1977 — Page 165

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN (in English):-Council will come to order.

MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on 10th January 1978 were con- firmed.

STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN (in English):-Five years have almost gone by since the Council was given its new form of life. Meanwhile, much has been done internally to transform its organization and mode of operation. The aim is to mould the new Council to suit swift changing circum- stances and to function more effectively when carrying out its many- sided responsibility to the community.

This process of change must go on as, with thrust and imagination, the Council seeks more and even novel ways to make Hong Kong a better city. Change for the sake of change is not the object. It is designed essentially to serve the community better in all respects. Con- sequently, every proposal on staff and equipment, project and activity, or whatever, ought to be examined objectively to determine what advantage it would bring. And, the Council should always consider how and to what extent the application of the limited public resources at its command would benefit the people in each move.

For this reason, its work is assessed regularly. Are all activities still useful? Should they be done differently, if so? Or perhaps abandoned altogether, if not? How can standards of performance be raised all round in any case? Such and other pertinent questions are put and the answers duly analysed. To give the ratepayer better value for his money is the purpose of the examination.

Should the Council set up new select committees or do away with some existing ones? Even, absorb one or two into other committees? From time to time, as new engagements are taken up or current pro- grammes expanded, the operational committee structure is gone over critically. For, it is just good sense to find out in anticipation whether the present arrangement is likely to cope efficaciously with what the community expects in new conditions developing all the time.

Obviously, in this exercise, the Council must assemble the facts carefully, consult knowledgeable opinion and then choose with con-

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fidence the direction it wishes to take in each ensuing year. But, the driving force is always the same. It should be a genuine concern with the allocation of resources to maximize results. Otherwise, the Council would not make steady progress towards closing the aspirations gap between what the people want for a better community life but do not yet enjoy and what they now have in reality.

In a compact territory, with a closely knit organization, if work is to be done well and with telling effect, the pre-condition is simple. Leadership must be active, clear-headed and well-informed. And, it is axiomatic that the committees must provide the drive and the dedica- tion inherent in this management situation. In Hong Kong, where there is a tradition of powerful initiative and enterprise for survival, there is also no place in this company for passive and ineffectual public boards and committees. Neither is an organization likely to do much good work if there is no team spirit within its ranks and also if it engages in nitpicking, thus wasting time and dissipating energy, rather than in constructive discussion in specific terms and not in generalities. There must be the ability to think out all matters clearly just as there should be the courage to act decisively once discussion on an issue comes to an end and a consensus is found. If it is agreed that the credibility of the system of government here is predicated upon the ability, integrity and independence of character of those chosen to serve the public interest in diverse ways, then it follows logically that failure to select them properly will inevitably result in mediocre performance, without the energy and capability of exploiting every situation to its utmost potential for the common good. So must it be with the Council too.

Now, as the Council is once again giving thought to re-ordering its work structure, these basic factors should guide its collective delibera- tions. In such a progressive community, the public administration is expected to match the exacting standards by which private enterprise makes Hong Kong great. In this game, the Council cannot stand still. It moves ahead resolutely or falls by the wayside. Which is it going to be? The people's acclaim or their ridicule?

(Dr. the Hon. Henry H. L. HU arrived during the Chairman's address.)

PAPER

The following paper was laid on the table:---

Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of January, 1978.

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