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the Sports Promotion Office can liaise more closely with local associations to further promote sports in Hong Kong.
groups
and sports
At district level, cultural events are currently organized either (1) jointly with District Boards and relevant bodies; or (2) solely by this Council. Over the years, cultural events presented to the public at the district level gradually become stereotype productions. More often than not, they fall within the limited range of Cantonese operas, puppet shows and variety shows. The lack of choice and variety, coupled with insufficient publicity, results in poor turnout which means a waste of resources. I hope other departments would hold more promotion activities such as cultural events and activities for the promotion of civic centres and other UC venues. Such activities can go a long way to promote the image of this Council and increase the turnout rate.
Mr. Chairman, I would also like to say a few words about greening and environmental protection. The Urban Council is responsible for refuse collection in urban areas and hence should play an active role in the separation as well as reduction and recycling of waste. Although the Urban Services Department has done much in these areas, more efforts are still required for publicizing and implementing environmental protection activities such as the separation of waste, the classification of rubbish containers and recovery of articles for recycling.
Tree planting has become an area of concern for USD this year. The Urban Council should get in touch with the relevant people in various districts and with government departments to gain more support in tree-planting. It is also hoped that the business sector should sponsor tree-planting activities in order to make various social strata more aware of the importance of a greener environment.
Turning to the question of parking spaces in Urban Council buildings and facilities, it has been UC's policy not to provide parking spaces to users. As Chairman of the Kowloon City Traffic and Transport Committee, I realize that patronage of UC complexes may be considerably boosted if parking facility is provided. Currently there are no carparks in market basements, indoor games halls, libraries, civic centres and even the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The Council should consider providing parking facilities in these places in future.
Now I would like to talk about the Council's publicity work. The Public Information Unit of the Council toils to publish City News every month for the promotion of its entertainment, recreational, sports and cultural activities. I think there is still room for improvement in the circulation and distribution of the magazine. To achieve this aim, we should effectively distribute the City News through local organizations such as owners' incorporations, mutual aid committees and voluntary agencies so that they can have a better picture of the Council's operation and scope of work. In addition, the Council should take the initiative to liaise with private housing estates, the Housing Society and the Housing Authority so as to arrange for notice boards to be put up in the lobby
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of each of their buildings. This will give wide publicity to the Council's activities and let each and every resident know what activities the Council is organizing.
The Central Ward Office System and the Public Enquiry and Hotline Services commenced operation one after the other this year and the response is good. Through the 24-hour enquiry hotline services, members of the public can directly enquire or complain about any municipal matter.
The Urban Council and the Regional Council should jointly organize more major or district activities. I feel that the contact between the two Municipal Councils is inadequate at present.
CHAIRMAN (in English): Would you make it very brief or table the rest of your speech. You have well exceeded your time to 15 minutes already.
MR. CHIANG SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Lastly, I would also like to talk about the political system. Being an idealist, I am more dedicated to district affairs and tend to spend less time on the political system. However, I would like to talk about recent development in the political system. China or leaders of the Xinhua News Agency should pay attention to public relations. If they polish their recent remarks about 'doing the tango' or 'starting all over again' a little, the thinking of all Hong Kong people will be very different. Take the over-spending of the airport as an example. Being one of the great powers, China should not be counting nickels and dimes in the construction of an airport. Development of the political system should follow the Sino-British Joint Declaration and allow Hong Kong people a higher degree of autonomy. We also hope that there will be no change for 50 years, and look forward to Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy. I hope that China, Britain and Hong Kong will turn the present situation around by exploring different channels, such as establishing more contacts and nurturing better understanding with personnel of the Xinhua News Agency (Hong Kong Branch). Smooth transition is founded on personal feelings of the individuals towards the current state of affairs. Apart from China, Britain and Hong Kong, people of other countries in the world also want to see Hong Kong maintain its prosperity and stability. Finally, I hope that the controversy over the political system will change for the better in the coming six months, and that the people of Hong Kong will speak up to let Britain and China know their wishes.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN (in English): The next speaker, Mr. WONG Siu-yee. Please keep your time limit 10 minutes otherwise I have to stop you.
