WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1981
19
+WE NEED THEREFORE TO ESTABLISH AREA COMMITTEES, APPROXIMATELY ONE FOR EACH AREA WITH 50 000 INHABITANTS, IN ORDER TO COORDINATE THE WORK OF RESIDENTS' GROUPS AT THE GRASSROOT LEVEL AND IN ORDER TO ACT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AS THE AGENTS OF THE DISTRICT BOARD.
+WITHIN SHA TIN, AREA COMMITTEES WILL BE FORMED WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR IN ORDER THAT THIS NECESSARY GRASSROOT COORDINATION WORK CAN BEGIN - PREVIOUSLY TO THIS YEAR THE POPULATION HAD NOT RISEN TO THE POINT WHERE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD TO FUNCTION WITHOUT A SUB-STRUCTURE.+
DR HASE SAID ONCE THE REQUISITE STRUCTURE OF RESIDENTS GROUPS WAS FORMED, GOVERNMENT'S MOST IMPORTANT ROLE WAS TO ASSIST THE GROUPS TO WORK TOWARDS A CLEARLY DEFINED AIM.
THIS COULD BE MOST USEFULLY DONE BY ENCOURAGING THE GROUPS TO PARTICIPATE IN CAMPAIGNS OF A TERRITORY OR DISTRICT-WIDE NATURE, OR TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE PART IN WORK OF A RECREATIONAL OR CULTURAL NATURE.
THE ADVANTAGE OF ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS GROUPS TO WORK TOWARDS CLEARLY DEFINED CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES WAS THAT IT MADE IT EASIER FOR THESE GROUPS TO MEET WITH OTHER LOCAL GROUPS.
AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF WORKING FOR CAMPAIGNS, MEMBERS OF SUCH GROUPS WOULD HAVE A VERY WIDE RANGE OF CONTACTS AND FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIPS WITH SIMILARLY PUBLIC SPIRITED PERSONS IN OTHER GROUPS ONCE THIS STAGE HAD BEEN REACHED. CAMPAIGN WORK BECAME OF LESS SIGNIFICANCE AS THE GROUPS WOULD HAVE MATURED INTO A SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED STAGE THAT FUTURE COMMUNITY WORK COULD BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN DISCRETION.
AT THE SAME TIME, OF COURSE, CAMPAIGN WORK WAS ONLY ONE AMONG MANY USEFUL METHODS OF INTRODUCING ORGANISATIONS TO EACH OTHER- WE WOULD ALSO HOPE THAT THE ORGANISATIONS WOULD WORK ON SUBJECTS THAT THEY WERE THEMSELVES INTERESTED IN, EVEN THOUGH THIS WORK WAS NOT NECESSARILY PART OF OR CONNECTED WITH A RECOGNISED GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN.
+ IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES THE GOVERNMENT WOULD GIVE SUCH HELP AS WAS POSSIBLE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, DR HASE CONTINUED.
EXAMPLES OF CAMPAIGN WORK WHICH COULD INVOLVE LARGE NUMBERS OF LOCAL ORGANISATIONS WERE THE ANTI-NARCOTICS AND THE KEEP HONG KONG CLEAN CAMPAIGNS.
DR HASE SAID ALL THIS WORK INVOLVED A GREAT DEAL OF GOVERNMENT TIME PARTICULARLY IN THE INITIAL STAGES.
UNTIL THE RESIDENTS' GROUPS WERE FORMALLY ESTABLISHED, LIAISON STAFF OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE IN PRACTICE HAD TO DO A GOOD DEAL OF THE WORK. NONETHELESS IT WAS NOT OUR AIM THAT THIS SHOULD REMAIN SOLELY A DISTRICT OFFICE JOB.
+OUR AIM IS TO ASSIST AND ENCOURAGE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO FORM THEMSELVES INTO A VIABLE AND FUNCTIONING COMMUNITY.
+ THE DISTRICT OFFICE WORK IS PURELY SECONDARY TO THIS AIM. CANNOT SUCCEED IF IT DEVELOPS AS A DISTRICT OFFICE JOB IN ITSELF.
IT
/+▲ HORSE
Page 20Page 21