XN000022-1985-04-20 — Page 5

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1985 ·

YOUTHS URGED TO PLAY CIVIC ROLE

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YOUNG PEOPLE, THE DRIVING FORCE OF SOCIETY, SHOULD PLAY THE ROLE OF PIONEERS WHILE HONG KONG'S POLITICAL STRUCTURE IS UNDER- GOING GREAT CHANGES, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR DONALD LIAO, SAID THIS EVENING (SATURDAY).

THROUGH ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, YOUNG PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO SHARPEN THE IR AWARENESS IN SOCIETY AND POLITICS, AS WELL AS WIDEN THEIR HORIZONS TO DEVELOP A BALANCED AND WHOLESOME PERSONALITY, HE SAID.

+THEY MAY THUS MAKE ACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY AND SERVE THE PUBLIC WELL, HE SAID, AT THE ST GEORGE'S DAY FELLOWSHIP DINNER OF THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG.

MR LIAO NOTED THAT YOUNG PEOPLE'S ENTHUSIASM IN TAKING PART IN POLITICS WAS EVIDENT IN LAST MONTH'S DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS.

SIXTY, OR 12 PER CENT, OF THE 501 CANDIDATES WERE AGED BETWEEN 21 AND 30.

AND 46, OR 19 PER CENT, OF THE ELECTED MEMBERS WERE IN THE SAME AGE GROUP, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 11 PER CENT COMPARED WITH THE DB ELECTIONS THREE YEARS AGO, HE SAID.

THIS WAS VERY ENCOURAGING, AND THERE WOULD BE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTHS TO TAKE PART IN POLITICS, HE SAID,

+THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAY, APART FROM TRYING THEIR BEST TO BLAZE NEW TRAILS AND TO DEVELOP THEIR ABILITIES WITH FULL CONFIDENCE, SHOULD ALSO DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AS THE BASIC SPIRIT OF SCOUTS ADVOCATES, so THAT HONG KONG MAY MAINTAIN ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH AND POLITICAL STABILITY, HE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT THE THEME OF THE 1985 INTERNATIONAL YOUTH YEAR, +PARTICIPATION, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE+, COINCIDES WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION, AND SHOULD BE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF YOUNG PEOPLE TAKING PART IN POLITICS.

MR LIAO ALSO PRAISED THE SCOUTS FOR DEVOTING THEIR TIME AND PERSONAL RESOURCES TO THE MOVEMENT.

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