Page 177 of 237
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Just because of this 2 minutes interview in a cafe or restaurant, a young man will be regarded by the law as a criminal for the rest of his life, even if he has not done anything wrong, nor intends to do any wrong.
This has been a subject people normally prefer not to talk about. At least the Government should think of a way to help those misguided young people who have subsequently learned that they have fallen into a trap and genuinely want to get out.
I would venture to suggest that a person who informs the authority of his recent enrollment, within a period of say six months, should be given a chance of not being treated as a criminal if he gives the authority information about the recruiting officer who is a potential menace to the community. This may also deter those potential recruiting officers from endeavouring to recruit, because something might happen to them within the next 6 months.
It is my fear that if nothing is done along these lines, young triad members will be on the increase. Our young people of today do not have much recollection of what happened in October 1956 when there was a riot in which triad members were alleged to be deeply involved.
There has been sufficient talk about the information gap between the Government and the people. I am going to talk about the gap between the policy making body and those that apply the policy in the field.
In performing my duties as a ward councillor, I have come across many cases which spring from this gap.
Sometimes I wonder how long it takes the field staff to understand and apply the decisions of the policy making body.
Let us take one example, the rules about decantation in Resettlement should be known to all resettlement assistants discharging the duties of area officers, yet tenants in the resettlement estates have come to my ward office to get advice on whether they are entitled to decantation either internally or externally. Sometimes they come because they see that others have been decantated and can't get the appropriate advice from the Area Officers. It is only when these field officers are adequately aware of the policy, and under strict instructions to advise tenants, that we can expect to close the information gap between the Government and the people.
A member of the public is not always happy to be informed that he is not qualified for certain things because of policy, without being informed of the policy even in general terms. This kind of situation happens more frequently in immigration cases which are normally more complex and there is even less information available to Ward Councillors who receive such cases in their ward offices. On the 8th of October, the Hon. Colonial Secretary revealed in the Legislative Council that there is going to be changes in the reorganization of the Immigration Department. Let us hope that the changes will take place very soon.
Since I became a member of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee, I have formed the impression that both the Public Works Department and the Fire Services could and should consider seriously whether their field officers know enough, or have tried hard enough to help applicants, to understand their policy in order to avoid unnecessary delays in obtaining a licence. There is certainly room for improvement here.
As we are on our way to solve the Hawker problem with the blessing and co-operation of other Departments outside the jurisdiction of this Council and have seen some measure of success already, let us look at our Hawker Control Force again. A starting salary of $313 is too small to attract candidates of high calibre for the force. The non-existence of quarters, and other benefits, has to be considered as one of the valid reasons for so many of them not wanting to stay in the force permanently. If we want to have a larger and more effective disciplined force to enforce our Hawker Policy, we must consider these two points seriously and as quickly as possible.
The time has come for us to look at our post-secondary education seriously in the light of the world-wide movement in this field.
With the improved means of communications, we can no longer shut the post-secondary students in their ivory tower. In some better established institutions here, students have got their say in certain aspects of the administration of their respective institutions already. I am unhappy to say that this is not so in many others.
According to my information, two of our Government Colleges of Education have been discouraging student movements of any form. I would say that this is a rather unwise attitude, particularly as our student leaders will be playing host to student leaders from many parts of S.E. Asia in a conference to take place here next year. Whatever the Government can do to help our student leaders to take their leading role in this conference will help them to realize more that they really belong to Hong Kong, which has its appropriate rank and place in S.E. Asia in many respects.
331
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 178 of 237
I
11
Page 177 of 237
330
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Just because of this 2 minutes interview in a cafe or restaurant, a young man will be regarded by the law as a criminal for the rest of his life, even if he has not done anything wrong, nor intends to do
any wrong.
This has been a subject people normally prefer not to talk about. At least the Government should think of a way to help those misguided young people who have subsequently learned that they have fallen into a trap and genuinely want to get out.
I would venture to suggest that a person who informs the authority of his recent enrollment, within a period of say six months, should be given a chance of not being treated as a criminal if he gives the authority information about the recruiting officer who is a potential menace to the community. This may also deter those potential recruiting officers from endeavouring to recruit, because something might happen to them within the next 6 months.
It is my fear that if nothing is done along these lines, young triad members will be on the increase. Our young people of today do not have much recollection of what happened in October 1956 when there was a riot in which triad members were alleged to be deeply involved.
There has been sufficient talk about the information gap between the Government and the people. I am going to talk about the gap between the policy making body and those that apply the policy in the field.
In performing my duties as a ward counciller, I have come across many cases which spring from this gap.
Sometimes I wonder how long it takes the field staff to understand and apply the decisions of the policy making body.
Let us take one example, the rules about decantation in Resettle- ment should be known to all resettlement assistants discharging the duties of area officers, yet tenants in the resettlement estates have come to my ward office to get advice on whether they are entitled to decantation either internally or externally. Sometimes they come because they see that others have been decantated and can't get the appropriate advice from the Area Officers. It is only when these field officers are adequately aware of the policy, and under strict instructions to advise tenants, that we can expect to close the information gap between the Government and the people.
A member of the public is not always happy to be informed that he is not qualified for certain things because of policy, without being informed of the policy even in general terms. This kind of situation
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
331
happens more frequently in immigration cases which are normally more complex and there is even less information available to Ward Councillors who receive such cases in their ward offices. On the 8th of October, the Hon. Colonial Secretary revealed in the Legislative Council that there is going to be changes in the reorganization of the Immigration Department. Let us hope that the changes will take place
very soon.
Since I became a member of the Food and Food Premises Select Committee, I have formed the impression that both the Public Works Department and the Fire Services could and should consider seriously whether their field officers know enough, or have tried hard enough to help applicants, to understand their policy in order to avoid un- necessary delays in obtaining a licence. There is certainly room for improvement here.
As we are on our way to solve the Hawker problem with the blessing and co-operation of other Departments outside the jurisdiction of this Council and have seen some measure of success already, let us look at our Hawker Control Force again. A starting salary of $313 is too small to attract candidates of high calibre for the force. The non-existence of quarters, and other benefits, has to be considered as one of the valid reasons for so many of them not wanting to stay in the force permanently. If we want to have a larger and more effective disciplined force to enforce our Hawker Policy, we must consider these two points seriously and as quickly as possible.
The time has come for us to look at our post-secondary education seriously in the light of the world-wide movement in this field.
With the improved means of communications, we can no longer shut the post-secondary students in their ivory tower. In some better established institutions here, students have got their say in certain aspects of the administration of their respective institutions already. I am unhappy to say that this is not so in many others.
According to my information, two of our Government Colleges of Education have been discouraging student movements of any form. I would say that this is a rather unwise attitude, particularly as our student leaders will be playing host to student leaders from many What- parts of S.E. Asia in a conference to take place here next year. ever the Government can do to help our student leaders to take their leading role in this conference will help them to realize more that they really belong to Hong Kong, which has its appropriate rank and place in S.E. Asia in many respects.
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