XN000022-1987-04-08 — Page 33

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1987

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+THE ISSUE HAD BEEN REPEATEDLY DELAYED AND THE GREEN PAPER ON REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES WAS NOT PUBLISHED UNTIL AUGUST 1986. THE DOCUMENT IS BRIEF AND NON-COMMITTAL. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN WAS INSUFFICIENT FOR DISCUSSION AT DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS.

+MANY PEOPLE HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THE SINCERITY OF GOVERNMENT'S PROMISE AS MADE IN THE 1985 POLICY ADDRESS ON THE ISSUE. THEY ALSO QUESTION WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WOULD MAINTAIN OR LOOSEN ITS DETERMINATION TO GOVERN HONG KONG.

+THESE QUESTIONS MUST BE DEALT WITH IN A PRACTICAL MANNER AND CONCRETE MEASURES MUST BE TAKEN TO RELIEVE THE PUBLIC OF THEIR ANXIETIES,+ HE SAID.

OMBUDSMAN WILL HELP REDUCE OMELCO WORKLOAD

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THE CREATION OF A COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATION POST WILL GREATLY RELIEVE THE HEAVY WORKLOAD OF OMELCO MEMBERS IN THE HANDLING OF COMPLAINT CASES, THE HON LIU LIT-FOR SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING DURING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE CONSULTATIVE DOCUMENT ON REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES, MR LIU SAID 40 PER CENT OF THE 1 000 COMPLAINT CASES HANDLED BY THE OMELCO EACH YEAR WAS ABOUT GOVERNMENT MALADMINISTRATION AND INJUSTICE.

+ IF THE NUMBER OF CASES WHICH REQUIRES OMELCO MEMBERS TO INTERVIEW CLIENTS IS REDUCED, MEMBERS CAN DEVOTE MORE ATTENTION TO SOCIAL AND POLICY ISSUES, HE SAID.

MR LIU SAID AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER FOR ADMINISTRATION WITH ADEQUATE POWER COULD BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY THE PUBLIC AS AN ORGANISATION FOR REDRESS.

+THEY CAN LODGE THE IR COMPLAINTS DIRECTLY TO THE COMMISSIONER, WHETHER THEY BE COMPLAINTS AGAINST GOVERNMENT MALADMINISTRATION CR PERSONAL GRIEVANCES, AND THERE IS NO NEED FOR REFERRALS WHICH WASTE MUCH TIME,+ HE SAID.

+THE EXISTING REDRESS SYSTEM MAY NOT BE EFFECTIVE, HE ADDED. MR LIU SAID FIRSTLY, THERE WERE INSTITUTIONS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS BUT THEY WERE NOT INDEPENDENT AND HAD LIMITED JURISDICTION AND POWER.

SECONDLY, SOME INSTITUTIONS ARRANGED DUTY ROSTER MEMBERS TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS FROM THE PUBLIC AND THERE WERE NO OFFICERS SPECIALLY ASSIGNED TO HANDLE THE CASES.

MR LIU SAID THAT IF THESE SHORTCOMINGS COULD BE OVERCOME THE EFFICIENCY OF THE EXISTING REDRESS SYSTEM WOULD BE IMPROVED.

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