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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order. Before taking the first item on the agenda, I would like Members to stand in silence for a minute in remembrance of the late Sir Shiu-kin TANG, C.B.E., J.P., a former Member of this Council, please rise.
CHAIRMAN (English):—I would like to congratulate Mr. Stephen LAU on having been awarded the O.B.E. in Her Majesty's Birthday Honour List. (applause)
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 1986, were confirmed.
## STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English): Today's meeting is a cause for some congratulation, on the other hand, a cause for certain amount of sadness, because it is my duty this afternoon to bid farewell, on behalf of my fellow Councillors, to one of the Urban Council's youngest and most dedicated stalwarts, Mr. Howard YOUNG.
Howard has been forced to leave the Council, which he has so ably served for eight years, as he has been promoted to the post of General Manager of John Swire and Sons (China) in Beijing with effect from August 1 this year, a posting he expects to last about two years.
When Howard joined the Council in April 1978, he was about 30 years old (not quite so) and so became the youngest Councillor in the history of the Urban Council. He held the honour of being our youngest Councillor until 1983, when Mr. LEE Chik-yuet joined the Council at the age of 29.
Though Howard's career has necessarily taken up much of his time and energy, he has also worked tirelessly for the Council, as shown by his attendance record. Between April 1978 and today, he has attended 904 meetings against an expected attendance of 871, more than 100% attendance.
As a sporting-minded person it was very fitting that Howard should have become the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, and from time to time when visiting various new Urban Council recreational facilities, he has been caught by news photographers demonstrating his ability with the bow and arrow, on the jogging track and so on.
Another of his invaluable contributions to the Council was his former Chairmanship of the Clean Hong Kong Committee, whose many very useful ideas resulted in a cleaner Hong Kong.
I am sure I am echoing the thoughts of Council Members and the community at large in thanking him for all his hard work over the years and wishing him success in his new and challenging posting in Beijing.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MRS. ELSIE TU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to associate myself with your eulogy on Howard, I am sure it is agreed by all other Members of the Council.
MR. HOWARD YOUNG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, as I attend this last meeting I recall the days more than 8 years ago in 1978 when I joined as an appointed member of the Urban Council. At that time, it was not unusual for appointed members to be misconceived as being yes men who toed the establishment line. I can say with a clear conscience today that in all these years, I have never been instructed by the Governor or the so called establishment to vote or express views in any particular way on any issue, and have been left alone to be as independently minded and neutral as I wished.
I am a strong believer in treating every issue on its own merits rather than to have a predetermined stand, in other words, study the papers, come to a meeting on time prepared to discuss and express one's views, but listen to others people's views too, especially those that do not agree with your own, and change your mind if necessary in light of new facts that come to light during discussions. During my years on the Council, I am glad to say that most of the colleagues I have met, including those here today, also do adopt this sort of attitude. I am sad to say that this is not often the case outside the Council. As one example, take the recent public interest in Nuclear Power Stations. Last month, I had a chance to listen to a very prominent world famous physicist talk at lunch about science, so I suggested to a fellow member of the audience who happened to be an anti-Daya Bay activist that perhaps we should ask this scientist's views on nuclear power stations by an open question. I was shocked when the person I made the suggestion to said, 'please don't, otherwise it will make life difficult for me in case he thinks Daya Bay is safe"! Mr. Chairman, if you were to ask me to make a departing wish, I would say I hope all Councillors, present and future, will continue to tackle the day to day practical issues under the Urban Council's jurisdiction in a non-political, non-emotional and objective manner.
I am also a strong believer in contributing towards society whenever circumstances permit, but when there is a conflict between economics and politics, then economics should prevail, because it is Economics, not Politics that has made Hong Kong so successful. I believe in full-time businessmen, full-time professionals, but not full-time politicians. It is in keeping with this belief that I have chosen to resign from the Urban Council prematurely on being posted outside of Hong Kong by the Group I work for to China over the next few years, but I am glad to say that I will still be able to find some time to continue on some public bodies that do not meet as often as the Urban Council, such as the Baptist College Board, Basic Law Consultative Committee and Country Parks Board.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order. Before taking the first item on the agenda, I would like Members to stand in silence for a minute in remembrance of the late Sir Shiu-kin TANG, C.B.E., J.P., a former Member of this Council, please rise.
