1965 — Page 52

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

I have asked the Secretary, Urban Council to divide the Urban Areas into 20 districts. The questions of visits and seeing the public are details which can be worked out by the Councillors concerned, and will be determined by the needs of the district. As this is democracy in the best sense of the word, I see no valid objection against it.

With these observations, Mr. Chairman, I now move the motion that stands in my name.

MR. WILFRED S. B. WONG:-Mr. Chairman, Dr. Raymond LEE has proposed that this Council should adopt a ward system for Hong Kong and Kowloon and that each ward should be represented by an Urban Councillor. He has spoken eloquently of the need and if I may paraphrase a saying "logical minds run in the same channel". On 5th April, 1960 I spoke in this Council and I quote: "Hong Kong is growing at such a phenomenal rate that eventually some kind of decentralization in organization may be necessary for the sake of efficiency. For the time being I venture to suggest that each member of the Council may consider specializing in the affairs of a different district or ward in collaboration with such organization as the Kaifong. This step will bring the problems of each district closer to the attention of Council and the Council in turn will heed the needs of the district more readily."

It is a trend nowadays in Government and business administration to go increasingly towards specialization. It is only through specialization of the problem that one could render intelligent assistance without waste of valuable time of the Members of the Council. I am sure that the decentralization of this Council, somewhat in the nature of a delegated member as it relates to the relevant Select Committees and the specialization of each Member in certain districts or wards, would improve the efficacy of representation and, consequently, efficiency in administration. Furthermore, personal experience and personal touch would be an asset in the affairs of this Council. A certain member would be more familiar with prevailing winds in Aberdeen; another with rocks on the beaches on the south side of the Island; another with recreational grounds in Kowloon; another member would like to represent a district where 40,000 housewives have to go to the markets everyday without protection from the scorching sun or drizzling rain, etc., etc. Citizens could take their problems to the Councillor of the ward or district for solution. I do not think that it is intended at the present time to have each district elect a Councillor or to have a Councillor appointed to represent a district. The representation as I take it is that each Councillor with the approval of this Council becomes attached at least to one district or ward.

Mr. Chairman, I have much pleasure in seconding this proposal.

MR. B. A. BERNACCHI:-Mr. Chairman, although I agree with Dr. LEE that this motion is certainly not an election gimmick, nevertheless,

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this motion is basically a Reform Club one. (Laughter). I would refer, Sir, to the Reform Club platform which I laid on the table at the last meeting under the heading "Urban Council and Services" decentralization:

"We advocate decentralization by areas. Urban Hong Kong is now too big a city to be run from the Central Government Offices".

Indeed, several of the Reform Club members, including myself, had made mention of a ward system at various times during the past years. I say frankly that this will help to obtain the Reform Club's object of a fully elected municipal council, apart from certain essential official members, although meanwhile appointed unofficials could indeed be assigned to particular districts which they could interest themselves especially in.

We already have the system of visiting members for Resettlement Estates. I can speak from personal experience as visiting member for Chai Wan that I have come to know of the particular problems of the people of Chai Wan far more than if I and all the other Members only looked after all the resettlement estates by sitting in this Chamber on the Management or Policy Select Committees. A criticism has been levied that this motion, if adopted by this Council and by Government, would result in the creation of little tin gods, i.e., Elected Members (or even on my suggestion the Appointed Members also for the time being) in any particular district regarding themselves as kings (or queens) (Laughter) of those districts. Mr. Chairman, if ever an elected or appointed member regards himself or herself in that way, the whole future of constitutional reform would inevitably collapse, and I for one should go over to the side of high Tory Conservatives. It is essential that Members of this Council should always regard themselves as the servants as well as the representatives of the people of Hong Kong; should always be willing to assist them, and most essentially not appear to be doing them a favour; but should regard himself or herself as under a duty to render such service on accepting nomination or appointment to this Council. They should indeed be careful not to accept gifts as a prerequisite of rendering service to the people of Hong Kong. Corruption starts sometimes at this level and goes on to accepting, sometimes, tens of thousands of dollars.

With these words and with complete confidence in the honesty and integrity of my fellow Councillors, I support this motion as being a big step forward in the constitutional development of Hong Kong. After all, even an M.P. in the United Kingdom, where there is universal suffrage, usually represents a few thousand persons because the M.P.s are elected by districts. It is utterly impossible for us adequately to represent the 4 million inhabitants of Hong Kong unless a ward system is introduced as a first step to decentralization of the Government.

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