Page 182 of 259
338
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Urban Councillors should organize some scheme of social insurance and almost every speaker stressed the importance of bilingualism, Chinese to be made into an Official Language. Only the other day, I said that whilst we on the Urban Council have been handling this problem of simultaneous translation almost with gloved hands, another student forum held during the summer, had a reasonably good system of simultaneous translation throughout several days of speeches and of questions. The impression I gain from the young people today is that they are showing a sense of citizenship, that of belonging to Hong Kong which is essential for the future of Hong Kong. The future that lies in the youth of today; the youth must be regarded as an asset not as a problem and they must have an adequate say in the future of Hong Kong, now, and they must have adequate opportunities not only professionally but more particularly in the whole field of labour relations.
The Reform Club's attitude towards the present disturbances has always been one of fullest support for Government but, that does not mean to say that we should not criticize constructively, and we do criticize constructively where criticisms can produce results which improve the real prestige of the Government. Hong Kong will get over the present disturbances—but what about five or ten years' time. Then is the real testing ground not now, then will be the time when we shall know whether or not we have the support of the younger generation. I intend to live my life in Hong Kong, and therefore I stress that Government will be very hard pressed in the next five years to prove that it has the welfare of the younger generation at heart. And not only their welfare at heart but is actively taking steps to improve the lot of the young man and woman in the street, so that if these disturbances do break out again at that time the Government will be able to be assured of the full support of the people of Hong Kong.
Yes, the Reform Club has supported the Government when necessary. It has shown the Club stands for peace and stability but we can hardly support the atrocious terms of the Public Order Ordinance which was stampeded through the legislature in two weeks from the first reading although it has apparently been two years in preparation and which makes every gathering in a public place, including a restaurant, a public meeting that requires a police permit and anything said by anyone at that gathering that he should not have said may turn it into either an unlawful assembly or even a riot. I repeat that the Reform Club will do everything constitutionally possible to prevent this Ordinance going into the permanent statute book of Hong Kong. As to some unofficals of the Legislative Council saying that this Ordinance is only designed to meet the current disturbances; do they not appreciate the distinction between the bill that becomes an Ordinance and Emergency Regulations that are designed to meet this current emergency and will be, on the Governor's assurance, repealed directly the emergency is over. From the Attorney General's own speech this bill has been in preparation
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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long before the current disturbances, and if it becomes a permanent statute of Hong Kong it will go on long after the current disturbances are finished, giving the authorities almost complete power to make everyone a potential criminal. Is it fair to the man in the street, to the men who have given their whole-hearted support to the Government in these times of Emergency?
The same defects are to be found in the bill for giving the right of arrest to private citizens. This bill is in line with English Legislation, but an important proviso has been excluded from the Hong Kong Bill, namely, that crime must have been committed by someone. Why should Hong Kong have laws against public liberties so much stronger than in England. The Reform Club does not oppose Emergency Regulations, strong Emergency Regulations, it is only that this type of thing must not be made into permanent law. Again the Reform Club stresses the need to make Chinese an official language and the need for bills to be translated and published in Chinese before they are debated.
The Reform Club is under no delusion that the current disturbances were deliberate or, at least, that some irresponsible elements were waiting to take advantage of the next labour dispute when they knew that it was the custom in Hong Kong at an early stage usually to bring the Police into a labour dispute, which the majority of the workers interpret, sometimes wrongly, as the Government helping the employers. Therefore, I say the Reform Club is under no delusion that the current disturbances were not spontaneous. But it still shows the need for a complete revision of the whole issue of labour management, relationship and position, in Hong Kong. There must be set up as an urgent necessity, labour exchanges and the encouragement of neutral trade unions, in other words, trade unions without any connexions with the world outside Hong Kong. If it is too late for that then the formation of a completely new system where the wishes of the workers are advanced by certain senior Government Officials who truly believe in these wishes which they are advocating and truly believe and work for the principles of getting a fair deal for the workers. The Secretariat for Chinese Affairs should set up a separate Sub-Department in this connexion.
