TNAG-0305-FCO40-341-Use-of-Chinese-as-official-language-in-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 83

OUR REF:

YOUR REF:

Member Unions :

Chung Chi College Student

Union

LBIMUS OS

HKFS

hong kong federation of students.

香 港 專上學生聯會

23c waterloo road, kowloon hong kong

tel. k-888137, 840048, 840049

telegram "HKFSTUDENT"

Appendix B

OPEN LETTER TO THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE

AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS

案基學院學生會

Hong Kong Baptist College Student Union 香港浸會書院學生會

Hong Kong Technical College

Students' Union 香港工業學院學生會

Dear Sirs,

Hong Kong University

Students' Union 香港大學學生會

Lingnan College Students

Union

嶺南書院學生背

New Asia College Student

Union 新亞書院學生會

Northcote College of Education Students' Assn. 羅富國師範學院學生會

Sir Robert Black College of

Education Student's Assn.

柏立基師範學院學生會

United College Student Union

聯合書院學生會

Executive Committee:

President

Mr. Kwong Hoi Ying

Deputy President Mr. Mo Yiu Chor

General Secretary Mr. Law Yu Fai

Local Affairs Secretary (Acting) Mr. Thomas Leung Kwok Fai

Financial Secretary Mr. Yip Hak Kwong (Acting)

International Affairs Secretary Miss Violet Chan Yin Fai

Student Welfare Secretary Mr. Tam Hall Ping

Press Secretary

Mr. Wong Chung Ying

Sports Secretary

Mr. Henry Shum Chin Man

It is with hopeful expectations that we are meeting you today to discuss the matter of a legislative declaration of Chinese as an Official Language of Hong Kong.

The Chinese Language Committee, chaired by Sir Kenneth Ping-fan Fung and appointed by the Hong Kong Govern- ment last October to examine the use of the Chinese language in official business in pursuance to extensive demands by the public, has in its 4th (and Final) Report recommended "that Government should consider promulgating a firm policy, in a suitable manner, that Chinese and English are 'SEX. ', (Fat Ting U Man), that is to say, Official Languages". With full appreciation for the nine months of intensive study made by the said Committee, we fully endorse this enlightened proposal which we recognise as a right step to be taken by Government towards promoting the progress and prosperity of Hong Kong.

We note, however, that the Committee has failed to recommend to Government how Chinese and English should be declared official languages. We deem it our concern, as well as yours, Honourable Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, to see to it that the implementation of this policy should not prove less enlightened than the recommendation itself. It is our opinion that it would be meaningless to give Chinese an official status, equal to that of English, if the status and usage were not guaranteed.

With this in mind, it is our purpose today to consider together with you the benefits of declaring Chinese and English the official languages of Hong Kong, equal in status and with the usage of the Chinese language defined in specific areas in a piece of legislation. (The reasons for which can be seen in Section B of the attached Position

Paper). The said paper is an attempt of the Legal Sub- committee of the Hong Kong Federation of Students Chinese Language Study Committee which is composed of current Law students of the University of Hong Kong to put this policy into Ordinance form, hoping only that it may serve an example for more concrete discussion. The same paper was presented to officials of the Secretariat for Home Affairs on 10th September as HKFS official position...

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