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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Hong Kong has experienced changes in many areas in the past year. Firstly, the government (including the Council) has published, one after another, a number of consultative documents, inviting public comments. This is a good change and an important aspect of an open government. For I believe democracy is not just a matter of direct elections. Equally important is the respecting of the rights of the citizens to be informed and consulted. I suggest the government take further steps to inform and consult the public before finalizing important policies which should be accorded with the wishes of the public as far as possible.
Besides calling on the government to respect the rights of the public to be informed and consulted, I would like to ask for the right to monitor government proceedings and policies. One way is to set up monitoring bodies with statutory powers that comprise members of the public, such as Committees to monitor public utilities and broadcasting etc.
As to the future of Hong Kong, while the public have generally accepted the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed towards the end of the year before last, they are at present worried about possible differing interpretations to the Declaration. I think the only way we can ease the mind of the people is to incorporate each and every point of the Joint Declaration into the Basic Law, using the legal language customary to the people of Hong Kong. For this, I have the following proposals-
(i) Government officials of China, Britain or Hong Kong should, as far as possible, refrain from interpreting the contents or wording of the Joint Declaration (not even in their personal capacities), so as to avoid further arousing misunderstanding, confusion and worry among the public. Non-government officials can, of course, express their views so that they will be understood by the respective governments.
(ii) The drafting of the Basic Law should be completed as early as possible and the public consulted. The Basic Law should be drafted chapter by chapter, all at the same time, so that it can be finished within a shorter period of time. When a chapter is finished, it should be immediately published and the public consulted, followed by collation and revision. The revised version should then be submitted to a relevant committee of the National People's Congress of China for initial vetting. When the different chapters are drafted (all in the said manner), we shall have a draft Basic Law which has involved participation from all sides and therefore is known by all. The task of final revision and adoption will then be easier.
Finally I would like to call on the public, at this important time of history, to participate more in community affairs and express more of their opinions. I have noticed that the opinions expressed through the various media seem to come from the same scores of persons. It is true they are the leaders in their respective circles, but opinions of the silent majority are equally important. If the public do not express or have no way of expressing their views, we shall have to count solely on the opinions of the talented. This is not enough and is dangerous. Therefore, I am calling on the public to express more of their opinions and the media to give them more coverage so that they will become the 'outspoken majority'.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. LAM CHAK-PIU (in Cantonese): ----Mr. Chairman, my speech is divided into three parts.
Firstly, as the Basic Law will deeply affect Hong Kong, I hope that in addition to covering areas such as governmental system, rights and obligations of the citizens, finance and culture, it will include a chapter which clearly defines the respective powers of the central government and the Special Administrative Region and the relationship between them, as a way to implement the 'one country, two systems' policy, fulfil the objective of Hong Kong becoming a highly autonomous region governed by its own people, and boost confidence among the people of Hong Kong.
To strengthen the relation between the central and local governments, the future legislature of Hong Kong should be able to fit in with that of China. To achieve this end, I suggest the future legislature of Hong Kong delegate representatives to the National People's Congress of China to function as a bridge between Hong Kong and the mainland and to show that Hong Kong is part of China.
I hope that in the 1988 Legislative Council elections, not less than 20 per cent of the seats will be directly elected. The introduction of direct elections is not for the purpose of separating Hong Kong from China but enabling the Legislative Council members to better serve the public and generating greater public interest in government affairs. This will help Hong Kong develop a more open government and achieve the goal of self-governing under the sovereignty of China.
Secondly, turning to the work of the Council, the many Select Committees which are presently reviewing their work have not been able to take into full account public opinions. This is mainly because the Council has not supplied detailed information to the District Boards and the public, nor does it have an effective system, such as a telephone hotline, for collecting public opinions. The lack of information can result in misunderstanding among the public and the District Board members towards the Council. To solve the problem, the Select Committees should further make public their proceedings and other information, so as to obtain constructive ideas from the public and strengthen our ties with the District Boards.
The reason why the District Boards and the public should have the misconception that the Council is not discharging its duties properly or efficiently is we have failed to make them realize that many services are not within our terms of reference. Take the building of markets as an example:
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to count solely on the opinions of the talented. This is not enough and is dangerous. Therefore, I am calling on the public to express more of their opinions and the media to give them more coverage so that they will become the 'outspoken majority'.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. LAM CHAK-PIU (in Cantonese): ----Mr. Chairman, my speech is divided into three parts.
