10
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994
CAN
THE I JUST SAY ONE THING ABOUT GOVERNOR: PREMISE. IT'S NOT I AM SURE JUST PEOPLE WITH LEGAL FEEL
US
I
ΤΟ
AND
THE
WE
HONOURABLE MEMBER'S BACKGROUNDS WHO STRONGLY ABOUT RULE OF LAW ISSUES. THERE ARE QUITE A LOT OF
MARRIED WITHOUT LEGAL BACKGROUNDS, ALTHOUGH WE MAY IN SOME CASES BEEN TO LAWYERS, WHO FEEL EXTREMELY STRONGLY ABOUT RULE OF LAW ISSUES. THINK THAT JUST AS THE HEALTH
DEFERENCE GREAT SERVICE WITH DISTINGUISH PRACTITIONERS SHOULDN'T JUST BE DEBATED BY DOCTORS THAT LAWYERS, NURSES SO THE LAW SHOULDN'T JUST BE DEBATED BY LAW IS WHAT GUARANTEES ALL OUR FREEDOMS AND ALL OUR PROSPERITY AND SHOULD ALL TAKE A LIVELY INTEREST IN IT. AND I AM GLAD THE HONOURABLE
IS DOING MEMBER
SO. SECONDLY, ONE OF THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS AUGUST INSTITUTION IS THAT IT ALWAYS WANTS
DIFFICULT. AND IT IS ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM ANSWERING REAL JOB MORE
THE PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS AND WITHOUT ANSWERING HYPOTHETICAL ONES. HONOURABLE
LET'S MEMBER SAYS WHAT WOULD I DO IF. WELL, FIRST OF ALL HAVE THE IF. WE WILL BE ARGUING OUR OWN CASE, WE WILL BE ARGUING OUR OWN BILL AND THE FIRST QUESTION I HAVE TO ADDRESS IS HOW WE THAT BILL THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. IF HONOURABLE MEMBERS WERE THAT TO AMEND IT, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF ACTION. BUT
TO DEFENSIBLE AVERSION I HAVE A PROFOUND AND I THINK ANSWERING HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS WHEN THE REAL QUESTIONS ARE DIFFICULT ENOUGH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MY
FOR
GET
MR LAU CHIN-SHEK:
THE LABOUR SECTOR THINKS THAT IMPORTED WORKERS HAVE IMPACT ON THE WAGE LEVEL OF LOCAL WORKERS. OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE ILLEGAL WORKERS IN THE LABOUR FORCE. THE CONFEDERATION OF UNIONS FOUND THAT WE HAVE ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM INDIA AND PAKISTAN; THEY WAIT AT SHAM SHUI PO, WAITING FOR EMPLOYERS; THEY GET $150 PER FOUR-HOUR PERIOD. AND THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF DOMESTIC WORKERS WORKING IN FACTORIES, MARKETS AND RESTAURANTS. AND YET ON CONSTRUCTION SITES WE ALSO HAVE ILLEGAL WORKERS. TWO YEARS BACK IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS, SIR, YOU SAID THAT WORKERS MAY BE REQUIRED TO SHOW ID CARDS ON CONSTRUCTION SITES, BUT WE HEARD SUBSEQUENTLY NO MORE ABOUT THAT. THE ISSUE OF ILLEGAL WORKERS IN HONG KONG, THE GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO BE TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE ISSUE FOR SOME OF THE TIME. THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE SQUARELY. ON THE MATTER OF ILLEGAL WORKERS IN HONG KONG, WHAT CONCRETE EFFECTIVE MEASURES ARE THERE TO THIS?
GOVERNOR:
ON
COMBAT
THE
ARE
AND
I THINK THAT THE EMPLOYMENT, INDEED EXISTENCE OF ILLEGAL WORKERS, HAS TWO CONSEQUENCES, BOTH OF WHICH THOROUGHLY UNDESIRABLE IN A MODERN FIRST-WORLD ECONOMY LIKE OURS. WE ARE NOT' OF COURSE JUST TALKING ABOUT ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM THE SOUTH-ASIAN SUB-CONTINENT, WE ARE ALSO TALKING ABOUT ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM THE MAINLAND - FROM THE PRO, AND WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ILLEGAL WORKERS FROM ELSEWHERE TOO.
THE FIRST CONSEQUENCE OF LARGE NUMBERS OF ILLEGAL WORKERS IN THE COMMUNITY IS EXPLOITATION OF THOSE WORKERS IN OFTEN DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS WITH ALL THE POSSIBILITIES OF CRIME, BOTH PETTY AND ORGANISED, THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. AND IT IS NOT LEAST IN THE INTERESTS OF ILLEGAL WORKERS THEMSELVES THAT WE SHOULD TAKE A VERY FIRM LINE ON ILLEGAL WORKING.
/THOUGH THE