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population in 1992 was over 3 million, so the number of participants just represented a mere 8.88%, which is minimal when compared with those in other countries such as Canada and Australia, both of which had an attendance rate of 35%.
We do not want to see the Challenge Day last for only one day, i.e. 11 October 1992. We hope that it will go on and on.
I hope that we can increase our human and financial resources to promote this meaningful campaign so that we may keep pace with other countries. Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support your motion.
MR. IP KWOK-CHUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, in this year's annual debate, I would like to express my views on the issue of food premises in urban areas which disturb the public during nighttime, and on the status of district boards and the Urban Council.
As a district board representative sitting on the Urban Council, I am particularly concerned about district matters. Yau Tsim district is one of the most busy districts in Hong Kong where food premises of various types and scales can be found. Many of these food premises are located in shop spaces on the lower floors of residential buildings. Though easily accessible to nearby residents, they have generated quite a number of problems. Apart from affecting environmental hygiene, many operators of food premises try to make more money at the expense of the public by illegally extending their business out onto the streets and the pavements. The situation is even worse at night after the General Duties Teams of this Council go off duty. Such food premises operate until the small hours or even all through the night. Their paraphernalia such as tables and chairs obstruct the pavements. Apart from that, voices of their customers talking loudly while enjoying their food in the open space inevitably disturb residents living upstairs and keep them awake at night, thus affecting their normal life. This may even lead to confrontations which jeopardize public order. I believe everyone can still remember an incident which took place several months ago in which a resident who, disturbed by the noises caused by customers of a food stall late in the night, threw a stove down onto the street to vent his anger and as a result killed a person. Food premises which cause disturbances can be found in large numbers in Hau Fook Street, Tsim Sha Tsui, and in Ferry Point and Woosung Street in Yau Ma Tei.
In tackling this long-standing problem in the old urban areas, the government departments concerned have adopted a policy of taking stopgap measures. I have received numerous complaints about the problem. A resident has complained of a restaurant on the ground floor of his building which puts tables and chairs in the street all through the night to attract people who enjoy night life and night-shift taxi drivers, thereby causing a serious noise nuisance and making the complainant unable to sleep well. He has complained to the police about this. As soon as the investigating policemen's backs are turned, however, business resumes. Of late, the police simply disregard his complaints.
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On one occasion, the complainant made seven complaints to the police in one night but no policemen ever showed up to investigate and stop the nuisance. I wonder if this is because the police have grown accustomed to the problem and are therefore unwilling to pay attention to the complaints or it is because the police cannot think of a way to tackle the problem and are therefore avoiding it.
In my opinion, the Urban Council, being the municipal authority, and the Urban Services Department, being the executive arm, cannot avoid their responsibilities. Apart from showing greater concern, they should endeavour to find a satisfactory solution. I suggest that we should put the General Duties Teams on night shift to step up the inspection and prosecution of offending food premises and adopt a demerit point system in order to achieve a deterrent effect. Furthermore, action should be taken against people who obstruct public areas and cause noise pollution while eating on pavements, just as those playing mahjong late at night are warned or prosecuted.
Mr. Chairman, the slogan ‘Enriching City Life' clearly indicates that it is the Urban Council's duty to provide the best municipal services to the public. It is incumbent on us to fulfil our duty conscientiously. The quality of life of the general public should be ensured.
Mr. Chairman, apart from public livelihood, I am also very much concerned about the status of the Municipal Councils and the District Boards in the development of our representative government, and the disrespectful way they have been treated recently.
As its name implies, the system of representative government enables the public to reflect their own needs as well as issues affecting their well-being through their representatives. Since 1981, most of the views forwarded by the District Boards and the Municipal Councils have always been taken into consideration. The Governor, in his recent Policy Address, also admitted the importance of the District Boards and indicated that he intended to expand their responsibilities, functions and budgets so on. In fact, since the establishment of the District Boards and the Municipal Councils, the Government has all along been emphasizing that they represent the public. However, in defending its 'intentions', the Government has, unfortunately, abandoned this principle in public and announced a so-called 'public opinion gathered by the District Offices' so as to counteract the mainstream opinion identified by most of the District Boards and the two Municipal Councils. The Government listens to opinions which it finds favourable, and 'denounces' those it dislikes. This kind of extremely undemocratic attitude should be changed. Nasty trick of this sort is very dishonourable. Therefore, I urge the Government to give us a reasonable explanation and make public apologies to these two tiers of political structure.
Furthermore, District Boards, the Municipal Councils and the Legislative Council constitute the three-tier structure in our system of representative government. Their memberships are made up of varying numbers of directly
Page 102 of 126
age 102 of 126
180
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
population in 1992 was over 3 million, so the number of participants just represented a mere 8.88%, which is minimal when compared with those in other countries such as Canada and Australia, both of which had an attendance rate of 35%.