The Government must also plan ahead long term. There should be a date fixed for the introduction of compulsory free primary education; there should be a project aimed at the extension of middle school facilities; and of technical school facilities, to meet Hong Kong's growing young population; there should be a long term programme of medical reforms, more hospitals, more out-patients departments; legislation providing for sick benefits; proper working hours with at least the same salary as is to be obtained from having to work more than a forty hour week, otherwise poor legislation is just window dressing. And with it all, there should be some system of giving a dole to out of work persons and old age pensions so that no family need fear not knowing when
Page 183 of 259
of 259
Page 182 of 259
338
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Urban Councillors should organize some scheme of social insurance and almost every speaker stressed the importance of bilingualism, Chinese to be made into an Official Language. Only the other day, I said that whilst we on the Urban Council have been handling this problem of simultaneous translation almost with gloved hands, another student forum held during the summer, had a reasonably good system of simul- taneous translation throughout several days of speeches and of questions. The impression I gain from the young people today is that they are showing a sense of citizenship, that of belonging to Hong Kong which is essential for the future of Hong Kong. The future that lies in the youth of today; the youth must be regarded as an asset not as a problem and they must have an adequate say in the future of Hong Kong, now, and they must have adequate opportunities not only professionally but more particularly in the whole field of labour relations.
The Reform Club's attitude towards the present disturbances has always been one of fullest support for Government but, that does not mean to say that we should not criticize constructively, and we do criticize constructively where criticisms can produce results which im- prove the real prestige of the Government. Hong Kong will get over the present disturbances—but what about five or ten years' time. Then is the real testing ground not now, then will be the time when we shall know whether or not we have the support of the younger generation. I intend to live my life in Hong Kong, and therefore I stress that Govern- ment will be very hard pressed in the next five years to prove that it has the welfare of the younger generation at heart. And not only their welfare at heart but is actively taking steps to improve the lot of the young man and woman in the street, so that if these disturbances do break out again at that time the Government will be able to be assured of the full support of the people of Hong Kong.
Yes, the Reform Club has supported the Government when neces- sary. It has shown the Club stands for peace and stability but we can hardly support the atrocious terms of the Public Order Ordinance which was stampeded through the legislature in two weeks from the first read- ing although it has apparently been two years in preparation and which makes every gathering in a public place, including a restaurant, a public meeting that requires a police permit and anything said by anyone at that gathering that he should not have said may turn it into either an unlawful assembly or even a riot. I repeat that the Reform Club will do everything constitutionally possible to prevent this Ordinance going into the permanent statute book of Hong Kong. As to some unofficials of the Legislative Council saying that this Ordinance is only designed to meet the current disturbances; do they not appreciate the distinction between the bill that becomes an Ordinance and Emergency Regulations that are designed to meet this current emergency and will be, on the Governor's assurance, repealled directly the emergency is over. From the Attorney General's own speech this bill has been in preparation
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
339
long before the current disturbances, and if it becomes a permanent statute of Hong Kong it will go on long after the current disturbances are finished, giving the authorities almost complete power to make every- one a potential criminal. Is it fair to the man in the street, to the men who have given their whole hearted support to the Government in these times of Emergency?
The same defects are to be found in the bill for giving the right of arrest to private citizens. This bill is in line with English Legislation, but an important proviso has been excluded from the Hong Kong Bill, namely, that crime must have been committed by someone. Why should Hong Kong have laws against public liberties so much stronger than in England. The Reform Club does not oppose Emergency Regulations, strong Emergency Regulations, it is only that this type of thing must not be made into permanent law. Again the Reform Club stresses the need to make Chinese an official language and the need for bills to be translated and published in Chinese before they are debated.
The Reform Club is under no delusion that the current disturbances were deliberate or, at least, that some irresponsible elements were wait- ing to take advantage of the next labour dispute when they knew that it was the custom in Hong Kong at an early stage usually to bring the Police into a labour dispute, which the majority of the workers inter- pret, sometimes wrongly, as the Government helping the employers. Therefore, I say the Reform Club is under no delusion that the current disturbances were not spontaneous. But it still shows the need for a complete revision of the whole issue of labour management, relationship and position, in Hong Kong. There must be set up as an urgent neces- sity, labour exchanges and the encouragement of neutral trade unions, in other words, trade unions without any connexions with the world out- side Hong Kong. If it is too late for that then the formation of a completely new system where the wishes of the workers are advanced by certain senior Government Officials who truly believe in these wishes which they are advocating and truly believe and work for the principles of getting a fair deal for the workers. The Secretariat for Chinese Affairs should set up a separate Sub-Department in this connexion.
The Government must also plan ahead long term. There should be a date fixed for the introduction of compulsory free primary educa- tion; there should be a project aimed at the extension of middle school facilities; and of technical school facilities, to meet Hong Kong's growing young population; there should be a long term programme of medical reforms, more hospitals, more out-patients departments; legislation pro- viding for sick benefits; proper working hours with at least the same salary as is to be obtained from having to work more than a forty hour week, otherwise poor legislation is just window dressing. And with it all, there should be some system of giving a dole to out of work persons and old age pensions so that no family need fear not knowing when
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