17
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER *, 1979
AS TO OUR STRATEGY TOWARDS THE WORLD ECONOMY WHICH IS EXPECTED TO DECLINE, MR. LEE AGREED THAT WE SHOULD TRADE UP AND SEEK NEW MARKETS.
HE ALSO COMMENTED ON THE GOVERNMENT'S HOUSING POLICY AND SAID HE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT PRODUCTION OF FLATS THIS YEAR WOULD BE 35 000 UNITS AND NOT THE PLANNED 45 000 UNITS,
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MR. LEE SAID REGARDLESS OF THE REASON FOR THIS REDUCTION, IS THE LESS PRIVILEGED FAMILIES WHO SUFFER. HE FURTHER URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO EXPAND THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME AND RAISE THE MAXIMUM INCOME QUALIFICATION TO $8 000.
+ IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR FAMILIES TO BUY THEIR OWN 600 TO 700 SQUARE FEET FLAT WHICH CURRENTLY COSTS SOME $400 000 TO $500 000, + HE SAID. I REGARD HOUSING AS ONE OF OUR MOST CRITICAL DOMESTIC PROBLEMS AND IT CERTAINLY DESERVES FURTHER CONSIDERATION.+
PROMOTION OF THE USE OF MANDAR IN
AND SIMPLIFIED CHINESE CHARACTERS URGED
*****
THE HON. CHARLES YEUNG SUGGESTED THAT THE USE OF MANDARIN AS SPOKEN CHINESE AND THE SIMPLIFIED SCRIPT OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE BE PROMOTED IN HONG KONG.
SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON, HE POINTED OUT THAT ACCORDING TO THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS, MANDARIN IS THE MOST COMMON LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD, BEING SPOKEN BY ABOUT ONE-SEVENTH OF THE WORLD POPULATION.
HOWEVER, CANTONESE IS THE MOST COMMONLY USED CHINESE DIALECT IN HONG KONG AND NOT MANY PEOPLE HERE KNOW HOW TO SPEAK MANDAR IN PROPERLY.
AS FOR THE WRITTEN FORM OF THE LANGUAGE, THE MOST COMMONLY USED AND ACCEPTED IN HONG KONG IS THE NEW VERSION, AS OPPOSED TO THE LITERARY VERSION, BASED ON THE TRADITIONAL SCRIPT. THE SIMPLIFIED SCRIPT IS USED AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA.
MR. YEUNG THOUGHT IT IS NOW THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE OUR CHOICE OF THE FORM OF CHINESE WE WANT PROMOTED IN HONG KONG, IN SETTING OUR AIMS WE MUST BE FAR-SIGHTED, RATIONAL AND UNBIASED AND OUR CHOICE MUST BE BOLD AND PRACTICAL. THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND OUR YOUNG GENERATION MUST OUTWEIGH ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS,+ HE SAID.
HE OBSERVED THAT AT PRESENT, ENGLISH IS STILL THE DOMINANT LANGUAGE USED HERE AS THE MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION BY BOTH THE COMMERCIAL AND PUBLIC SECTORS, AND PARTICULARLY IN TRADING WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
+ IT IS THE SECOND COMMONEST LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD USED BY 10 PER CENT OR MORE OF THE WORLD POPULATION IN 34 SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES.
/+IF HONG