XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 29

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

QUESTION: OPPORTUNITY

THIS ONLY

MR GOVERNOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GIVING US TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS. IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH, YOU LOOK AFTER THE SANDWICH CLASS BUT YOU HAVE NEGLECTED THE NEEDS OF THE RESIDENTS IN PUBLIC HOUSING. NOW, THE PUBLIC HOUSING POLICY IS VERY UNREASONABLE. IT'S GETTING MORE AND MORE MONEY ORIENTED. THE RENTAL POLICY IS VERY UNREASONABLE, WHY DIDN'T YOU HEAR OUR LOUD VOICE OF PROTEST? AND, THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER UNREASONABLE POLICIES OF THE HOUSING AUTHORITY SUCH AS THE POLICY ON DIFFICULT HOUSEHOLDS, IT IS INDEED VERY UNREALISTIC. 50, DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT THOSE FLATS WHICH COULD BE SOLD FOR MONEY AND YOU NEGLECTED THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY THEIR FLATS? AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TOO TO HELP THE SINGLE PARENT FAMILY BECAUSE, AT PRESENT,

ΤΟ A VERY LARGE EXTENT YOUTH PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN OUT OF A BROKEN FAMILY. So,

IT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD MEASURE IF YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO HELP THESE FAMILIES.

GOVERNOR:

ΤΟ

CAN I SAY STRAIGHTAWAY THAT YOU ARE ENTIRELY RIGHT SAY THAT OUR MAIN CONCERN MUST BE WITH ALL HOUSING NEED, NOT JUST WITH ONE GROUP. WE ARE, IN FACT, PROPOSING TO SPEND, I THINK IT'S 41 BILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO PROVIDE MORE HOUSING FOR ABOUT 190,000 FAMILIES. THAT'S ABOUT 650,000 PEOPLE. THE TRANSFORMATION OF HOUSING IN HONG KONG HAS BEEN A VERY IMPORTANT REASON FOR HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND SOCIAL HARMONY. IN OUR MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC HOUSING, WE HAVE TO BE AS SENSITIVE AS POSSIBLE TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS, DIFFICULT THOUGH THAT SOMETIMES IS.

A POLICY ON DIFFICULT HOUSEHOLDS IS NOT ONE THAT HAS BEEN RAISED WITH ME BEFORE, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL ASK THE HOUSING AUTHORITY FOR A REPORT ON IT. WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES, IT WAS AN ISSUE THAT WAS RAISED WITH ME THE OTHER DAY BY A CHURCH GROUP THAT CAME TO LOBBY ME ON SOCIAL ISSUES. I HOPE THAT OUR IMPROVEMENTS IN PUBLIC ASSISTANCE WILL BE OF SOME HELP, BUT IT'S OBVIOUSLY AN AREA THAT WE NEED TO BE VERY SYMPATHETIC TOWARDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL POLICY IN THE FUTURE.

WHAT WE HAVE ΤΟ DO NOW IS TO FOLLOW A POLICY OF BEING FAIR TO MICROPHONES. OTHERWISE, I'LL GET INTO TROUBLE, BUT JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF HANDS THAT ARE GOING UP AND THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE OF THESE MEETINGS.

FOUR, FIVE AND TWO AND THEN EIGHT.

QUESTION:

TIME

ON

THANK YOU MR PATTEN. I REMEMBER YOU HAVE MENTIONED A PREVIOUS OCCASION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN A COMMUNITY. IF Ι MAY QUOTE YOU, IN THE SENSE THAT YOU SAID, THE ARTS GIVES CONTEXT TO ANYBODY'S LIFE. DO YOU ALSO THINK THAT POLITICIANS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY ΤΟ CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH THE ARTS CAN FLOURISH? YET, IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS YESTERDAY, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE ARTS AT ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF YOUR ASPIRATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG,

80, MAY I ASK WHAT IS YOUR POLICY TO ENSURE THE

FLOURISHING OF THE ARTS IN HONG KONG?

/GOVERNOR: AS