XN000022-1992-10-09 — Page 16

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1992

QUESTION:

MR GOVERNOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR

CONCERN

ON THE REHABILITATION, ESPECIALLY YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE SEVERELY MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED PEOPLE ARE NOT LOOKED AFTER IN THE LAST 10 YEARS. I AM NOT TRYING TO DO SOME SHOE-SHINING HERE.

GOVERNOR:

I WAS VERY PLEASED THAT YESTERDAY WE WERE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE INCREASED SUPPORT FOR THE MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED, AMONG OTHER

ME. GROUPS, AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IS NO CREDIT TO WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY,

THAT MEANS BECAUSE OF YOUR SUCCESS.

I'VE ONLY BEEN

GOVERNOR

THREE MONTHS, IT'S YOU THAT'S DONE THE WORK AND YOU THAT'S EARNED THAT SOCIAL DIVIDEND.

AND FOR

BUT LET ME TELL YOU THIS STORY, WHICH WILL BE FAMILIAR ΤΟ MANY OF YOU. ON ONE OF MY VISITS I WENT TO SEE A WOMAN WHO WAS LOOKING AFTER EIGHT CHILDREN, ONE OF WHOM WAS MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED. SHE WAS HOPING THAT HER SON WHO WAS IN HIS LATE TEENS, WOULD BE ABLE ΤΟ GET A PLACE IN A SHELTERED WORKSHOP OR IN A DAY CENTRE, AND THAT EVENTUALLY HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET A RESIDENTIAL PLACE BECAUSE IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR HER TO CARE FOR HIM AT HOME. IT WAS A GREAT BURDEN AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAMILY AND SHE COULD SEE NO END TO THE WAITING FOR THE SORT OF PLACE WHICH HER SON REQUIRED.

I THINK THAT PARENTS AND

FAMILIES WHO LOOK AFTER HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE AMONG THE HEROES, THE HEROES WHO AREN'T GIVEN ENOUGH APPLAUSE IN OUR SOCIETY, AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES TO BRING THEM MORE ASSISTANCE SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO BEAR THE SORT OF BURDEN THEY'VE BORNE IN THE PAST FOR THE WHOLE OF THE FUTURE.

QUESTION:

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR OPINION ON SHELTERED PLACES AND THE BOUGHT PLACES SYSTEM.

GOVERNOR:

I THINK THAT WE NEED MANY MORE SHELTERED PLACES. I'M PLEASED THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF DAY SERVICE

I PLACES

AND BY ALMOST 4,000, THAT'S RATHER MORE THAN 50%, HOPE THAT WILL ENABLE US OVER THE NEXT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS TO MEET ALL THE KEY TARGETS IN THE VERY IMPORTANT GREEN PAPER ON REHABILITATION THAT WAS PRODUCED A FEW MONTHS AGO.

HAVE

QUESTION:

MR GOVERNOR, IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH I THINK YOU LEFT OUT ONE VERY IMPORTANT POINT, THAT IS ABOUT THE BASIC LIVELIHOOD ΤΟ OF PEOPLE:

YOU PROMISED CLOTHING, FOOD, HOUSING AND TRANSPORT. SPEND $73 BILLION TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE, INCLUDING TO IMPROVE THE NEW SEWAGE STRATEGY, BUT YOU HAVE NEGLECTED THE PROBLEM OF CONNECTING TERRITORIES NORTH-WEST WITH THE URBAN AREAS. I HOPE YOUR ADVISERS CAN GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION: HOW MUCH TIME HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE WASTING BACH DAY IN TRAFFIC CONGESTION. AND THIS, I THINK, HAS

LOT A EFFECT ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND THE RESOURCES OF THE SOCIETY.

OF

MR GOVERNOR, I AM NOT GOING TO INVITE YOU TO ENJOY TRAFFIC CONGESTION ALONG TUEN MUN TRUNK ROAD BECAUSE I WANT SPEND MORE TIME ON YOUR POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT.

THE

YOU

то

/GOVERNOR: IT'S