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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1981
+THAT BEING SO, WE MUST CONSIDER WHAT SORT OF AN ELEMENT THEY CONSTITUTE IN OUR SOCIETY.
+ IF IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR SOCIETY SHOULD BE COHESIVE, THEN TO DENY OR TO WITHHOLD FROM SQUATTER AREAS WHAT ARE REGARDED EVERYWHERE ELSE AS ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND AMENITIES, RISKS DISCONTENT, RESENTMENT AND DIVISION.
+ IT IS ONE THING, AS A MATTER OF POLICY, TO MAKE NEW SQUATTING UNATTRACTIVE IT IS ANOTHER TO PERPETUATE AMONG ESTABLISHED SQUATTERS A SENSE OF NEGLECT AND ALIENATION,+ MR LOBO SAID.
WHILE RECOGNISING THERE IS NO EASY SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE A GREATER CLAIM ON RESOURCES THAN OTHERS AND THAT THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN LIFETIME OF WORK AND THEIR LOYALTY TO HONG KONG WILL RESENT WAITING EVEN LONGER IN THE QUEUE, HE CONSIDERED IT NOT NECESSARY TO REVERSE OUR POLICIES AND OUR PRIORITIES+.
+ INDEED NO GREAT EFFORT IS REQUIRED AT ALL TO PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES ON A REASONABLE ADEQUATE SCALE, HE SAID.
+ IF ELECTRICITY CAN BE SUPPLIED ILLEGALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, IT CAN SURELY BE DONE LEGALLY.
+ IT SOMETIMES LOOKS AS IF RED TAPE RATHER THAN A DETERMINED EFFORT TO IMPROVE IS THE MAJOR OBSTACLE.+
PUBLIC CLEANLINESS WAS ANOTHER TOPIC ON WHICH MR LOBO EXPRESSED HIS VIEWS.
HE SAID NEGLECT IS TOO PREVALENT A FEATURE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.
CITING EXAMPLES OF OFFICIAL NEGLECT. HE SAID PAVEMENTS ARE RIPPED APART AND OBSTRUCTED BY UNTIDY AND INCONSIDERATE BUILDING WORK- UNDEVELOPED PLOTS OF GOVERNMENT LAND HAVE DEGENERATED INTO UNCONTROLLED TIPS- ROAD SIGNS ARE UNPAINTED AND ILLEGIBLE AND ROAD DIVIDERS ARE FESTOONED WITH RUBBISH AND SILTED UP WITH DIRT.
+ IRONICALLY SOME OF THE MOST VISIBLE EYESORES FOR MANY YEARS HAVE BEEN THE TILTED CUBES ADVERTISING THE LAST CLEAN HONG KONG CAMPAIGN, WHICH LAY PEELING AND FADED UNTIL THEY WERE REPAINTED FOR THIS ONE.
+ IT IS EQUALLY IRONIC THAT SOME OF THE WORSE DESPOILERS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARE THOSE WHO WOULD REGARD THEMSELVES AS CARING AND RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE.+
MR LOBO SAID ART AND THEATRE GROUPS SLAP THEIR CULTURAL INVITATIONS UP WITHOUT THOUGHT AND NEVER THINK OF TAKING THEM DOWN, SUCH AS THE POSTERS GLUED ON PILLARS AND WALLS OR WRAPPED AROUND TREES.
/CIVIC-MINDED