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This was a good opportunity lost, and since then efforts have been very weak and all have failed.
5. In 1960, the Reform Club and the Civic Association made a coalition and sent a delegation to London to the Colonial Office. They demanded eight elected members on the Legislative Council, and an additional eight elected members on the Urban Council. The petition was ignored and the coalition of the two parties soon broke down.
7. The final effort was made by the Urban Council itself in 1967. The Council set up
sub-mommittee which proposed a colony-wide franchise, financial autonomy, and jurisdiction in education, medical, social, housing and urban services, It mentioned nothing about the Legislative Council.
On this occasion, the Government set u its own working party, which suggested giving advisory powers to the Urban Council in matters of medical, housing, educational and other services.
It was useless to imagine that anything would come of the proposals, as they had to pass through the Legislative Council, and it was most unlikely that the Legislative Council would allocate its own powers to the Urban Council, or reduce its own powers in any way. There are too many people here in Hong Kong and too many MPs and businessnoa in London with money invested here, to allow any change in the status-quo. On this occasion, after years of discussion, the Government brought in the present situation, in which nominally the Urban Council has financial autonomy, but at the same time it removed from the Council its most important job housing. Since then housing policies have become more and more unjust to the people and rents are sky-rocketing. The Urban Council is now responsible only for toys and decorations, and it cannot touch the lives of the people in any inportant fields such as ousing, education, or social justice.
It is therefore obvious that reform will not come automatically from London; nor will changes come from requests to the Hong Kong Government which is pledged to protect big business.
Reform will not come from the so-called civic leaders whose efforts are more like a stage show.
Reforms will not come from a handful of British civic leaders whose hearts may be liberal but whose outlook is colonial.
How can reforms be brought about? What other methods are there?
3.Should we hold "emonstrations?
I on not against demonstrations in certain circumstances, and the right of demonstration is recognised world-wide as a civic right, But would it achieve our purpose in this case?
People only demonstrate and riot when they want to revolutionise the whole system, and unless they have a plan, know what they are doing and how to achieve it, any such demonstration may not only fail, but may be harmful to the cuase it was supporting,
I do not think any one of us here is asking for revolutionary changes, and therefore I think demonstrations would be of little value you may differ with me if you think I am wrong.
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I believe we all recognise that no radical revolutionary c anges are possible and that all such radical changes here will be decided either in Peking or in London, or both. But changes towards a more equitable and representative government are possible if we have the support of the commanity and if our methods are reasonable.
4. Referendum
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The usual was
way
of finding out what a community wants is by holding a referendu. In holding a referendum, everyone in the community has an oportunity of voting to say what he wants. Several years ago, a referendum was held in Gibraltar to determine whether the people of Gobraltar wanted to be ruled by Eritain or by Spain. Very soon, the people of Britain will be asked to vote in a refereddum to decide whether or not they want Britain to remain in the European Common Market.
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that is
The question arises, if we hold a referendum, who will hold it? Ideally, the British Government in London should hold the referendum where the responibility lies. Lord Goronwy Roberts said it was up to the community here to decide, and by saying this, I think he has laid upon himself the responsibility to see that the people are given the chance to say what they want. Yet from past experience
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