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inherent qualities of peace-loving and forbearance of our people, and vigilance against exploitation by extraneous forces has proven to be of necessity.
We have been told that the City District Offices set up during the last few months are designed to provide co-ordination of efforts among Government departments, and to promote understanding between government and the people. Government apparently spared little effort in organizing and siting the C.D.O. offices on easily accessible ground floors of busy thoroughfares, and in selecting well-groomed and promising indigenous officers to staff them. This is very commendable and whilst there has been criticism expressed as to the vagueness and wide-scope of work and responsibility of the C.D.O.s, raising speculation as to their effectiveness, I do feel that it would be premature indeed to pass judgement at this moment. Instead, I would feel that there is at least one very useful and important type of work that the C.D.O. can contribute to, in spite of what I understand to be the manifested aim of the C.D.O. to collect and transmit, both ways, general opinion between government and the people, in preference to cases of an individual nature. I refer to a close co-operation between C.D.O.s and Urban Councillors and the location of ward offices in C.D.O. premises.
Of my experience thus far as an Urban Councillor, I have found that at the ward to be very interesting, and I might say, very educational to myself. I have of course had the benefit of working with an experienced Councillor Mrs. ELLIOTT, who recently so kindly praised my enthusiasm, only to have that misquoted by the press as belonging to an elected member.
I am sure my appointed colleagues would like me to refute the misconceived idea that Appointed Urban Councillors are responsible to Government, and I here do, if only because they contribute constructive criticism to Government and in the light of information available to them, help to explain government's position to the people.
I must however concede to Mrs. ELLIOTT for her attraction of clients. We have from 15 to as many as 30 cases every Wednesday, and work from 5 to as late as 9.00 p.m. with 8 p.m. as being average, which, including travelling time means 5 to 6 hours. I understand that the clerk in the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate Office who helps us is working on a voluntary basis without overtime pay, and I must express our appreciation of his assistance. In addition, Mrs. ELLIOTT also attends to many cases in her own Lo Fu Ngam office.
People come from all over the Colony, as far away as from the New Territories, and not all the problems concern Urban Council work, although quite a few have to do with overcrowding, or failure to get resettlement, in Estates, which latter cases are normally easily dispensed of or referred to the appropriate officer in accordance with the improving policies governing management of the resettlement estates. It is those cases involving complaints of grievances or injustice, corruption, poverty, misguided youths and family quarrels that take time to handle.
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In many cases, our appeal on their behalf to the senior officers of the departments concerned resulted in immediate action of assistance and accommodation, and it is most comforting to know that people do care, and to see smiling faces coming to express gratitude. At the same time, we also received bureaucratic, evasive, and unnecessarily defensive replies which would lead one to think of the alleged indifference and red-tape, and perhaps even abuse, accorded citizens.
It is in this regard that I feel that the U.C. ward system, assisted by the C.D.O.s, can be of immense help to both government and the people. I have called attention by describing our ward activities, as I feel that this deserves to be better known by people. Indeed, I am not aware that an official Chinese translation exists for the name Ward Office, and I venture to suggest we call it (ERMA).
As mentioned earlier, ward offices only had voluntary help, and opened once-a-week part-time. With the excellent accessibility of the C.D.O. premises, I am wondering if the S.C.A. would agree to allocate a small room and to detail one or two staffers to work full-time for the ward councillors in taking statements, helping investigate cases, making appointments in addition to the Councillors' scheduled visits, and handling clerical work.
Approachable as the C.D.O.s appear, I like to think that since Unofficial Urban Councillors, appointed or elected, are not responsible to government and therefore would have the confidence of the people and the respect of government department chiefs, to whom the Councillors may, where necessary, address direct. No conscientious and responsible government servant should deprecate or have reasons to doubt the good-will of the Councillors who bring to their attention matters that may indicate any alleged deficiency or anomaly, as seen at the receiving end by the public, of their own or their departments' work. In the absence of M.P.s, Parliamentary Commissioner or a form of Ombudsman, this may develop to be a sound basis for redressing grievances and injustice or simply letting off steam, curbing irregularities, reflecting on the wisdom of government policies and regulations at the grass-root level, thus really bridging the "gap" which I understand a former Hong Kong Governor Sir Hercules ROBINSON a 100 years ago, had the wisdom to determine and ensure that it must not exist between government and the local people.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
inherent qualities of peace-loving and forbearance of our people, and vigilance against exploitation by extraneous forces has proven to be of necessity.
