XN000022-1985-01-09 — Page 36

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1985

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+ IN OUR HITHERTO APOLITICAL COMMUNITY, MOST ENERGY AND EFFORT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY INVESTED IN PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.

+HOWEVER, EVENTS ARE SUCH THAT WE CAN NO LONGER LOOK TOWARDS OTHERS TO ASSUME OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY.

+TODAY WE NEED TO RELY ON OURSELVES, AND IN PARTICULAR ON OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO PROVIDE US WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT HONG KONG WILL PERPETUATE ITS STATUS QUO THROUGH THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER OF POWER AND RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT FROM THE EXISTING ADMINISTRATION TO A REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM.

+AS A FIRST STEP, THEREFORE, A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE MUST TAKE PLACE, SO THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WILL SHAKE OFF THEIR INERTIA TOWARDS COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AND ASSUME A ROLE OF POSITIVE INVOLVEMENT IN OUR SOCIETY.

+PARTICIPATION IS ESSENTIAL SO AS TO FURNISH THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE WITH THE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEY CAN BE READY TO TAKE ON FURTHER RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY. +

MRS CHOW SAID IT WAS WITH A CONTINUING PROCESS OF LEARNING THROUGH PARTICIPATION THAT WE COULD FURTHER DEVELOP WORTHWHILE AND EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS TO OUR COMMUNITY.

THE VALUE OF SOCIAL STABILITY AS A PREREQUISITE TO THE MAINTENANCE OF OUR PRESENT LIFE STYLE COULD NOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH, SHE CONTINUED.

AT THIS JUNCTURE, HONG KONG NEEDED TO BE EXTRA-SENSITIVE TO THIS ASPECT OF ITS DEVELOPMENT, AS BOTH THE INTERNAL EVOLUTION TOWARDS A MORE ADVERSARIAL STYLE OF POLITICS, AND THE INNOVATIVE EXPERIMENTATION OF +ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS+ WERE LIKELY TO DISTURB THE HITHERTO PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE OF MANY DIFFERENT AND PERHAPS CONFLICTING INTERESTS AND BELIEFS.

CARE THEREFORE NEEDED TO BE EXERCISED TO MAINTAIN THE STATE OF PEACE IN HONG KONG IN THE MICRO, MACRO AS WELL AS WORLD CONTEXT.

MRS CHOW URGED EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATION TO CONTINUE TO MAKE THE BEST OF THE OCCASION BY INITIATING AND SUPPORTING AS MANY MEANINGFUL PROJECTS FOR AND BY YOUTHS AS POSSIBLE, FOR THE SAKE OF A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR HONG KONG.

ALSO SPEAKING ON INTERNATIONAL YOUTH YEAR, DR THE HON HENRIETTA IP SAID: +IN MY MAIDEN SPEECH IN THIS COUNCIL THREE YEARS AGO, I BEGAN BY SAYING, THE CHILDREN OF OUR SOCIETY TODAY, THE PILLARS OF OUR SOCIETY TOMORROW'.

+WHEREAS IN 1973, 33.7 PER CENT OF OUR POPULATION WAS UNDER 15, NOW AFTER 12 YEARS THIS GROUP OF CHILDREN HAVE BECOME OUR YOUTHS.

/+IT MAY