CHAIRMAN (English):—I would like to congratulate Mr. Stephen LAU on having been awarded the O.B.E. in Her Majesty's Birthday Honour List. (applause)
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 1986, were confirmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English): Today's meeting is a cause for some congratulation, on the other hand, a cause for certain amount of sadness, because it is my duty this afternoon to bid farewell, on behalf of my fellow Councillors, to one of the Urban Council's youngest and most dedicated stalwarts, Mr. Howard YOUNG.
Howard has been forced to leave the Council, which he has so ably served for eight years, as he has been promoted to the post of General Manager of John Swire and Sons (China) in Beijing with effect from August 1 this year, a posting he expects to last about two years.
When Howard joined the Council in April 1978, he was about 30 years old (not quite so) and so became the youngest Councillor in the history of the Urban Council. He held the honour of being our youngest Councillor until 1983, when Mr. LEE Chik-yuet joined the Council at the age of 29.
Though Howard's career has necessarily taken up much of his time and energy, he has also worked tirelessly for the Council, as shown by his attendance record. Between April 1978 and today, he has attended 904 meetings against an expected attendance of 871, more than 100% attendance.
As a sporting-minded person it was very fitting that Howard should have become the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, and from time to time when visiting various new Urban Council recreational facilities, he has been caught by news photographers demonstrating his ability with the bow and arrow, on the jogging track and so on.
Another of his invaluable contributions to the Council was his former Chairmanship of the Clean Hong Kong Committee, whose many very useful ideas resulted in a cleaner Hong Kong.
I am sure I am echoing the thoughts of Council Members and the community at large in thanking him for all his hard work over the years and wishing him success in his new and challenging posting in Beijing.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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71
MRS. ELSIE TU (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I would like to associate myself with your eulogy on Howard, I am sure it is agreed by all other Members of the
Council.
MR. HOWARD YOUNG (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, as I attend this last meeting I recall the days more than 8 years ago in 1978 when I joined as an appointed member of the Urban Council. At that time, it was not unusual for appointed members to be misconceived as being yes men who toed the establishment line. I can say with a clear conscience today that in all these years, I have never been instructed by the Governor or the so called establishment to vote or express views in any particular way on any issue, and have been left alone to be as independently minded and neutral as I wished.
I am a strong believer in treating every issue on its own merits rather than to have a predetermined stand, in other words, study the papers, come to a meeting on time prepared to discuss and express one's views, but listen to others people's views too, especially those that do not agree with your own, and change your mind if necessary in light of new facts that come to light during discussions. During my years on the Council, I am glad to say that most of the colleagues I have met, including those here today, also do adopt this sort of attitude. I am sad to say that this is not often the case outside the Council. As one example, take the recent public interest in Nuclear Power Stations. Last month, I had a chance to listen to a very prominent world famous physicist talk at lunch about science, so I suggested to a fellow member of the audience who happened to be an anti-Daya Bay activist that perhaps we should ask this scientist's views on nuclear power stations by an open question. I was shocked when the person I made the suggestion to said, 'please don't, otherwise it will make life difficult for me in case he thinks Daya Bay is safe"! Mr. Chairman, if you were to ask me to make a departing wish, I would say I hope all Councillors, present and future, will continue to tackle the day to day practical issues under the Urban Council's jurisdiction in a non-political, non-emotional and objective manner.
I am also a strong believer in contributing towards society whenever circumstances permit, but when there is a conflict between economics and politics, then economics should prevail, because it is Economics, not Politics that has made Hong Kong so successful. I believe in full-time businessmen, full- time professionals, but not full-time politicians. It is in keeping with this belief that I have chosen to resign from the Urban Council prematurely on being posted outside of Hong Kong by the Group I work for to China over the next few years, but I am glad to say that I will still be able to find some time to continue on some public bodies that do not meet as often as the Urban Council, such as the Baptist College Board, Basic Law Consultative Committee and Country Parks Board.
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