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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
This issue, just like many other social problems, has been resulted from the lack of genuine representatives for the public in the Legislative and Executive Councils. A genuine representative for the public would lose his functions as a representative and become an advisor to the authorities once he has been appointed as a Legislative or Executive Councillor. Although with their talents and ability these Councillors can still manage to serve the public faithfully, very often they are bound to fall behind the public opinions and become part of the civil service. For this reason, I want to reiterate what I said in last year's Annual Conventional Debate: The scope of work of the Urban Council should be widened; elected Legislative Councillors should be instituted; and the some 100 Advisory Committees in the Government should be reconstituted to allow one half or more of their members to be elected through direct or indirect elections, which will intensify to a great extent people's sense of belonging and sense of responsibility towards Hong Kong. If these measures are not implemented, Hong Kong will continue to be governed by appointed civil servants under the existing political system. Then, corruption and extravagance cannot really be prevented. The authority which appointed these civil servants who exercise malpractices should be held solely responsible. Moreover, in respect of the jurisdiction and scope of work of this Council, I believe the chairmen of the various Select Committees have already given you a sufficiently clear picture of the particular duties of their respective Committees. In fact, I consider all the Select Committees did make much progress in their work in the past year, and each councillor spent much of his precious time for the benefit of the public despite the fact that he might be himself heavily committed with personal matters. Hence, I wish to bring out only two relatively important issues concerning policy-making in this Annual Meeting. The first one concerns matters of finance. Ever since the Urban Council acquired financial autonomy on 1st April, 1973, very obvious improvements have been made in this respect, yet there is no assurance that any misuse has not been made in its annual budget of some 226 million dollars. As the Finance Select Committee is always kept busy with an enormous volume of daily routine, I suggest that for the next financial year a sub-committee be formed, chaired by a Councillor and staffed with professional auditors, for the auditing of the accounts of the Council in an effort to make known any deficiency in such a huge budget.
I would now like to turn to the question of personnel management and establishment of the Council. Since the honourable T. S. Lo was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Council, he has found himself too busily occupied to look after the work of the Urban Council and thus resigned from the latter. After his departure, I become the only Councillor serving on the Establishment Sub-committee of the Standing Committee of the Whole Council. I regret to say that this Sub-committee held only one meeting during the past year. As there exists an administrative arrangement between the Government and the Council, we appear to have no say on the handling of personnel matters of our executive staff. In fact, out of the amount of some 226 million dollars in last year's budget, over 200 million dollars was spent on personal emoluments and allowances, representing approximately 85% of the said amount. If this administrative arrangement is not suitably modified, the Council is only able to exercise a mere 15% of its so-called financial autonomy.
Having participated in the work of the Council for two years, I consider it my duty to put forward the above suggestions.
Lastly, I wish to express my support for the Statement of Aims of the Council for 1975-76. (Applause).
