1965 — Page 303

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584

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Whole. I now request, unless there is a very strong objection, which I hope will not be forthcoming from any members, that we recess and refresh ourselves, and then we consider this in Committee of the Whole.

(A brief recess was held at this point. The Director of Public Works left the meeting during recess)

THE CHAIRMAN moved:-

MOTIONS.

That the Council do resolve itself into Committee of the Whole to consider under Standing Order 10(1) the motion standing in the name of Mr. H. CHEONG-LEEN and the motion standing in the name of Mrs. E. ELLIOTT as Items 4(1) and 4(2) on the order of business.

THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES seconded.

Motion carried unanimously.

Council then went into Committee.

Council resumed.

CHAIRMAN:-Council in Committee of the Whole has given sanction to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN to move the motion under Item 4(1) of the Order Paper, and has decided that the motion which is in the name of Mrs. ELLIOTT, Item 4(2) should be deferred for consideration at the next meeting of this Council, when Council will again consider it as Committee of the Whole with Mrs. ELLIOTT present.

(1)

MR. H. CHEONG-LEEN moved the following motion:-

This Council urges Government to request the Colonial Office to give serious consideration to the future scope and status of this Council.

He said: The motion before this Council is that:

"This Council urges Government to request the Colonial Office to give serious consideration to the future scope and status of this Council."

The moving of this motion happens to coincide with the arrival of a distinguished visitor, Mrs. Eirene WHITE, M.P., Undersecretary of State for the Colonies. (Laughter).

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

585

As a Hong Kong resident and as an Urban Councillor, I warmly welcome Mrs. WHITE to Hong Kong. I am sure that during the debate other Councillors will be expressing similar sentiments, though perhaps in different words.

Mrs. WHITE arrives at a time when there is a clear and positive indication that a large section of the community want to have some form of constitutional advance in Hong Kong.

Some of the English-language newspapers may have different points of view on this subject. The Chinese language newspapers on the other hand are generally more in favour of progressive political change.

I propose to restate the position of the Hongkong Civic Association:

The elected members of the Civic Association have consistently advocated an expansion of the scope of the Urban Council to include education, medical services, and social welfare.

The Urban Council is the only constitutional body on which there are elected members. As such, it is the barest expression of representative Government in Hong Kong.

In all likelihood, the size of the Urban Council franchise will be widened. Is it then not reasonable to expect that the scope of the Urban Council should be widened as well?

The time is ripe to consider increasing the number of elected members, and perhaps the opportunity will soon present itself for the appointed members to realize their fondest wish, that is, to form their own political party. Or perhaps they might wish to run on the ticket of the Civic Association or the Reform Club?

During the Annual Conventional Debate last month, Mr. K. S. Lo, an Appointed Member, stated that he was in favour of an entirely elected Urban Council and to bear out his sincerity, I notice he was gallant enough to sit on the elected side at the beginning of this Council meeting.

Mr. A. de O. SALES, the Senior Appointed Member, has proposed that the Chairman of the Urban Council should not concurrently be Director of Urban Services, and that the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council should be an Unofficial member.

Judging from the views which have been expressed by these two Appointed Urban Councillors, there would appear to be some substance to the rumour prevalent among senior Civil Servants that Appointed Members are more radical than elected members.

Whether this is true or not, I would nevertheless urge that the opinions of these Appointed Urban Councillors be seriously considered both by the Hong Kong Government and by the Colonial Office.

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