1983 — Page 139

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every year. An ‘Arbitration Committee on Public Housing Rent' should be formed wholly by elected members to make assessment on rent.

(ii) A supervisory committee to supervise the public utilities comprising representatives of the government, the public utilities and the public should be formed to review and amend the codes of control and to protect the consumers.

Finally I would like to appeal to all residents to take part in social affairs and unite together in order to improve their livelihood and protect their rights and interests. Only by so doing can we realize our ideals.

With these words, Mr. Chairman, I have to make reservations in supporting your motion.

MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I want to talk about the improvement on livelihood and promotion of democracy in this Annual Conventional Debate.

At present, one faces many problems earning a livelihood in Hong Kong and these have not been taken very seriously nor any improvement made. To improve the living conditions of the people, the most important thing to do will be to effect reforms in the system of government, from the District Boards, the Urban Council, to the Legislative Council.

The many problems existing in Hong Kong include the lack of social security, uneven distribution of wealth, insufficient public housing, etc., the root causes of which may all be attributed to the lack of democracy in our present government and the fact that the people cannot take part in the formulation of policies. Last year, however, the government did effect the following improvements:

(a) The Legislative Council passed the provision of 120 days of paid sick leave;

(b) The Housing Department announced to hold a comprehensive review of its housing policy;

(c) The Building Development Department moved up the Eastern Hospital project to Category A and construction work would commence during this year; and

(d) The Social Welfare Department announced to raise the amount of public assistance.

These improvements are indeed encouraging, but let us not forget that they are the result of public, including various organizations, demands and pressures (press conferences, public rallies, petitions, surveys and researches, sleep-in, etc.).

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From these examples, it proves that:

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(a) There is no sufficient and proper channel in the present government structure for the public to participate in the formulation of policies. Thus, they have to adopt various ways to express their demands to better their livelihood.

(b) In the present government structure, there are insufficient representatives from the public to take part in government's policy-making so that the people's opinions and problems are not directly and effectively reflected in the decisions made by government.

My interpretation of the relationship between 'livelihood' and 'democracy' is as follows:

(a) By 'livelihood', I would mean that everyone should be able to maintain a basic living with sufficient material comfort and enjoy reasonable protection. Also, there should be a reasonable distribution of wealth so that the gap between the poor and the rich will be gradually narrowed.

(b) By ‘democracy', I would mean the right by which the public, through the election of representatives, may participate in government's policy-making and also watch over their own representatives. In addition, the public should have the right to express their will which through some effective channels, should be respected and reflected in government policies.

'Livelihood' and 'democracy' are therefore inseparable. The bigger power the public enjoy in decision-making and the more representatives there are to stand up in their interests, the more benefits and better protection they will have in securing improvements in their livelihood.

For these reasons, I think it is essential to promote democracy in the government system of Hong Kong in order to effect sweeping improvements in the livelihood of the people. Democratization may be achieved in three directions:

(a) Reform of district administration

At present, two basic problems exist in district administration: (i) the system itself and (ii) the delegation of power. By district administration, it really refers to the district boards and district management committees. On the surface, the district boards are created as basic, democratic government organs that collect public opinions from the grass-roots. However, as a matter of fact, only one-third of their members (elected members) represent the public. The district boards usually focus their attention on district problems and make recommendations to the relevant government departments. The final decision and implementation rest with the district management committees (comprising official members only). By this system, the district boards