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responsibility of the majority of our population have made many parts of Hong Kong highly unhygienic and even dangerous. Many people who throw things out of their windows or onto the streets do not care the consequence of their conduct even though their so doing are dangerous not only to health but also to life. They treat windows as inlet of refuse chutes. On many occasions, the refuse include such hard dangerous objects as bottles and cans which can definitely be lethal when they shall fall on people's heads and bodies. Recently, as I understand, there are some sofas falling from windows. Many picnickers, who take the privilege of enjoying the beautiful environment of the picnic grounds and beaches on the one hand, do not take up the responsibility of keeping the area clean on the other hand. They treat those beautiful places as dumping ground!
We have many 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' Campaigns but only a poor minority of our population have the right sense of participation therein. The rest just adopt the usual indifferent attitude. Our litter wardens keep on arresting litter-bugs and our courts keep on penalizing them but Hong Kong is still full of litter everywhere. In the light of the above, it is obvious that our educational system has failed to develop the requisite sense of responsibility in the majority of our population. It is therefore high time for us to promote better sense of duty and cleanliness in those who lack them.
I invite the Council as well as members of the public to consider different 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' Campaign by making all our school students participate therein on a compulsory basis. We have more than one million students and they are present in practically every family unit. I like to hear children's disapproving voice saying 'Daddy, Mammy, Please do not throw things like this. I am a Litter Scout. Please give me face'. I like to see how effective such words will work. People may not give face to Hong Kong but they certainly treasure their face value before their own children or juniors. If we make all our students Litter Scouts by legislation or otherwise with their power limited to giving verbal warning and information only, we would not only develop in our next generation a better sense of participation and responsibility in the aspect of public hygiene but also post in every family a Litter Warden who will remind the rest of the family the shame of being a litter bug. I have talked to many teachers as well as parents of students and they have expressed support for the idea. Although I like to see the day when our students can have the proud title of Litter Scout or better title bestowed on them by legislation, yet I will be more happy to see the day when the old generation do not have to be reminded by the young generation of Keeping Hong Kong Clean.
Election on territorial or district basis
The Green Paper suggests that in the future elected members of the Council should be elected on district basis. In other words, those people who want to serve on the Council have to try to win votes not from all the voters in the Colony but from only those in a certain district. In order to gain or maintain a seat in the Council, a person has to demonstrate to the voters in his district his willingness and ability to protect the interest of the people in his district insofar as the Council's work is concerned. As long as the interest of the people in the district is in no way in conflict with the interest of the community as a whole, the situation is perfectly normal and reasonable. However, problem will arise whenever the interest of the district shall be in conflict with that of other districts or the community of Hong Kong as a whole by reason of the priority in the allocation of funds or the selection of sites for certain Council projects and facilities which are not necessarily required to be present in each individual district. For instance, Hong Kong only requires one Space Museum and it is definitely not necessary to have such a museum in every district. For situation of the kind, the voters of each district will put pressure on their elected representatives in the Council to win the project over to their districts. The representatives who can win the 'battle' will become the hero of their district but those who fail will find the voters most inconsiderate and unreasonable because very few voters in Hong Kong are socially and politically mature enough to understand that the members of the Council have the sacred duties to prefer general interest to local interest and that there are multiple causes and factors for things to be considered. The lack of adequate understanding generally found in the majority of the Hong Kong people will force members of the Council to fight only for local interest even though they know very well that their doing so is against the paramount interest of the community as a whole or is unfair to other districts.
In the light of the above, election on district basis will definitely result in a divided Council with each member selfishly and blindly loyal only to their own districts in order to gain favour from their voters. While the members should serve one grand master, namely, the community of Hong Kong as a whole, they will be forced by the proposed system to serve different masters, namely the different districts, which compete with each other rightly or wrongly for bigger share in the Council's funds as well as service. That being the case, it will be far better if the elected members are to be elected generally from and by the voters in Hong Kong as a whole.
Hong Kong can never be compared with United Kingdom or United States in which an electoral constituency is far bigger than the entire Colony and which is perfectly entitled to have its own separate facilities for its population and its own local Government. In short, Hong Kong is too small and too delicate socially and politically to have different electoral constituencies or managerial districts. In any event, the people are not yet socially and politically ready for such reform.
With that remark, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Mrs. Grace HO left during Mr. Augustine CHUNG's address.)
