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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Since it is my job, as an Urban Councillor and a member of the Reform Club, to criticize the Government (Laughter) with a view to bringing about improvements in the interest of the community, I should stop short here expounding my views on the discourteous members of the public. Instead, I should return to the civil servants.

In my view, I think the Government can do the following things to improve the attitude of Government servants towards the public:

(1) Every civil servant before entering the service should attend a

course on "How to serve the general public”.

(2) Officers disguising as ordinary citizens should visit Government departments regularly to check and observe the attitude and behaviour of civil servants.

(3) Campaigns should be launched for both civil servants and the general public at regular intervals to emphasize the importance of this subject. In this connexion posters and films should be produced to show the harm which a discourteous civil servant or a discourteous member of the public can cause to the relations between the Government and the people. I under- stand that films of this kind have been produced in the past, but I do not think, with respect, that the message has been effectively delivered. To show a courteous civil servant sit- ting in a spacious, air-conditioned and well-decorated office or to show a policeman kindly taking a young man across the road does not present a real picture of the situation. It tends to make the viewers wonder if the Government were trying to cover up its weakness. I would suggest, therefore, that in making films of this kind both sides of the coin should be presented including the courteous and discourteous attitude of the civil servants and the general public. Such presentation, together with suitable commentary, is likely to impress the viewers and produce the desired effect.

(4) Consideration should be given by the Government to the setting up of a committee consisting of members from both Govern- ment and non-Government sides for the purpose of receiving and examining complaints against the discourtesy displayed by civil servants towards members of the public. In this connexion, I should say that the ward system operated by Members of this Council is already performing part of the function of the proposed Committee. However, it is regrettable that its effec- tiveness has been curtailed by the lack of a strong supporting staff and insufficient publicity.

The committee, as I envisage, should investigate all letters of com- plaint including unsigned ones to which less weight will of course have

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to be given. A file should be kept of each individual case drawn to the attention of the committee by letters or through the correspondence columns in the newspapers particularly in Chinese newspapers. In the investigation of a complaint the benefit of doubt should always be given to the civil servant concerned and no reprimand or action of any kind should be recommended unless the complaint is proved beyond all reasonable doubt. However, the accumulation of accusations must be viewed as possible evidence and the officer concerned should be put under careful observation. The committee, if well received by the public, should also undertake to investigate complaints lodged by civil servants through heads of departments against the public. If the com- plaints are justified, the committee should make its findings known to the public in the hope that the latter could come to understand the difficulties faced by a civil servant or a Government department. It is appreciated that the committee cannot recommend action against a member of the public nor can it compensate for the unjustified treatment given to a civil servant. Admittedly, this is not a fair deal but is, I am afraid, one of the prices which a public servant must be prepared to pay in return for the respect from the community he serves.

I understand, Sir, that within the limitations of time I cannot further elaborate on my proposals. However, I hope that what I have delivered will be accepted by the public servants in good spirit and will not be taken as a malicious criticism of the civil service which is in many ways a fine one deserving credit and respect for the services it gives to our community. I also hope that my speech today will stimulate public interest in the subject and more frequent discussions on the ways and means whereby relations between the Government and the people can be further improved.

With these remarks I support the motion. (Applause).

MR. D. J. R. BLAKER:-Mr. Chairman. Hawkers. In view of my short service on this Council, there is little that I can contribute, by way of comment, on the matters falling within the scope of the Council.

I should, however, like to draw attention to one aspect of its business. This is the problem of hawking, which has gone, in recent months, from bad to worse. It is inevitable, with the distraction of the Police to other duties, that hawkers should spread without adequate control. But the general approach to the problem seems to me to be over much concerned with protecting the position of the hawker, and insufficiently concerned with solving the long-term problem of hawking as such.

For hawking remains a problem, and has become, in effect, the Sacred Cow of Hong Kong. It cannot be considered a desirable method