|
5
сл
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1992
QUESTION:
MR GOVERNOR, HOW ARE YOU? AT ONE OF YOUR PRESS CONFERENCES I READ IN THE PRESS REPORT THAT YOU WANTED TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM OF PUBLIC HOUSING. WE WERE VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THREE MILLION RESIDENTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING WOULD SEB THE SALVATION. BUT WHEN YOU DELIVERED YOUR POLICY SPEECH IT WAS NOT THE SAME,
YOU ONLY MENTIONED ABOUT THE HOUSING FOR THE SANDWICH CLASS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE THREE MILLION RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOW LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING? THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT IS ACTING LIKE A BIG LANDLORD AND THEY KEEP ON PERSECUTING US. THEY JUST RAISE RENTS WHENEVER THEY LIKE, ESPECIALLY FOR US WHO LIVE IN THE REDEVELOPMENT AREA AT KWAI CHUNG. WE PETITIONED TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, WE PETITIONED TO THE GOVERNOR, BUT THE GOVERNOR JUST PASSED THE BALL BACK TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AGAIN WHO GAVE US A REPLY WHICH CONTAINS NOTHING AT ALL: AND YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF HIGH RENTAL. I AM PAYING $187 PER MONTH BUT WHEN I MOVE TO A NEW BUILDING I HAVE TO PAY $715 PER MONTH.
SO CAN YOU SEE HOW MANY TIMES THE RAISE IS?
MR GOVERNOR, CAN YOU BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEM OF PUBLIC HOUSING BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED ANYTHING IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH? AND I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU A CARD,
GOVERNOR:
WHICH I'VE GOT. CAN I, WITHOUT CRITICISING WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT MY SPEECH TOO MUCH BECAUSE I DID TALK ABOUT PUBLIC HOUSING LET ME SAY A WORD OR TWO ABOUT PUBLIC HOUSING, AND ABOUT RENTS WHICH YOU MENTIONED IN PARTICULAR.
HOUSING IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST INVESTMENT PROGRAMMES THAT WE HAVE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. WE INTEND TO SPEND ABOUT 41 BILLION OF YOUR HONG KONG DOLLARS ON HOUSING. THAT WILL PROVIDE NEW HOUSING FOR NEARLY 200,000 FAMILIES, ABOUT 650,000 PEOPLE, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE THAT HOUSING BECAUSE WE HAVE TO IMPROVE THE HOUSING OF SOME PEOPLE WHO PRESENT LIVE IN INADEQUATE HOMES AND WE HAVE TO GO ON PROVIDING HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FORMING FAMILIES, WHO ARE STARTING OUT LIFE TOGETHER, AND WE HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE SPECIALISED HOUSING AS WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE SINGLE ELDERLY.
AT
NEW IN
NOW, YOU MENTIONED THE PARTICULAR QUESTION OF RENTS. I SYMPATHISE WITH THOSE WHO DON'T RECEIVE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE BUT HAVE DIFFICULTY IN PAYING THEIR RENT AND, THEREFORE, I AM PLEASED THAT PROPOSALS HAVE COME FORWARD FOR GIVING PEOPLE IN THAT CATEGORY SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTIONS IN THEIR RENTS FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS.
THOSE PROPOSALS WILL COST ABOUT HK$60 MILLION IN THE FIRST YEAR AND ABOUT $20 MILLION IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. SO YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT WHATEVER THE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS IN HOUSING WHICH MAY BE FACED BY THE SO-CALLED SANDWICH CLASS, WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IN HONG KONG IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GO ON WITH A VERY LARGE, SUBSTANTIAL HOUSING PROGRAMME IN ORDER, LITERALLY, TO BUILD ON THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION WHICH WAS PRODUCED IN PUBLIC HOUSING IN THE 1970'S AND 80'S. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO THE STABILITY AND HARMONY OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE DO THAT.
/QUESTION: MR