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Page 104 of 120
Page 104 of 120
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responsibility of the majority of our population have made many parts of Hong Kong highly unhygienic and even dangerous. Many people who throw things out of their windows or onto the streets do not care the consequence of their conduct even though their so doing are dangerous not only to health but also to life. They treat windows as inlet of refuse chutes. On many occasions, the refuse include such hard dangerous objects as bottles and cans which can definitely be lethal when they shall fall on people's heads and bodies. Recently, as I understand, there are some sofas falling from windows. Many picnickers, who take the privilege of enjoying the beautiful environment of the picnic grounds and beaches on the one hand, do not take up the responsibility of keeping the area clean on the other hand. They treat those beautiful places as dumping ground!
We have many 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' Campaigns but only a poor minority of our population have the right sence of participation therein. The rest just adopt the usual indifferent attitude. Our litter wardens keep on arresting litter-bugs and our courts keep on penalizing them but Hong Kong is still full of litter everywhere. In the light of the above, it is obvious that our educational system has failed to develop the requisite sense of responsi- bility in the majority of our population. It is therefore high time for us to promote better sense of duty and cleanliness in those who lack them.
а
I invite the Council as well as members of the public to consider different 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' Campaign by making all our school students participate therein on a compulsory basis. We have more than one million students and they are present in practically every family unit. I like to hear children's disapproving voice saying 'Daddy, Mammy, Please do not throw things like this. I am a Litter Scout. Please give me face'. I like to see how effective such words will work. People may not give face to Hong Kong but they certainly treasure their face value before their own children or juniors. If we make all our students Litter Scouts by legislation or otherwise with their power limited to giving verbal warning and informa- tion only, we would not only develop in our next generation a better sense of participation and responsibility in the aspect of public hygiene but also post in every family a Litter Warden who will remind the rest of the family the shame of being a litter bug. I have talked to many teachers as well as parents of students and they have expressed support for the idea. Although I like to see the day when our students can have the proud title of Litter Scout or better title bestowed on them by legislation, yet I will be more happy to see the day when the old generation do not have to be reminded by the young generation of Keeping Hong Kong Clean.
Election on territorial or district basis
The Green Paper suggests that in the future elected members of the Council should be elected on district basis. In other words, those people who want to serve on the Council have to try to win votes not from all the voters in the Colony but from only those in a certain district. In order to gain or
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
175
maintain a seat in the Council, a person has to demonstrate to the voters in his district his willingness and ability to protect the interest of the people in his district insofar as the Council's work is concerned. As long as the interest of the people in the district is in no way in conflict with the interest of the community as a whole, the situation is perfectly normal and reason- able. However, problem will arise whenever the interest of the district shall be in conflict with that of other districts or the community of Hong Kong as a whole by reason of the priority in the allocation of funds or the selection of sites for certain Council projects and facilities which are not necessarily required to be present in each individual district. For instance, Hong Kong only requires one Space Museum and it is definitely not necessary to have such a museum in every district. For situation of the kind, the voters of each district will put pressure on their elected representatives in the Council to win the project over to their districts. The representatives who can win the 'battle' will become the hero of their district but those who fail will find the voters most inconsiderate and unreasonable because very few voters in Hong Kong are socially and politically mature enough to understand that the members of the Council have the sacred duties to prefer general interest to local interest and that there are multiple causes and factors for things to be considered. The lack of adequate understanding generally found in the majority of the Hong Kong people will force members of the Council to fight only for local interest even though they know very well that their doing so is against the paramount interest of the community as a whole or is unfair to other districts.
In the light of the above, election on district basis will definitely result in a divided Council with each member selffishly and blindly loyal only to their own districts in order to gain favour from their voters. While the members should serve one grand master, namely, the community of Hong Kong as a whole, they will be forced by the proposed system to serve different masters, namely the different districts, which compete with each other rightly or wrongly for bigger share in the Council's funds as well as service. That being the case, it will be far better if the elected members are to be elected generally from and by the voters in Hong Kong as a whole.
Hong Kong can never be compared with United Kingdom or United States in which an electoral constituency is far bigger than the entire Colony and which is perfectly entitled to have its own separate facilities for its popula- tion and its own local Government. In short, Hong Kong is too small and too delicate socially and politically to have different electoral constituencies or managerial districts. In any event, the people are not yet socially and politically ready for such reform.
With that remark, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Mrs. Grace HO left during Mr. Augustine CHUNG's address.)
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