MR. WONG SIU-YEE (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, having listened to the constructive suggestions put forward by my colleagues, I would like to focus on how the public could participate in managing this ideal city. 'Enriching City Life' is a slogan of the Urban Council, which I deem to be aggressive and forward-looking. Eventually, I hope, it will become the long-term goal of the
Page 100 of 126
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Council. To translate this rhetorical slogan into reality is to create an ideal city, which calls for joint efforts by the public and the Council; and the masters of this ideal city are, of course, the people of Hong Kong. Apart from enjoying municipal facilities and services, the public have the right to voice their opinions and to make criticism. I would also like to point out that, most important of all, the public play the role of masters, which means that they have both the right and obligation to participate in managing this city, either directly or indirectly. As far as the various municipal facilities are concerned, both the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department badly need public participation in managing them. For instance, on the one hand we received many complaints on hawking problem from time to time whereas on the other we saw many members of the public patronizing unlicensed hawkers. As regards public health, every now and then we received numerous complaints against food premises for exposing uncovered food to the dusty air, for using cracked dishes and for failing to keep toilets clean. Sarcastically, while we received these complaints, a lot of residents were seen patronizing these food premises which did not measure up to the required hygienic standard. Apart from the joint efforts made by the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department, it is essential to encourage the public to participate in managing this city.
Mr. Chairman, an important element of democracy is to ensure that the public exercise their civic rights and fulfil their civic obligation of managing their own city. In this connection, I would suggest doing two things to achieve the long-term goal. Firstly, we have to launch positive publicity to involve the public in managing this ideal city. Secondly, we must keep the public informed of their civic rights so that they know how to exercise them and how to fulfil the obligation that goes with it. Some may ask how could the public participate in managing this city? The answer is very simple. Besides abiding by the law and system practised by our society, the public should correct or even prosecute, if the circumstances so warrant, those breaking the law and system. If this prevails, the ideal of 'Enriching City Life' will come true.
Mr. Chairman, the Governor's constitutional reform package has given rise to social unrest, the impasse between China and Britain as well as division among our community. People in favour of the package accused those against it of forfeiting democracy. Some even seriously misled the public by simply equating democracy with direct election. Some newly-elected LegCo members went so far as to interpret Mr. Chris PATTEN's constitutional package as a symbol of democracy, something that must be accepted even at the expense of smooth transition and convergence with the Basic Law. Has Mr. PATTEN travelled so long a distance to Hong Kong merely to save Hong Kong which has all along been devoid of democracy and to fight for democracy which the people of Hong Kong have never enjoyed? Then, what is democracy and what does democracy mean? To my understanding, the key element of democracy is 'Let the people be masters'. How can the people become masters and enjoy real democracy? I think there are three prerequisites. Firstly, the general public know how to exercise their civic rights and fulfil their civic obligations.
Page 101 of 126
Page 100 of 126
וי
176
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
the Sports Promotion Office can liaise more closely with local associations to further promote sports in Hong Kong.
groups
and sports
At district level, cultural events are currently organized either (1) jointly with District Boards and relevant bodies; or (2) solely by this Council. Over the years, cultural events presented to the public at the district level gradually become stereotype productions. More often than not, they fall within the limited range of Cantonese operas, puppet shows and variety shows. The lack of choice and variety, coupled with insufficient publicity, results in poor turnout which means a waste of resources. I hope other departments would hold more promotion activities such as cultural events and activities for the promotion of civic centres and other UC venues. Such activities can go a long way to promote the image of this Council and increase the turnout rate.
Mr. Chairman, I would also like to say a few words about greening and environmental protection. The Urban Council is responsible for refuse collection in urban areas and hence should play an active role in the separation as well as reduction and recycling of waste. Although the Urban Services Department has done much in these areas, more efforts are still required for publicizing and implementing environmental protection activities such as the separation of waste, the classification of rubbish containers and recovery of articles for recycling.
Tree planting has become an area of concern for USD this year. The Urban Council should get in touch with the relevant people in various districts and with government departments to gain more support in tree-planting. It is also hope that the business sector should sponsor tree-planting activities in order to make various social strata more aware of the importance of a greener environment.
Turning to the question of parking spaces in Urban Council buildings and facilities, it has been UC's policy not to provide parking spaces to users. As Chairman of the Kowloon City Traffic and Transport Committee, I realize that patronage of UC complexes may be considerably boosted if parking facility is provided. Currently there are no carparks in market basements, indoor games halls, libraries, civic centres and even the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The Council should consider providing parking facilities in these places in future.
Now I would like to talk about the Council's publicity work. The Public Information Unit of the Council toils to publish City News every month for the promotion of its entertainment, recreational, sports and cultural activities. I think there is still room for improvement in the circulation and distribution of the magazine. To achieve this aim, we should effectively distribute the City News through local organizations such as owners' incorporations, mutual aid committees and voluntary agencies so that they can have a better picture of the Council's operation and scope of work. In addition, the Council should take the initiative to liaise with private housing estates, the Housing Society and the Housing Authority so as to arrange for notice boards to be put up in the lobby
Page 100 of 126
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 100 of 126
177
of each of their buildings. This will give wide publicity to the Council's activities and let each and every resident know what activities the Council is organizing.
