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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Many people criticize the Council for building markets at unsuitable locations, thereby wasting much resources. Hardly do they know that the granting of land does not lie in us but in some other government departments. Some criticize us for not providing enough recreational facilities to meet the needs of the public. They do not know that with limited resources, the Council has to carry out numerous projects.
At this Annual Conventional Debate, I would like to say something about the present review on the hawker problem. I think the proposals made in the report of designating hawker permitted areas, delegating more power to the U.S.D. District Offices and issuing a limited number of licences are reasonable and realistic. However, to implement these policies, we shall have to, besides eliminating triad elements, provide enough space for the hawkers. This depends on the supply of land in each district and co-operation from government departments such as the Land Office, Transport Department, Highway Office and District Office etc. In the hawker re-ordering exercise for the re-development of the Sui Wo Market in Kwun Tong, some of the hawkers are moved to some 'blind-alley' hawker permitted areas where business is poor. They have therefore reverted to illegal hawking. Despite efforts by myself and other quarters, and due to opposition from other government departments, these hawkers have not yet been moved from the 'blind alleys' to areas where it is viable to hawk. This shows that whether policies can be successfully implemented depends also on co-operation from other government departments.
Thirdly, as a member of the working class, I think the continuous development of Hong Kong depends on understanding and co-operation between labour and capital and both should be able to enjoy the fruits of economic development. As Hong Kong faces in mid-eighties serious threats such as protectionism, competition from other third world countries and stagnated internal investment, the government should actively support technological research to help Hong Kong prepare for a second industrial revolution in order to solve the aforesaid problems. I strongly believe that continuous economic development and co-operation between labour and capital are the best guarantee for maintaining the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and achieving the objective of democratic self-governing.
With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support your motion.
MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman and Colleagues, today I would like to speak on two issues:
(A) The reasons why democratization is essential in the political development in Hong Kong;
(B) Localization of arts.
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(A) The reasons why democratization is essential in the political development in Hong Kong
Mr. Chairman, I think the people of Hong Kong may wish to ask a number of questions about the political development in Hong Kong.
(1) Why democratization has to be introduced during the transition period.
(2) Whether the following two problems will arise upon the introduction of democratization.
(a) Will democratization give rise to upheavals or social instability; and
(b) Will there be conflicts between China and Hong Kong if the development of political system and the Basic Law are not in tandem.
(1) The reasons why democratization has to be introduced in the transition period
(i) Implementation of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'
As a result of the negotiations between China and Britain, Hong Kong will be ruled by the people of Hong Kong after 1997, that is, the political system of 'Hong Kong British ruling Hong Kong' will change to 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'. In other words, in the coming 11 years, Hong Kong will see a change in the political system. Now the people of Hong Kong should begin to take over the powers of administration so that they can gradually master the machinery of the Government, otherwise it will not be able to implement the notion of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' after 11 years. With such change in the political system, if we have more active participation of the public in the administration of Hong Kong, more people will identify themselves with the new system or commit themselves to it in future. The democratic system encourages participation of the public, or, if necessary, mobilizes all six million people. Through participation in administration, the people of Hong Kong will have more confidence in the new Government and its structure. Only with their identification and support can the ideal of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' be realized.
(ii) Free economy
During the transfer of political powers, Hong Kong needs to maintain the existing system of free economy, so that its 'prosperity' would not be affected. Basically, I believe that an economic system needs a compatible political system to survive, and so does the system of free economy. In the West, countries with free economy all practise democracy which, therefore, should be taken as reference for our social reforms. Actually, the economy and political affairs of Hong Kong have undergone some significant changes in the last 15 years. The local economy has developed step by step since the 70's from a colonial British monopoly to today's 'free economy' with participation and investments from all parties. On the other hand, the political system has become more open from
Page 113 of 195
Page 113 of 195
194
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Many people criticize the Council for building markets at unsuitable locations, thereby wasting much resources. Hardly do they know that the granting of land does not lie in us but in some other government departments. Some criticize us for not providing enough recreational facilities to meet the needs of the public. They do not know that with limited resources, the Council has to carry out numerous projects.
At this Annual Conventional Debate, I would like to say something about the present review on the hawker problem. I think the proposals made in the report of designating hawker permitted areas, delegating more power to the U.S.D. District Offices and issuing a limited number of licences are reasonable and realistic. However, to implement these policies, we shall have to, besides eliminating triad elements, provide enough space for the hawkers. This depends on the supply of land in each district and co-operation from government departments such as the Land Office, Transport Department, Highway Office and District Office etc. In the hawker re-ordering exercise for the re- development of the Sui Wo Market in Kwun Tong, some of the hawkers are moved to some 'blind-alley' hawker permitted areas where business is poor. They have therefore reverted to illegal hawking. Despite efforts by myself and other quarters, and due to opposition from other government departments, these hawkers have not yet been moved from the 'blind alleys' to areas where it is viable to hawk. This shows that whether policies can be successfully implemented depends also on co-operation from other government depart-
ments.
Thirdly, as a member of the working class, I think the continuous development of Hong Kong depends on understanding and co-operation between labour and capital and both should be able to enjoy the fruits of economic development. As Hong Kong faces in mid-eighties serious threats such as protectionism, competition from other third world countries and stagnated internal investment, the government should actively support technological research to help Hong Kong prepare for a second industrial revolution in order to solve the aforesaid problems. I strongly believe that continuous economic development and co-operation between labour and capital are the best guarantee for maintaining the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and achieving the objective of democratic self-governing.
With these words, Mr. Chairman, I support your motion.
MR. FREDERICK K. K. FUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman and Colleagues, today I would like to speak on two issues:
(A) The reasons why democratization is essential in the political develop-
ment in Hong Kong; (B) Localization of arts.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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195
(A) The reasons why democratization is essential in the political development in
Hong Kong
Mr. Chairman, I think the people of Hong Kong may wish to ask a number of questions about the political development in Hong Kong.
(1) Why democratization has to be introduced during the transition period. (2) Whether the following two problems will arise upon the introduction of
democratization.
(a) Will democratization give rise to upheavals or social instability; and (b) Will there be conflicts between China and Hong Kong if the development of political system and the Basic Law are not in tandem.
(1) The reasons why democratization has to be introduced in the transition
period
(i) Implementation of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'
As a result of the negotiations between China and Britain, Hong Kong will be ruled by the people of Hong Kong after 1997, that is, the political system of 'Hong Kong British ruling Hong Kong' will change to 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'. In other words, in the coming 11 years, Hong Kong will see a change in the political system. Now the people of Hong Kong should begin to take over the powers of administration so that they can gradually master the machinery of the Government, otherwise it will not be able to implement the notion of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' after 11 years. With such change in the political system, if we have more active participation of the public in the adminis- tration of Hong Kong, more people will identify themselves with the new system or commit themselves to it in future. The democratic system encourages participation of the public, or, if necessary, mobilizes all six million people. Through participation in adminis- tration, the people of Hong Kong will have more confidence in the new Government and its structure. Only with their identification and support can the ideal of ‘Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong' be realized.
(ii) Free economy
During the transfer of political powers, Hong Kong needs to maintain the existing system of free economy, so that its 'prosperity' would not be affected. Basically, I believe that an economic system needs a compatible political system to survive, and so does the system of free economy. In the West, countries with free economy all practize democracy which, therefore, should be taken as reference for our social reforms. Actually, the economy and political affairs of Hong Kong have undergone some significant changes in the last 15 years. The local economy has developed step by step since the 70's from a colonial British monopoly to today's 'free economy' with participation and investments from all parties. On the other hand, the political system has become more open from
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