MR. EDMUND W. H. CHOW (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, you have moved for the adoption of the Statement of Aims of this Council for the coming year. The most important item in the said statement is to ensure that the construction of various types of buildings and the provision of facilities for projects such as the Cultural Complex and other recreational centres are completed on schedule or speeded up. Some of these construction projects are required to be done urgently, some merely of an expansion nature and some can be deferred. However, at this time when both the pressures of economic recession and inflation are so great that the Government is showing very large deficits, should our Council press for the realization of all the projects that we proposed two years ago when we were enjoying prosperity? In this respect, I wish to put forward the following points:
(1) Most of our construction projects were drawn up at least two years ago. At that time, Hong Kong was in a very prosperous state financially, and money was in abundance. So it was very wise of the Council to have proposed those projects, because all along the ultimate goal of this Council has been to do whatever is for the welfare of the public and to use the money entrusted to it by the tax-payers effectively for the interest and recreational need of the people. In other words, the principle of this Council is to put the welfare of the public in the foremost and not to strive for prestige or power for the Council.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Page 150
Page 151
Page 150 of 187
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260
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
This issue, just like many other social problems, has been resulted from the lack of genuine representatives for the public in the Legislative and Executive Councils. A genuine representative for the public would lose his functions as a representative and become an advisor to the authorities once he has been appointed as a Legislative or Executive Councillor. Although with their talents and ability these Councillors can still manage to serve the public faithfully, very often they are bound to fall behind the public opinions and become part of the civil service. For this reason, I want to reiterate what I said in last year's Annual Conventional Debate: The scope of work of the Urban Council should be widened; elected Legislative Councillors should be instituted; and the some 100 Advisory Committees in the Government should be reconstituted to allow one half or more of their members to be elected through direct or indirect elections, which will intensify to a great extent people's sense of belonging and sense of responsibility towards Hong Kong. If these measures are not implemented, Hong Kong will continue to be governed by appointed civil servants under the existing political system. Then, corruption and extravagance cannot really be prevented. The authority which appointed these civil servants who exercise malpractices should be held solely responsible. Moreover, in respect of the jurisdiction and scope of work of this Council, I believe the chairmen of the various Select Committees have already given you a sufficiently clear picture of the particular duties of their respective Committees. In fact, I consider all the Select Committees did make much progress in their work in the past year, and each councillor spent much of his precious time for the benefit of the public despite the fact that he might be himself heavily committed with personal matters. Hence, I wish to bring out only two relatively important issues con- cerning policy-making in this Annual Meeting. The first one concerns matters of finance. Ever since the Urban Council acquired financial autonomy on 1st April, 1973, very obvious improvements have been made in this respect, yet there is no assurance that any misuse has not been made in its annual budget of some 226 million dollars. As the Finance Select Committee is always kept busy with an enormous volume of daily routine, I suggest that for the next financial year a sub-committee be formed, chaired by a Councillor and staffed with professional auditors, for the auditing of the accounts of the Council in an effort to make known any deficiency in such a huge budget.
I would now like to turn to the question of personnel management and establishment of the Council. Since the honourable T. S. Lo was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Council, he has found himself too busily occupied to look after the work of the Urban Council and thus resigned from the latter. After his departure, I become the only
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Councillor serving on the Establishment Sub-committee of the Standing I regret to say that this Sub- Committee of the Whole Council. committee held only one meeting during the past years. As there exists an administrative arrangement between the Government and the Council, we appear to have no say on the handling of personnel matters of our executive staff. In fact, out of the amount of some 226 million dollars in last year's budget, over 200 million dollars was spent on personal emoluments and allowances, representing approximately 85% If this administrative arrangement is not suitably of the said amount. modified, the Council is only able to exercise a mere 15% of its so-called financial autonomy.
Having participated in the work of the Council for two years, I consider it my duty to put forward the above suggestions.
Lastly, I wish to express my support for the Statement of Aims of the Council for 1975-76. (Applause).
MR. EDMUND W. H. CHOW (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, you have moved for the adoption of the Statement of Aims of this Council for the coming year. The most important item in the said statement is to ensure that the construction of various types of buildings and the provision of facilities for projects such as the Cultural Complex and other recreational centres are completed on schedule or speeded up. Some of these construction projects are required to be done urgently, some merely of an expansion nature and some can be deferred. How- ever, at this time when both the pressures of economic recession and inflation are so great that the Government is showing very large deficits, should our Council press for the realization of all the projects that we proposed two years ago when we were enjoying prosperity? In this respect, I wish to put forward the following points:
(1) Most of our construction projects were drawn up at least two years ago. At that time, Hong Kong was in a very prosperous state financially, and money was in abundance. So it was very wise of the Council to have proposed those projects, because all along the ultimate goal of this Council has been to do whatever is for the welfare of the public and to use the money entrusted to it by the tax-payers effectively for the interest and recreational need of the people. In other words, the principle of this Council is to put the welfare of the public in the foremost and not to strive for prestige or power for the Council.
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