TNAG-0518-FCO40-613-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 46

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WHEN I WAS HERE 15 YEARS AGO I COT THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE WAS A DISTASTE FOR PUBLIC DEBATE IN THIS CHAMBER: IT WAS AGAINST TRADITION AND NOT REALLY DONE. IT IS INDEED NOT THE TRADITION THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY DEBATE, OR THAT THERE SHOULD BE DEBATE AND OPPOSITION FOR DEBATE AND OPPOSITION'S SAKE. DENIED AS WE ARE, FOR PEASONS WELL UNDERSTOOD HERE, THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ELECTED LEGISLATURE, OUR TRADITION IS RATHER TO GOVERN BY CONSENSUS. WE ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE THIS BY MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. REPRESENTATIONS TO UMELCO, THE WIDE USE OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES, GREEN PAPERS, THE PERCEPTION OF CITY DISTRICT OFFICERS AND THEIR EVER WIDENING CONTACTS WITH MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES AND AREA COMMITTEES AND OF COURSE THE KAIFONGS. THE ROLE OF THE PRESS AND MEDIA IS VITAL, SO TOO IS A WILLINGNESS ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT TO GIVE TIME FOR CONSIDERED REACTIONS TO NEW PROPOSALS TO DEVELOP. BUT HAVING SAID ALL THIS I AM CONVINCED THAT IT IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND IN THE INTEREST OF THIS COUNCIL THAT THE MAJOR ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR LIVES SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THIS COUNCIL, AND THAT IF THERE BE GENUINE DIFFERENCES THEY SHOULD BE CLEARLY STATED AND PUBLICLY DECIDED HERE, AS THEY HAVE OFTEN BEEN IN THE COURSE OF THE LAST SESSION.

VISITORS TO HONG KONG OFTEN FAIL TO GRASP THE MULTIPLE ROLES OF HON MEMBERS OR THE VOLUME AND DIVERSITY OF BUSINESS THEY ARE CALLED ON TO TRANSACT, THERE ARE THEIR QUESTIONS AND SPEECHES IN THIS CHAMBER: OUTSIDE IT THERE IS THEIR WORK ON FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE PUBLIC WORKS SUB-COMMITTEE: FOR ALL IMPORTANT AND CONTROVERSIAL LEGISLATION WORKING GROUPS ARE FORMED NOT ONLY TO CONSIDER THE DRAFTS IN DETAIL WITH THE OFFICIALS CONCERNED, BUT ALSO TO RECEIVE AND CONSIDER REPRESENTATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THEM. THEN THE U MEL CO OFFICE OFFERS THE FUNCTIONS OF WHAT IN BRITAIN WOULD BE CALLED A CONSTITUENCY SURGERY: THAT IS TO SAY A PLACE WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN BRING THEIR PROBLEMS OR COMPLAINTS AND BE ABLE TO PUT THEM TO A MEMBER OF UM EL CO IN PERSON. HOWEVER, UNLIKE CONSTITUENCY SURGERIES U M ELGO OPERATES FOR SIX DAYS A WEEK AND ITS MEMBERS CAN CALL DIRECTLY FOR CONFIDENTIAL FILES ABOUT CASES WHICH COME TO THEIR ATTENTION, AS INDEED THEY FREQUENTLY DO ALSO IN PREPARATION OF LEGISLATION, A CONSIDERABLE PROPORTION OF THEIR WORK IS THUS IN CONFIDENCE. MOREOVER THEY COLLABORATE IN THE PREPARATION OF LEGISLATION AND BY INTERVENTION CONSTANTLY INFLUENCE ADMINISTRATION, THEIR WORK

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/IS THUS