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ciple, then this Motion should be supported by all the speakers before me, and we should leave the detail to the various committees to be considered. I just want to make that point alone, Mr. Chairman, and I would urge the speakers to support the Motion in principle. This is only a principle. No detail was ever mentioned in Mr. BERNACCHI'S Motion. Therefore I urge your support.
DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, in support of this Motion may quote Singapore? Singapore is a multi-racial city with four different official languages. So, in this case, I do not see why Hong Kong, with 98% or more of its population Chinese, it cannot use Chinese as one of the official languages. Now, I agree fully that an actual translation is most important and, unfortunately, the Chinese translation we have now for a number of Government publications is rather poor. For instance, when we get a traffic ticket in the street. I am 100% Chinese, I have received a 100% Chinese education, and it is much easier for me to read the ticket in English rather than in Chinese. So, I think, to solve this problem why not let six or seven of the boys from the Chinese University do the translation. I think they would be very glad to offer their services, at least for the first few months or even the first few years. For all official translations we should try to get help from the Chinese University, because I am pretty sure the Chinese University would like to see the Chinese language being used as one of the official languages. So, with this I have just to say that I wish to support the Motion.
CHAIRMAN:-Ladies and gentlemen, I have only a few remarks to make. I imagine that no Urban Councillor could vote against any proposal which is intended to keep the public better informed of the Council's activities. However, I am not sure that this motion, if adopted, would achieve such an object.
The proceedings of the Council are reported fairly fully in the English language newspapers, and I believe more fully in the Chinese press. By the time the Official Record is produced it is, I would suggest, of little further news or interest value to members of the public. As a record on which to take action, it is, of course essential, but this need only be in English, English being the official language of the Council.
I note that the proposer and seconder of the motion have not produced evidence of a demand for a Chinese translation of our Record of Proceedings some two months after the event. I therefore support the Motion to refer the subject of debate to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council where pros and cons can be discussed and studied in detail.
MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, I cannot speak any more? (Laughter),
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MR. BERNACCHI:-A lot of members have raised this question of inaccuracy of translation. I am sure that the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs will assist in this matter, and although he is not here to-day, Mr. Paul TSUI is a Chinese scholar of the first order. It need not entirely rest on our own staff, although some members of our staff are undoubtedly also extremely capable. If more staff is required, it should be obtained, because this will, as I said in my speech on the motion, bridge a gap. This gap which exists because the proceedings of the Council are conducted in English and the majority of the Chinese speak Chinese and the majority of the population of Hong Kong are of Chinese race. Again, Members' speeches are mainly translated by their own efforts or means.
MR. Wilson WANG talked of the bi-lingual system. The students forum on leadership the other day had simultaneous bi-lingual translation, but what did this Council do, it referred it to a Select Committee. It carried out tests and because the tests were not 100% perfect, it did nothing more. The students are more go-ahead than this Council. As for the point that the Council's official report would be delayed for a month or even six weeks, I submit that it still would be read by students, young people in their early twenties that take an interest in the proceedings of Government and what is going on around them, but it will not be read if it is just in English. There is only one English copy in the City Hall Library, and at present, I might say, I think it is one copy at the end of the year of the year's proceedings. With those remarks I invite members to vote against referring it again to a Select Committee, which means, in effect, silently dropping it. Either vote for it or vote against it, but let us dispose of the motion, which as Mr. Henry Hu so ably says is a motion on principle. Either you are for or you are against this Motion. If you are for it, then vote for it and it can be referred then to a Select Committee to implement it. If you are against it, then vote against it and have done with it. But do not sit smugly referring it to a Select Committee and then dropping it, not in the public eye, but privately.
CHAIRMAN:-Ladies and gentlemen, I will now call for a vote. The vote is on Mr. Wilfred WONG's amendment, under Standing Order 10(17)(j), that the subject of debate be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council.
The question was put.
The motion that the subject of debate be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council was carried with 16 votes for, 5 against and 1 abstention.
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point).
