XN000022-1982-06-02 — Page 10

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1982

SIH OPPOSE MOTOR VEHICLE RESTRAINT PROPOSALS

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SIX UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS SPOKE AGAINST THE PROPOSED PACKAGE TO CURB THE GROWTH OF MOTOR VEHICLES IN HONG KONG.

THEY WERE THE REV THE HON PATRICK MCGOVERN, THE HON ALEX WU, THE REV THE HON JOYCE BENNETT, THE HON S. L. CHEN, THE HON CHARLES YEUNG, AND THE HON SELINA CHOW.

FATHER MCGOVERN DESCRIBED THE PACKAGE OF PROPOSALS AS THE +PERSECUTION OF THE PRIVATE MOTORIST PACKAGE+.

HE CONTENDED THAT THE PRINCIPAL REASON FOR CONGESTION ON OUR ROADS WAS THAT HONG KONG HAD SUFFERED FROM ABOUT THREE DECADES OF BUREAUCRATIC BLUNDER ING BY THE GOVERNMENT.

+THIS BLUNDERING HAS BEEN CHARACTERISED BY A LACK OF IMAGINATION, LACK OF FORESIGHT, UNECONOMIC USE OF MONEY BY THE HOLDING BACK OF PROJECTS WHICH GOT DEARER EVERY YEAR THEY WERE POSTPONED.

+ IT WAS CHIEFLY CHARACTERISED BY A LACK OF COORDINATED PLANNING BETWEEN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, HE SAID.

QUOTING EXAMPLES OF THE LACK OF COORDINATED PLANNING, FATHER MCGOVERN CONSIDERED IT WAS UNJUST TO PENALISE ONE SECTION OF ROAD USERS FOR THIS BUREAUCRATIC MESS, +ESPECIALLY AS THEY ARE THE ONES WHO PAY VEHICLE AND LICENCE TAXES AND DRIVE LIGHT VEHICLES WHICH DO LEAST DAMAGE TO ROADS+.

+THE WHOLE PACKET IS AN EXPERIMENT, HE ARGUED. THAT SUCH A PROBABLY UNSUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT SHOULD BE MADE AT A COST OF MAY BE A BILLION DOLLARS OUT OF THE POCKETS OF PRIVATE MOTORISTS IS NOT ONLY EXTRAVAGANT, BUT MANIFESTLY UN JUST.

+THERE ARE TOO MANY OTHER THINGS WHICH NEED TO BE DONE FIRST, SUCH AS THE COORDINATED PLANNING MENTIONED EARLIER.

+ONE OTHER IMPORTANT THING WHICH NEED TO BE DONE IS TO DROP THE NEGATIVE THINKING WHICH SEEMS TO BE AT THE ROOT OF GOVERNMENT PLANNING - NEGATIVE THINKING SHOWN FOR EXAMPLE IN THE UNREALISTIC AMOUNT OF CAR PARKING SPACE ALLOWED FOR PLOT RATIO PURPOSES IN PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS,+ FR MCGOVERN SAID.

IN HIS SPEECH, MR ALEX WU WARNED THAT THE PROPOSALS +PUT US ON A SLIPPERY SLOPÉ+,

QUOTING SINGAPORE AS AN EXAMPLE, HE NOTED THAT SIMILAR PUNITIVE TAXATION HAD BEEN EMPLOYED THERE FOR SOME TEN YEARS WITH THE SAME PURPOSE. SINCE 1972, SINGAPORE IMPOSED A 5 PER CENT IMFORT DUTY ON THE VALUE OF A PRIVATE CAR. AND WHEN THIS DID NOT HAVE THE DESIRED EFFECT, THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT RAISED THE ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION FEE FROM 55 PER CENT TO 100 PER EN 4:17

1775 AND TO 150 PER CENT IN 1970.

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