as well as public hygiene and the introduction of the Demerit Points System to alert food premises operators to the need of ensuring food safety. In recent years, a series of incidents including poisoned vegetables, avian flu and poisoned fishes have occurred in Hong Kong, which is not attributable to errors in our management of licensed premises but to the Government's poor environmental management and defective control of food import and food origins. On the other hand, although we have strengthened our control on food premises, applying for a licence is not more difficult than before. Since 1995 the Urban Council has implemented the “provisional licensing” system, which shortens the time for processing applications, minimizes bureaucracy and makes things convenient for the applicants. Such improvements reflect the merit of elected councils, which make rational discussions in the light of the facts presented.
The TUNG Chee-hwa Government is in essence a dictatorial one because it was not returned by a democratic direct election but by a "small-circle" election. Furthermore, it undisguisedly and totally overruled the motion passed by the Legislation Council, the Regional Council and the Urban Council regarding the amalgamation of the two Municipal Councils into one Council to provide municipal services in Hong Kong and to monitor the operation of the Government. Regarding the issue of licences, the TUNG Chee-hwa Government has proposed to make two changes upon the dissolution of the Municipal Councils. The first one is to dissolve the Liquor Licensing Boards of the Regional Council and the Urban Council comprising elected members and to form a new Liquor Licensing Board comprising appointed members. The second one is to transfer the authority to issue all other types of licences as well as the authority to hear appeals (i.e., the authority to review decisions as just mentioned by Mr. CHAN Noi-yue, the Chairman of the Review Select Committee) to the Government. As the Chairman of the Review Select Committee has just indicated, the protection for small business