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ciple, then this Motion should be supported by all the speakers before me, and we should leave the detail to the various committees to be considered. I just want to make that point alone, Mr. Chairman, and I would urge the speakers to support the Motion in principle. This is only a principle. No detail was ever mentioned in Mr. BERNACCHI'S Motion. Therefore I urge your support.
I
DR. HUANG:-Mr. Chairman, in support of this Motion may quote Singapore? Singapore is a multi-racial city with four different official languages. So, in this case, I do not see why Hong Kong, with 98% or more of its population Chinese, it cannot use Chinese as one of the official languages. Now, I agree fully that an actual trans- lation is most important and, unfortunately, the Chinese translation we have now for a number of Government publications is rather poor. For instance, when we get a traffic ticket in the street. I am 100% Chinese, I have received a 100% Chinese education, and it is much easier for me to read the ticket in English rather than in Chinese. So, I think, to solve this problem why not let six or seven of the boys from the Chinese University do the translation. I think they would be very glad to offer their services, at least for the first few months or even the first few years. For all official translations we should try to get help from the Chinese University, because I am pretty sure the Chinese University would like to see the Chinese language being used as one of the official languages. So, with this I have just to say that I wish to support the Motion.
CHAIRMAN:-Ladies and gentlemen, I have only a few remarks to make. I imagine that no Urban Councillor could vote against any proposal which is intended to keep the public better informed of the Council's activities. However, I am not sure that this motion, if adopted, would achieve such an object.
The proceedings of the Council are reported fairly fully in the English language newspapers, and I believe more fully in the Chinese press. By the time the Official Record is produced it is, I would sug- gest, of little further news or interest value to members of the public. As a record on which to take action, it is, of course essential, but this need only be in English, English being the official language of the Council.
I note that the proposer and seconder of the motion have not produced evidence of a demand for a Chinese translation of our Record of Proceedings some two months after the event. I therefore support the Motion to refer the subject of debate to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council where pros and cons can be discussed and studied in detail.
MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, I cannot speak any more? (Laughter),
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203
MR. BERNACCHI:-A lot of members have raised this question of inaccuracy of translation. I am sure that the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs will assist in this matter, and although he is not here to-day, Mr. Paul TSUI is a Chinese scholar of the first order. It need not entirely rest on our own staff, although some members of our staff are undoubtedly also extremely capable. If more staff is required, it should be obtained, because this will, as I said in my speech on the motion, bridge a gap. This gap which exists because the proceedings of the Council are conducted in English and the majority of the Chinese speak Chinese and the majority of the population of Hong Kong are of Chinese race. Again, Members' speeches are mainly translated by their own efforts or means.
MR. Wilson WANG talked of the bi-lingual system. The students forum on leadership the other day had simultaneous bi-lingual transla- tion, but what did this Council do, it referred it to a Select Committee. It carried out tests and because the tests were not 100% perfect, it did nothing more. The students are more go-ahead than this Council. As for the point that the Council's official report would be delayed for a month or even six weeks, I submit that it still would be read by students, young people in their early twenties that take an interest in the proceed- ings of Government and what is going on around them, but it will not be read if it is just in English. There is only one English copy in the City Hall Library, and at present, I might say, I think it is one copy at the end of the year of the year's proceedings. With those remarks I invite members to vote against referring it again to a Select Committee, which means, in effect, silently dropping it. Either vote for it or vote against it, but let us dispose of the motion, which as Mr. Henry Hu so ably says is a motion on principle. Either you are for or you are against this Motion. If you are for it, then vote for it and it can be referred then to a Select Committee to implement it. If you are against it, then vote against it and have done with it. But do not sit smugly referring it to a Select Committee and then dropping it, not in the public eye, but privately.
CHAIRMAN:-Ladies and gentlemen, I will now call for a vote. The vote is on Mr. Wilfred WONG's amendment, under Standing Order 10(17)(j), that the subject of debate be referred to the Standing Com- mittee of the Whole Council.
The question was put.
The motion that the subject of debate be referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole Council was carried with 16 votes for, 5 against and 1 abstention.
(Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG left the meeting at this point).
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