MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1981
CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES BECOMING ALIKE, SAYS AKERS-JONES
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DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG HAVE REACHED A STAGE WHEN THE CITY AND THE NEW TERRITORIES ARE BECOMING MORE ALIKE, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PAST CHAIRMEN OF THE TUNG WAH GROUP OF HOSPITALS, MR AKERS-JONES SAID IT NAS SAID RECENTLY THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN ENGAGED IN A SEEMINGLY UNENDING ROUND OF MUSICAL CHAIRS, BUT GOVERNING HONG KONG WAS NOT CHILD'S PLAY.
+THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT TO GOVERN EFFICIENTLY AND EVERY DAY WE RECEIVE FROM A VAST VARIETY OF SOURCES THOUSANDS OF WORDS OF ADVICE AS TO HOW THIS SHOULD BE DONE. HE SAID.
+HONG KONG IS A PLACE OF MOVEMENT. YOU WOULD NOT WISH YOUR GOVERNMENT TO STAND ALOOF FROM THIS.
+WE NEED STABLE GOVERNMENT BUT NOT STATIC GOVERNMENT, HE SAID.
AND SO, RECENTLY, CHANGES HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED WITH REGARD TO HIS OWN RESPONSIBILITIES AND THOSE OF THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR DENIS BRAY.
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THESE CHANGES, MR AKERS-JONES SAID, BEGAN SOME YEARS AGO WITH THE ENDEAVOUR TO INVOLVE THE PEOPLE MORE CLOSELY WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY BEGAN WITH THE CITY DISTRICT OFFICER SCHEME IN 1968.
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THERE FOLLOWED CAMPAIGNS INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY CLEAN HONG KONG, FIGHT CRIME, ANTI-NARCOTICS, AND MANY OTHERS. MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES WERE FORMED IN MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS.
AREA COMMITTEES WERE ASSEMBLED TO MAKE A MORE CONCERTED ATTACK ON SOME OF THE LASTING PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT ANY LARGE CITY, BUT MORE PARTICULARLY OUR OWN WITH ITS SURGING, BUSTLING ACTIVITY AND EXTREMELY CROWDED ENVIRONMENT.
+THEN, IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, WE FORMED THE FIRST DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD AS AN EXPERIMENT IN TSUEN WAN TO SEE WHETHER WE COULD DEVELOP A MORE FORMAL MEETING OF COMMUNITY LEADERS, WHICH WOULD NOT ONLY DEAL WITH THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF URBAN LIFE, SUCH AS CRIME AND LITTER, BUT GIVE POSITIVE DIRECTION, FOCUS AND INTEREST TO COMMUNITY LIFE, HE SAID.
THE TSUEN WAN EXPERIMENT WAS ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECEIVED AND SINCE IT WAS SUCCESSFUL IT WAS INTRODUCED INTO OTHER NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICTS.
/AFTER FURIE