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Page 112 of 195
192
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Hong Kong has experienced changes in many areas in the past year. Firstly, the government (including the Council) has published, one after another, a number of consultative documents, inviting public comments. This is a good change and an important aspect of an open government. For I believe democracy is not just a matter of direct elections. Equally important is the respecting of the rights of the citizens to be informed and consulted. I suggest the government take further steps to inform and consult the public before finalizing important policies which should be accorded with the wishes of the public as far as possible.
Besides calling on the government to respect the rights of the public to be informed and consulted, I would like to ask for the right to monitor government proceedings and policies. One way is to set up monitoring bodies with statutory powers that comprize members of the public, such as Committees to monitor public utilities and broadcasting etc.
As to the future of Hong Kong, while the public have generally accepted the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed towards the end of the year before last, they are at present worried about possible differing interpretations to the Declaration. I think the only way we can ease the mind of the people is to incorporate each and every point of the Joint Declaration into the Basic Law, using the legal language customary to the people of Hong Kong. For this, I have the following proposals-
(i) Government officials of China, Britain or Hong Kong should, as far as possible, refrain from interpreting the contents or wording of the Joint Declaration (not even in their personal capacities), so as to avoid further arousing misunderstanding, confusion and worry among the public. Non-government officials can, of course, express their views so that they will be understood by the respective governments.
(ii) The drafting of the Basic Law should be completed as early as possible and the public consulted. The Basic Law should be drafted chapter by chapter, all at the same time, so that it can be finished within a shorter period of time. When a chapter is finished, it should be immediately published and the public consulted, followed by collation and revision. The revised version should then be submitted to a relevant committee of the National People's Congress of China for initial vetting. When the different chapters are drafted (all in the said manner), we shall have a draft Basic Law which has involved participation from all sides and therefore is known by all. The task of final revision and adoption will then be easier.
Finally I would like to call on the public, at this important time of history, to participate more in community affairs and express more of their opinions. I have noticed that the opinions expressed through the various media seem to come from the same scores of persons. It is true they are the leaders in their respective circles, but opinions of the silent majority are equally important. If the public do not express or have no way of expressing their views, we shall have
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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to count solely on the opinions of the talented. This is not enough and is dangerous. Therefore, I am calling on the public to express more of their opinions and the media to give them more coverage so that they will become the outspoken majority'.
Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. LAM CHAK-PIU (in Cantonese): ----Mr. Chairman, my speech is divided into three parts.
Firstly, as the Basic Law will deeply affect Hong Kong, I hope that in addition to covering areas such as governmental system, rights and obligations of the citizens, finance and culture, it will include a chapter which clearly defines the respective powers of the central government and the Special Administrative Region and the relationship between them, as a way to implement the 'one country, two systems' policy, fulfil the objective of Hong Kong becoming a highly autonomous region governed by its own people, and boost confidence among the people of Hong Kong.
To strengthen the relation between the central and local governments, the future legislature of Hong Kong should be able to fit in with that of China. To achieve this end, I suggest the future legislature of Hong Kong delegate representatives to the National People's Congress of China to function as a bridge between Hong Kong and the mainland and to show that Hong Kong is
part of China.
I hope that in the 1988 Legislative Council elections, not less than 20 per cent of the seats will be directly elected. The introduction of direct elections is not for the purpose of separating Hong Kong from China but enabling the Legislative Council members to better serve the public and generating greater public interest in government affairs. This will help Hong Kong develop a more open government and achieve the goal of self-governing under the sovereignty of China.
Secondly, turning to the work of the Council, the many Select Committees which are presently reviewing their work have not been able to take into full account public opinions. This is mainly because the Council has not supplied detailed information to the District Boards and the public, nor does it have an effective system, such as a telephone hotline, for collecting public opinions. The lack of information can result in misunderstanding among the public and the District Board members towards the Council. To solve the problem, the Select Committees should further make public their proceedings and other informa- tion, so as to obtain constructive ideas from the public and strengthen our ties with the District Boards.
The reason why the District Boards and the public should have the misconception that the Council is not discharging its duties properly or efficiently is we have failed to make them realize that many services are not within our terms of reference. Take the building of markets as an example:
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