XN000022-1983-05-25 — Page 12

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 1983

A SECOND POSSIBLY WRONG PRESUMPTION WAS THE FREQUENTLY MADE STATEMENT THAT THE LARGE NUMBER OF VACANT RESIDENTIAL FLATS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE BEING DELIBERATELY HELD OFF THE MARKET BY SPECULATORS WHO WANT TO CREATE A SHORTAGE AND THUS GET THE PRICE UP.

THIS MIGHT BE PARTLY TRUE, BUT IT COULD REASONABLE BE ARGUED THAT ANOTHER MORE IMPORTANT CAUSE COULD BE THAT PEOPLE SIMPLY COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY THE HIGH RENTS BEING DEMANDED FOR SUCH MEDIUM AND SMALL FLATS.

THE THIRD POSSIBLY WRONG PRESUMPTION WAS THAT IF RENT CONTROL WAS EXTENDED, DEVELOPERS WOULD LOSE INTEREST IN PROPERTY AND THERE WOULD BE FEWER NEW STARTS TO BUILDINGS NOW, AND THUS FEWER NEW FLATS FOR OCCUPATION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS TIME.

THIS TREND WAS ALREADY SHOWN IN STATISTICS, BUT, WAS RENT CONTROL THE CAUSE? HE ASKED.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE, HE SAID, WAS THAT IN THE PRESENT POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY INVESTMENT IN ANYTHING LONG TERM IN HONG KONG WAS SLOWING DOWN IN THE SHADOW OF 1997, HE SAID.

+WITH THESE OBSERVATIONS ON OBJECTIVES AND SUPPOSITIONS, WILL VOTE AGAINST THE SECOND AND THIRD READINGS OF THE BILL ÎN GENERAL, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A RELAXATION OF RENT CONTROL, HE SAID.

REMOVAL OF THREE OFFENCES SOUGHT

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DR THE HON HO KAM-FAI TODAY CALLED FOR THE REMOVAL OF THREE DRIVING OFFENCES WHICH CARRY PENALTY POINTS, FROM THE SCHEDULE OF OFFENCES UNDER THE ROAD TRAFFIC (DRIVING OFFENCE POINTS) BILL 1983.

THE THREE OFFENCES ARE: FAILING TO STOP AFTER AN ACCIDENT, FAILING TO GIVE PARTICULARS AFTER AN ACCIDENT AND FAILING TO REPORT AN ACCIDENT.

SPEAKING AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, DR HO SAID THE RETENTION OF THE THREE DRIVING OFFENCES ON THE SCHEDULE UNDERMINED THE STATED AIM OF THE BILL WHICH WAS TO PROMOTE SAFE, RESPONSIBLE AND CONSIDERATE DRIVING.

+AS I SEE IT, THE ACT ITSELF IN RESPECT OF ANY OF THESE DRIVING OFFENCES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE UNSAFE DRIVING ON THE ROAD, CAUSING INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO OTHER ROAD USERS,+ HE SAID.

+1 AM NOT SAYING THAT SUCH OFFENCES SHOULD GO UNPUNISHED, I AM MERELY POINTING OUT THAT PENALTY POINTS SHOULD BE ALLOCATED TO THE VERY ACT OF UNSAFE DRIVING AND NOT TO SUBSEQUENT BEHAVIOUR, HE SAID.

ON THE SPIRIT OF THE BILL ITSELF, DR HO SAID IT WAS LAUDABLE AND WORTHY OF SUPPORT, AS IT WAS AIMED TO PROMOTE ROAD SAFETY THROUGH PENALISING RECKLESS, IRRESPONSIBLE DRIVING BEHAVIOUR.