HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
He said: In accordance with Government's request, the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee, of which I am Chairman, started planning a new Museum. In order to do so, we have formed ourselves into five Sub-Committees, with two of our members on each one, and to each one we have invited a number of expert advisers.
Under Standing Order 22(9) the quorum for any sub-committee is two, which means that if one of the two members cannot attend or is late or has to leave early, the committee will then no longer have a quorum and will not be able to continue. It is to obviate the inconveniences of this that I now propose that Standing Order 22(9) be suspended in so far as it relates to the Sub-Committees appointed by the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee until 31st March, 1965.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI seconded.
CHAIRMAN: --In accordance with Standing Order No. 24 this motion, once seconded, must stand adjourned without discussion until the next ordinary meeting of the Council.
(5) THE CHAIRMAN moved the following motion:—
That this Council endorse the Statement of Aims for 1965 tabled to-day.
He said I rise to move the motion standing in my name as Item 3(5) on the Order Paper, which is, that this Council endorse the Statement of Aims for 1965 tabled to-day.
I look forward to hearing, to-day, the speeches of the Unofficial Members of the Council. At their conclusion it will be moved that the debate be adjourned to the next meeting when the Officials will reply to points raised in the debate.
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN seconded.
MR. A. de O. SALES:-Sir, I rise to open, for the Unofficial Members, this Council's Annual Debate. As I did so, Sir, I noticed that you shifted somewhat uneasily in your chair, whereupon I was inspired to lift my heart and mind in a silent prayer: 'may the gods long preserve our Chairman in his post.' (Applause and Laughter). The Chairman seemed to say to himself, thinking aloud as it were: 'those Councillors whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.' Prophetically?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I wonder, Sir, whether the stage has not been reached when this Council should take another step forward. The annual motion could well be proposed by an Unofficial Member and seconded by another, in the order in which each side draws lots to speak. There would be the consolation for the Chairman that he would not then have to bat against all bowlers, apart from other cogent reasons for such a change of procedure.
Last year I spoke, as did my colleagues, about the need to broaden the scope of the Urban Council to keep pace with the growth of Hong Kong in recent years and also to afford people who live here a greater role in the administration of their own affairs. No headway has been made since then. I also advocated that chairmen of Government boards and committees should be members of the public, and not directors of departments as they are to a great extent to-day. I put forward my reasons which have not been gainsaid by Government- hence, the majestic silence, hardly golden. I suspect much behind-the-scenes resistance to the progressive replacement of civil servants by civic leaders. But it is always wiser for a government to take the initiative in such matters. To-day, Government functions through the heads of departments, thus keeping to itself and its functionaries virtually all the powers which should rightly be exercised at least partly by the public. It is clearly wrong that the formulation of policies, which directly touch upon the lives of so many hundreds of thousands of people, should be the prerogative of a small group of functionaries. Public confidence would be greatly inspired by the presence of civic leaders of proven integrity and ability in the supervision of public affairs. Moreover, I suggest that it is in the general interest for a close examination to be made as to how decentralization of power and delegation of authority can be made with propriety, thus giving effect to the principle of subsidiarity which in our peculiar circumstances could be followed with advantage. May consideration be given by Government to the setting up of an independently constituted committee of inquiry to determine how this purpose can best be achieved and which boards and committees should have their departmental chairman replaced for the good of the public. Let me say that it is purely on principle that I speak and clearly not of personalities.
Mr. Chairman, while I am recognizant of the good work which members of your Department and other departments associated with the Urban Council carry out and I do not hesitate to commend them for it, nevertheless I would not be honest if I were not to say that there is a measure of uneasiness on my part, and that of some of my colleagues, that full and unstinted support is not given to the policies which are framed by the Council directly or through its select committees. There can be no justification for any civil servant to resist the wishes of any public committee, or undermine its position by not taking prompt
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386
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
He said: In accordance with Government's request, the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee, of which I am Chairman, started planning a new Museum. In order to do so, we have formed ourselves into five Sub-Committees, with two of our members on each one, and to each one we have invited a number of expert advisers.
Under Standing Order 22(9) the quorum for any sub-committee is two, which means that if one of the two members cannot attend or is late or has to leave early, the committee will then no longer have a quorum and will not be able to continue. It is to obviate the incon- veniences of this that I now propose that Standing Order 22(9) be suspended in so far as it relates to the Sub-Committees appointed by the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee until 31st March, 1965.
MR. B. A. BERNACCHI seconded.
CHAIRMAN: --In accordance with Standing Order No. 24 this motion, once seconded, must stand adjourned without discussion until the next ordinary meeting of the Council.
(5) THE CHAIRMAN moved the following motion:—
That this Council endorse the Statement of Aims for 1965
tabled to-day.
He said I rise to move the motion standing in my name as Item 3(5) on the Order Paper, which is, that this Council endorse the State- ment of Aims for 1965 tabled to-day.
I look forward to hearing, to-day, the speeches of the Unofficial Members of the Council. At their conclusion it will be moved that the debate be adjourned to the next meeting when the Officials will reply to points raised in the debate.
THE VICE-CHAIRMAN seconded.
MR. A. de O. SALES:-Sir, I rise to open, for the Unofficial Members, this Council's Annual Debate. As I did so, Sir, I noticed that you shifted somewhat uneasily in your chair, whereupon I was inspired to lift my heart and mind in a silent prayer: 'may the gods long preserve our Chairman in his post.' (Applause and Laughter). The Chairman seemed to say to himself, thinking aloud as it were: 'those Councillors whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.' Prophetically?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
387
I wonder, Sir, whether the stage has not been reached when this Council should take another step forward. The annual motion could well be proposed by an Unofficial Member and seconded by another, in the order in which each side draws lots to speak. There would be the consolation for the Chairman that he would not then have to bat against all bowlers, apart from other cogent reasons for such a change of procedure.
Last year I spoke, as did my colleagues, about the need to broaden the scope of the Urban Council to keep pace with the growth of Hong Kong in recent years and also to afford people who live here a greater role in the administration of their own affairs. No headway has been made since then. I also advocated that chairmen of Government boards and committees should be members of the public, and not directors of departments as they are to a great extent to-day. I put forward my reasons which have not been gainsaid by Government- hence, the majestic silence, hardly golden. I suspect much behind-the- scenes resistance to the progressive replacement of civil servants by civic leaders. But it is always wiser for a government to take the initiative in such matters. To-day, Government functions through the heads of departments, thus keeping to itself and its functionaries virtually all the powers which should rightly be exercised at least partly by the public. It is clearly wrong that the formulation of policies, which directly touch upon the lives of so many hundreds of thousands of people, should be the prerogative of a small group of functionaries. Public confidence would be greatly inspired by the presence of civic leaders of proven integrity and ability in the supervision of public affairs. Moreover, I suggest that it is in the general interest for a close examination to be made as to how decentralization of power and delegation of authority can be made with propriety, thus giving effect to the principle of subsidiarity which in our peculiar circumstances could be followed with advantage. May consideration be given by Govern- ment to the setting up of an independently constituted committee of inquiry to determine how this purpose can best be achieved and which boards and committees should have their departmental chairman replaced for the good of the public. Let me say that it is purely on principle that I speak and clearly not of personalities.
Mr. Chairman, while I am recognizant of the good work which members of your Department and other departments associated with the Urban Council carry out and I do not hesitate to commend them for it, nevertheless I would not be honest if I were not to say that there is a measure of uneasiness on my part, and that of some of my colleagues, that full and unstinted support is not given to the policies which are framed by the Council directly or through its select committees. There can be no justification for any civil servant to resist the wishes of any public committee, or undermine its position by not taking prompt
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