XN000022-1980-06-10 — Page 5

TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 1980

MR CHUI SAID THE GREEN PAPER STATED CLEARLY THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO GIVE DUE REGARD. TO THE POSITION AND WORK OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND RURAL COMMITTEES TO ENSURE THAT BOTH TRADITION AND PROGRESS WOULD HAVE A PLACE IN DISTRICT AFFAIRS SO THAT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND NEW RESIDENTS WOULD LIVE TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY.

TURNING TO THE URBAN AREA, MR CHUI SAID A DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE HAD BEEN SET UP IN KWUN TONG, SIMILAR IN NATURE TO TOWN MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE GREEN PAPER PROPOSED THAT THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE SCHEME BE EXTENDED TO OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

ONCE THESE COMMITTEES WERE ESTABLISHED, UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS WOULD BE APPOINTED AND DISTRICT BOARDS, TO BE CHAIRED BY CITY DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS, FORMED. SEATS WOULD BE RESERVED ON EACH BOARD FOR ELECTED AND APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL SO THAT THEY COULD PARTICIPATE IN ITS WORK,

TO AVOID INFRINGING UPON THE PREROGATIVE OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND DUPLICATION OF THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM, THERE WOULD BE NO ELECTED MEMBERS ON THESE URBAN BOARDS AND THEIR TERMS OF REFERENCE WOULD BE SLIGHTLY NARROWER IN SCOPE THAN THOSE OF THEIR NEW TERRITORIES COUNTERPARTS.

AS URBAN COUNCILLORS WOULD BE PROVIDED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WORK OF DISTRICT BOARDS, THE IR CONTRIBUTION TO DISTRICTS WOULD BE GREATER AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES INCREASED SINCE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS COULD INCLUDE ALL MATTERS DISCUSSED AT BOARD MEETINGS.

MR CHUI SAID THE GREEN PAPER ALSO PROPOSED THAT SUFFRAGE BE EXTENDED THROUGH LEGISLATION TO ALL RESIDENTS OVER THE AGE OF 21 WITH AT LEAST THREE YEARS RESIDENCE IN HONG KONG.

HE HOPED THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD STUDY THE PROPOSALS IN THE GREEN PAPER CAREFULLY AND MAKE THEIR VIEWS KNOWN TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR CONSIDERATION.

KWUN TONG CLEAN-UP

****

THE ENVIRONMENT SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE KWUN TONG DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE IS LAUNCHING A LARGE-SCALE OPERATION TO CLEAN UP ALL BACK LANES IN THE DISTRICT'S INDUSTRIAL AREA,

THE CAMPAIGN, KNOWN AS +OPERATION IMPACT+, IS TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE AREA AND TO CREATE A VISUAL IMPACT ON WORKERS AND FACTORY OPERATORS ON THE EFFECTS OF A CLEAN AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.

THE FOUR-WEEK OPERATION, WHICH COVERS THE DISTRICT'S INDUSTRIAL AREA BOUNDED BY KWUN TONG ROAD, HOI BUN ROAD, LAT YIP STREET AND WING YIP STREET, STARTED ON JUNE 2.

/MR DAVID TSUI