We do not want to see the Challenge Day last for only one day, i.e. 11 October 1992. We hope that it will go on and on.
I hope that we can increase our human and financial resources to promote this meaningful campaign so that we may keep pace with other countries. Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support your motion.
MR. IP KWOK-CHUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, in this year's annual debate, I would like to express my views on the issue of food premises in urban areas which disturb the public during nighttime, and on the status of district boards and the Urban Council.
As a district board representative sitting on the Urban Council, I am particularly concerned about district matters. Yau Tsim district is one of the most busy districts in Hong Kong where food premises of various types and scales can be found. Many of these food premises are located in shop spaces on the lower floors of residential buildings. Though easily accessible to nearby residents, they have generated quite a number of problems. Apart from affecting environmental hygiene, many operators of food premises try to make more money at the expense of the public by illegally extending their business out onto the streets and the pavements. The situation is even worse at night after the General Duties Teams of this Council go off duty. Such food premises operate until the small hours or even all through the night. Their paraphernalia such as tables and chairs obstruct the pavements. Apart from that, voices of their customers talking loudly while enjoying their food in the open space inevitably disturb residents living upstairs and keep them awake at night, thus affecting their normal life. This may even lead to confrontations which jeopardize public order. I believe everyone can still remember an incident which took place several months ago in which a resident who, disturbed by the noises caused by customers of a food stall late in the night, threw a stove down onto the street to vent his anger and as a result killed a person. Food premises which cause disturbances can be found in large numbers in Hau Fook Street, Tsim Sha Tsui, and in Ferry Point and Woosung Street in Yau Ma Tei.
In tackling this long-standing problem in the old urban areas, the government departments concerned have adopted a policy of taking stopgap measures. I have received numerous complaints about the problem. A resident has complained of a restaurant on the ground floor of his building which puts tables and chairs in the street all through the night to attract people who enjoy night life and night-shift taxi drivers, thereby causing a serious noise nuisance and making the complainant unable to sleep well. He has complained to the police about this. As soon as the investigating policemen's backs are turned, however, business resumes. Of late, the police simply disregard his complaints.
Page 102 of 126
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 102 of 126
181
On one occasion, the complainant made seven complaints to the police in one night but no policemen ever showed up to investigate and stop the nuisance. I wonder if this is because the police have grown accustomed to the problem and are therefore unwilling to pay attention to the complaints or it is because the police cannot think of a way to tackle the problem and are therefore avoiding
it.
In my opinion, the Urban Council, being the municipal authority, and the Urban Services Department, being the executive arm, cannot avoid their responsibilities. Apart from showing greater concern, they should endeavour to find a satisfactory solution. I suggest that we should put the General Duties Teams on night shift to step up the inspection and prosecution of offending food premises and adopt a demerit point system in order to achieve a deterrent effect. Furthermore, action should be taken against people who obstruct public areas and cause noise polluton while eating on pavements, jsut as those playing mahjong late at night are warned or prosecuted.
Mr. Chairman, the slogan ‘Enriching City Life' clearly indicates that it is the Urban Council's duty to provide the best municipal services to the public. It is incumbent on us to fulfil our duty conscientiously. The quality of life of the general public should be ensured.
Mr. Chairman, apart from public livelihood, I am also very much concerned about the status of the Municipal Councils and the District Boards in the development of our representative government, and the disrespectful way they have been treated recently.
As its name implies, the system of representative government enables the public to reflect their own needs as well as issues affecting their well-being through their representatives. Since 1981, most of the views forwarded by the District Boards and the Municipal Councils have always been taken into consideration. The Governor, in his recent Policy Address, also admitted the importance of the District Boards and indicated that he intended to expand their responsibilities, functions and budgets so on. In fact, since the establishment of the District Boards and the Municipal Councils, the Government has all along been emphasizing that they represent the public. However, in defending its 'intentions', the Government has, unfortunately, abandoned this principle in public and announced a so-called 'public opinion gathered by the District Offices' so as to counteract the mainstream opinion identified by most of the District Boards and the two Municipal Councils. The Government listens to opinions which it finds favourable, and 'denounces' those it dislikes. This kind of extremely undemocratic attitude should be changed. Nasty trick of this sort is very dishonourable. Therefore, I urge the Government to give us a reasonable explanation and make public apologies to these two tiers of political structure.
Furthermore, District Boards, the Municipal Councils and the Legislative Council constitute the three-tier structure in our system of representative government. Their memberships are made up of varying numbers of directly
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