The Central Ward Office System and the Public Enquiry and Hotline Services commenced operation one after the other this year and the response is good. Through the 24-hour enquiry hotline services, members of the public can directly enquiry or complain about any municipal matter.
The Urban Council and the Regional Council should jointly organize more major or district activities. I feel that the contact between the two Municipal Councils is inadequate at present.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Would you make it very brief or table the rest of your speech. You have well exceeded your time to 15 minutes already.
MR. CHIANG SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Lastly, I would also like to talk about the political system. Being an idealist, I am more dedicated to district affairs and tend to spend less time on the political system. However, I would like to talk about recent development in the political system. China or leaders of the Xinhua News Agency should pay attention to public relations. If they polish their recent remarks about 'doing the tango' or 'starting all over again' a little, the thinking of all Hong Kong people will be very different. Take the over-spending of the airport as an example. Being one of the great powers, China should not be counting nickels and dimes in the construction of an airport. Development of the political system should follow the Sino-British Joint Declaration and allow Hong Kong people a higher degree of autonomy. We also hope that there will be no change for 50 years, and look forward to Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy. I hope that China, Britain and Hong Kong will turn the present situation around by exploring different channels, such as establishing more contacts and nurturing better understanding with personnel of the Xinhua News Agency (Hong Kong Branch). Smooth transition is founded on personal feelings of the individuals towards the current state of affairs. Apart from China, Britain and Hong Kong, people of other countries in the world also want to see Hong Kong maintain its prosperity and stability. Finally, I hope that the controversy over the political system will change for the better in the coming six months, and that the people of Hong Kong will speak up to let Britain and China know their wishes.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion. Thank you.
CHAIRMAN (in English): The next speaker, Mr. WONG Siu-yee. Please keep your time limit 10 minutes otherwise I have to stop you.
MR. WONG SIU-YEE (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, having listened to the constructive suggestions put forward by my colleagues, I would like to focus on how the public could participate in managing this ideal city. 'Enriching City Life' is a slogan of the Urban Council, which I deem to be aggressive and forward-looking. Eventually, I hope, it will become the long-term goal of the
Page 100 of 126
Page 100Page 101
Page 101 of 126
178
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Council. To translate this rhetorical slogan into reality is to create an ideal city, which calls for joint efforts by the public and the Council; and the masters of this ideal city are, of course, the people of Hong Kong. Apart from enjoying municipal facilities and services, the public have the right to voice their opinions and to make criticism. I would also like to point out that, most important of all, the public play the role of masters, which means that they have both the right and obligation to participate in managing this city, either directly or indirectly. As far as the various municipal facilities are concerned, both the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department badly need public participation in managing them. For instance, on the one hand we received many complaints on hawking problem from time to time whereas on the other we saw many members of the public patronizing unlicensed hawkers. As regards public health, every now and then we received numerous complaints against food premises for exposing uncovered food to the dusty air, for using cracked dishes and for failing to keep toilets clean. Sarcastically, while we received these complaints, a lot of residents were seen patronizing these food premises which did not measure up to the required hygienic standard. Apart from the joint efforts made by the Urban Council and the Urban Services Department, it is essential to encourage the public to participate in managing this city.
Mr. Chairman, an important element of democracy is to ensure that the public exercise their civic rights and fulfil their civic obligation of managing their own city. In this connection, I would suggest doing two things to achieve the long-term goal. Firstly, we have to launch positive publicity to involve the public in managing this ideal city. Secondly, we must keep the public informed of their civic rights so that they know how to exercise them and how to fulfil the obligation that goes with it. Some may ask how could the public participate in managing this city? The answer is very simple. Besides abiding by the law and system practised by our society, the public should correct or even prosecute, if the circumstances so warrant, those breaking the law and system. If this prevails, the ideal of 'Enriching City Life' will come true.
Mr. Chairman, the Governor's constitutional reform package has given rise to social unrest, the impasse between China and Britain as well as division among our community. People in favour of the package accused those against it of forfeiting democracy. Some even seriously misled the public by simply equating democracy with direct election. Some newly-elected LegCo members went so far as to interpret Mr. Chris PATTEN's constitutional package as a symbol of democracy, something that must be accepted even at the expense of smooth transition and convergence with the Basic Law. Has Mr. PATTEN travelled so long a distance to Hong Kong merely to save Hong Kong which has all along been devoid of democracy and to fight for democracy which the people of Hong Kong have never enjoyed? Then, what is democracy and what does democracy mean? To my understanding, the key element of democracy is 'Let the people be masters'. How can the people become masters and enjoy real democracy? I think there are three prerequisites. Firstly, the general public know how to exercise their civic rights and fulfil their civic obligations.
Page 101 of 126
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