We have been told that the City District Offices set up during the last few months are designed to provide co-ordination of efforts among Government departments, and to promote understanding between govern- ment and the people. Government apparently spared little effort in organizing and siting the C.D.O. offices on easily accessible ground floors of busy thoroughfares, and in selecting well-groomed and promis- ing indigenous officers to staff them. This is very commendable and whilst there has been critisim expressed as to the vagueness and wide- scope of work and responsibility of the C.D.O.s, raising speculation as to their effectiveness, I do feel that it would be premature indeed to pass judgement at this moment. Instead, I would feel that there is at least one very useful and important type of work that the C.D.O. can contribute to, in spite of what I understand to be the manifested aim of the C.D.O. to collect and transmit, both ways, general opinion between government and the people, in preference to cases of an indivi- dual nature. I refer to a close co-operation between C.D.O.s and Urban Councillors and the location of ward offices in C.D.O. premises.
Of my experience thus far as an Urban Councillor, I have found that at the ward to be very interesting, and I might say, very educa- tional to myself. I have of course had the benefit of working with an experienced Councillor Mrs. ELLIOTT, who recently so kindly praised my enthusiasm, only to have that misquoted by the press as belonging to an elected member.
I am sure my appointed colleagues would like me to refute the misconceived idea that Appointed Urban Councillors are responsible to Government, and I here do, if only because they contribute constructive critism to Government and in the light of information available to them, help to explain government's position to the people.
I must however concede to Mrs. ELLIOTT for her attraction of clients. We have from 15 to as many as 30 cases every Wednesday, and work from 5 to as late as 9.00 p.m. with 8 p.m. as being average, which, including travelling time means 5 to 6 hours. I understand that the clerk in the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate Office who helps us is working on an voluntary basis without overtime pay, and I must express our appreciation of his assistance. In addition, Mrs. ELLIOTT also attends to many cases in her own Lo Fu Ngam office.
People come from all over the Colony, as far away as from the New Territories, and not all the problems concern Urban Council work, although quite a few have to do with overcrowding, or failure to get
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
307
resettlement, in Estates, which latter cases are normally easily dispensed of or referred to the appropriate officer in accordance to the improving policies governing management of the resettlement estates. It is those cases involving complaints of grievances or injustice, corruption, poverty, misguided youths and family quarrels that take time to handle.
In many cases, our appeal on their behalf to the senior officers of the departments concerned resulted in immediate action of assistance and accommodation, and it is most comforting to know that people do care, and to see smiling faces coming to express gratitude. At the same time, we also received bureaucratic, evasive, and unnessarily defensive replies which would lead one to think of the alleged indifference and red-tape, and perhaps even abuse, accorded citizens.
It is in this regard that I feel that the U.C. ward system, assisted by the C.D.O.s, can be of immense help to both government and the people. I have called attention by describing our ward activities, as I feel that this deserves to be better known by people. Indeed, I am not aware that an official Chinese translation exists for the name Ward Office, and I venture to suggest we call it (ERMA).
As mentioned earlier, ward offices only had voluntary help, and opened once-a-week part time. With the excellent accessibility of the C.D.O. premises, I am wondering if the S.C.A. would agree to allocate a small room and to detail one or two staffers to work full time for the ward councillors in taking statements, helping investigate cases, making appointments in addition to the Councillors scheduled visits, and handling clerical work.
Approachable as the C.D.O.s appear, I like to think that since Unofficial Urban Councillors, appointed or elected, are not responsible to government and therefore would have the confidence of the people and the respect of government department chiefs, to whom the Council- lors may, where necessary, address direct. No conscientious and responsible government servant should deprecate or have reasons to doubt the good-will of the Councillors who bring to their attention matters that may indicate any alleged deficiency or anomaly, as seen at the receiving end by the public, of their own or their departments' work. In the absence of M.P.s, Parliamentary Commissioner or a form of Ombudsman, this may develop to be a sound basis for redressing grievances and injustice or simply letting off steam, curbing irregulari- ties, reflecting on the wisdom of government policies and regulations at the grass-root level, thus really bridging the "gap" which I understand a former Hong Kong Governor Sir Hercules ROBINSON a 100 years ago, had the wisdom to determine and ensure that it must not exist between government and the local people.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.