TNAG-1734-FCO40-2447-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 332

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 May 1988

constitution reforms so far have not focussed attention on how to facilitate the participation of young people in the development of Government policies that will be affecting them.

I also subscribe to the call made by the report for Government to make a long-term commitment to youth development, since this commitment will signify public investment placed in youth, which will, in turn, help young people to commit themselves to Hong Kong. However, I would go one step further beyond the theoretic framework presented by the report, that is, to urge Government to translate these principles into directives, filtering down to the administrative level. This way, policy decisions will be made with special emphasis on young people, not 'when necessary and justified', but as part and parcel of policy formulation. Invigorated youth policy decisions are expected to bring about reforms in our educational system and revised labour legislation, such as the long service payment scheme affecting young workers, in order to maximise opportunities for education and employment for youth. To foster the healthy development of young people, youth work that supplement formal education is likely to expand while volunteer service is to be promoted. To encourage youth participation in community affairs, it is envisaged that family life education promoting harmonious family and interpersonal relationships, and leadership training and civic education will be conducted with concentrated efforts. Indeed, we need more social policy programmes designed to enhance young people's status in society.

The foregoing outlines some priorities of an ideal youth policy which has to be supplemented with concrete plans and schedule for implementation, without which a set of principles will only remain a paranoia. Sir, the most exigent task now in hand is to set up the proposed commission for youth which is the only guarantee for smooth co-ordination of various government departments working towards the same direction to ensure consistency and quality of policies. On top of the commission's proposed functions, however, I would suggest that the commission should closely monitor various social policies and recommend legislative changes affecting the well-being of young people. This high-power commission, to be headed by a commissioner for youth, should feature member- ship drawn from related disciplines. The importance of youth's participation in the commission's work cannot be over-emphasised, if our youth policy is to meet the emerging needs of young people in a rapidly changing environment.

Sir, it has taken us some two decades to get the ball rolling for formulating a youth policy for Hong Kong. The ironical nonchalance towards the policy demonstrated by young people themselves serves as writings on the wall. If we have contributed to their indifference by dragging our feet over the youth policy in the past decade, Sir, the time has now come for us to get the youth policy off the ground, and to show the younger generation how much we care for them. For what our parents provided for us in the good old days, we owe it to our younger generation who deserve a better deal from us.

Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion.