TNAG-2329-FCO40-3373-Hong-Kong-contacts-with-academics-and-writers-1991 — Page 40

of the prevailing attitude of this selfish place that we call Hong Kong.

Is this fair? Perhaps it is time to examine Hong Kong's attitudes? One place to start is the care of the mentally ill and mentally handicapped. On 11th December, 1990, the Hong Kong Standard said in a leader column that:-

The failure of successive administrations here to provide adequately for the care of the mentally ill and mentally handicapped in our community is a long-standing and widely recognised disgrace. And the indications are that the provision of care for such people is still falling woefully behind their needs

[I]t may be time to ask what will happen to the mentally ill and mentally handicapped after 1997 ... We must identify and reappraise the problems which exist within the institutions which care for the mentally ill and handicapped."

Checks and Balances, the Constitutional Dispensation and the Rule of Law. General discussion with people from other parts of the globe about the concepts of accountability could be useful, as well as the checks and balances in a democracy and the notions of separation of powers. Hong Kong's position in these matters in comparative and international terms is important to its future. The methods of judicial administration and the methods of legislative drafting are practical concerns too in many parts of the world, as is the manner of formulating within government budgets for expenditure on legal services. Some might find it useful to know how priorities can be assessed in relation to funding for courts, training of judges, and financial support for litigants, etc.

As for Hong Kong itself, an unexpected issue, to me at least, was raised in the Hong Kong Law Journal. An article presented the findings of an investigation into the extent to which the values of the common law have taken root in Hong Kong. The article contained the following edited passage: -

"Although the concept of the rule of law is accepted by the

Chinese population of Hong Kong with a clear majority, it is surprising to find a higher proportion of [a Hong Kong Chinese] legal profession sample than [an overall Hong Kong] Chinese population sample agreed that the police should be able to use secret torture as a means to investigate crimes. The proportions of the legal profession and Chinese population samples agreeing to such practice are 37 per cent and 34 per cent respectively, a substantial minority This should not be taken lightly. Tolerance of the use of torture by the police in Hong Kong is at an alarming level.

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