THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994-
DR CH LEONG:
10
THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT.
IT
GOVERNOR, HONG KONG HAS ALWAYS SHOWN VERY ADMIRABLE HEALTH STATISTICS. I HAVE TO SAY,
IF IS COMPARABLE
NOT BETTER THAN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD. YOU WOULD YOURSELF, YESTERDAY, IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS, INDICATED THAT YOU
LOOK LIKE TO
FORWARD TO EVEN IMPROVING THIS AND I AM SURE WE ALL WELCOME IT, YET A FEW MONTHS AGO THERE WAS A FLAW IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT IN THAT WE HAD A SUDDEN SURGE OF CHOLERA, CHOLERA WHICH IS ACTUALLY DEVELOPED AND PERPETUATED IN HONG KONG. NOW THIS, TO ME, AND I PRESUME TO YOURSELF TOO, WOULD BE REALLY UNACCEPTABLE IN A PLACE HIGH STANDARDS IN HONG KONG.
OF
I AM IN NO WAY CRITICISING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, NOR THE BRANCH, BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT KNOWS VERY WELL AND HAS INDICATED THAT POLLUTED WATER IN OUR OWN HARBOUR IS A TIME-BOMB. YET, RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS HAVE NOT TAKEN HEED OF THIS DANGER UNTIL THE
STARTED.
LACK NOW THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE BUT SUCH CRISIS ORDINATION AND CO-OPERATION BETWEEN RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT DOES EXIST AND WE CAN BRING A LOT OF EXAMPLES.
MON
OF CO-
IN
GOVERNOR, WHAT IS YOUR POLICY SOLUTION THIS AREA OF CO-OPERATION OF RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS SO THAT EFFECTIVE PRO-ACTIVE STEPS CAN TAKE PLACE BEFORE A CRISIS SETS IN?
IS
I
GOVERNOR:
I THINK THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER RAISES THE POINT ABOUT WHICH I AM CONCERNED, ABOUT WHICH THE CHIEF SECRETARY CONCERNED AND ABOUT WHICH THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH IS CONCERNED. THINK ALL THREE OF US AND OTHERS LEARNT A GOOD DEAL FROM THE OUTBREAK OF
THE CHOLERA IN JULY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN
GOVERNMENT, VARIOUS ARMS OF GOVERNMENT; NOT JUST, AS IT WERE, CENTRAL BUT THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS AS WELL. I BELIEVE THAT AS THINGS TURNED OUT, THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND HER COLLEAGUES HANDLED THAT POTENTIAL CRISIS EXTREMELY ENERGETICALLY AND WITH SUPPORT FROM THE URBAN COUNCIL AND OTHERS. BUT OBVIOUSLY THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS RIGHT AND HE KNOWS AS MUCH ABOUT THESE MATTERS AS ANYONE - OBVIOUSLY HE IS RIGHT TO SAY THAT WE MUST ENSURE IN FUTURE THAT THERE IS BETTER CO-ORDINATION SO THAT WE ARE NOT FACED WITH THESE PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARDS AGAIN.
de
MR K C LAM:
OVER THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE WORK OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, IN THE ASSESSMENT OF THE GOVERNOR, WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING AND IMMEDIATE CAUSES OF THIS LACK OF PROGRESS AND WHAT DOES HE PROPOSE то DO TOWARDS RECTIFYING THESE CAUSES OF SUCH AN UNSATISFACTORY STATE SO THAT WORK IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP CAN MOVE
AHEAD?
GOVERNOR:
I SAID, YESTERDAY, THAT I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS LITTLE POINT IN PUBLIC RECRIMINATION ABOUT THE SLUGGISH PROGRESS IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. WE ALL HAVE OUR VIEWS ABOUT WHY PROGRESS HAS BEEN LESS RAPID THAN WE WOULD LIKE, NOT LEAST PERHAPS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, BUT I DON'T THINK IT DOES VERY MUCH GOOD TO SPEAK FOR THE RECORD BOOK ON THOSE MATTERS. WHAT WE HAVE DONE, AS I SAID IN ANSWER TO AN EARLIER QUESTION, IS TO PUT TO CHINESE OFFICIALS A NUMBER OF SPECIFIC PROPOSALS ABOUT SPEEDING UP THE WORK OF THE JLG. AMBASSADOR DAVIS DID THAT DURING THE 30TH MEETING. SOME OF THOSE PROPOSALS WERE SPECIFIC RESPONSES TO IDEAS WHICH CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE HAD OVER MONTHS AND YEARS AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT AT THE NEXT JLG AND BEFORE THE NEXT JLG, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE AN AGREEMENT ON SOME OF THOSE MEASURES. AND, OF COURSE, IF CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE VIEWS THEMSELVES FOR MAKING MORE PROGRESS WE WILL BE DELIGHTED TO RESPOND TO THEM.
THE
/I THINK