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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Through his chairmanship of the Museums Select Committee, Jason is, of course, the driving force behind the establishment of the coastal defence museum, soon to be built at Lei Yue Mun. However, with him, Stan, Vincent and Ronald, among others, retiring from the Museums Select Committee, the loss of expertise will be the most sorely felt. Committee proceedings will surely also lose some of the luster of the lively and eloquent debates which we so often shared with them.

Professor LEUNG has ably demonstrated how someone gifted with academic and professional excellence can help shape Council policy and resolving down-to-earth issues in a pragmatic and rational way. His contribution during his stewardship of the Public Health Select Committee in improving environmental issues and control of food hygiene has been enormous.

Carlye Tsur is another colleague whom we have benefited so much from her professional expertise in public relations and information technology. Let's all spare a thought for Carlye after each successful booking through the SPORTIX or URBTIX. Lay the blame on the operator if they let us down! Credits should also go to Carlye for her professional input in helping the Information Technology Centre of the Department and for chairing the Organising Committee of the International Symposium on Public Toilets soon to take place.

19.

Mr. MA Lee-wo

20. Mr. Joseph WONG Shui-lai

I very much regret that Mr. MA Lee-wo and Mr. Joseph WONG have decided not to stand for re-election on personal grounds. They have exemplified the new breed of young politicians who always speak their minds and are never shy from crusading their cause with passion and conviction. I sincerely hope to welcome them back here before too long.

21. Mr. Justein WONG Chun

Last but not the least is the last of our Appointed Members, Mr. Justein WONG, whose 17 months of service here is, in fact, already 12 months longer than the shortest serving Councillor in the history of this Council. We will miss his good humour, quick wit and friendly disposition in these Chambers.

Apart from these 21 Members, we also saw the departure of 8 District Board representatives in October last year. They were Messrs CHAN Tak-chor, Ambrose CHEUNG, Albert POON, FUNG Kwong-chung, WONG Siu-yee, Alan YIM, MS. YEUNG Kam-chun and Ms. Anna TANG. Ambrose will, of course, be returning to the Council on 1 April.

I am sure I am speaking not only the thoughts of colleagues in this Chamber, but also of many men and women in the street, in thanking all these 29 Members for their significant contribution over the years in improving city life for the people in Hong Kong.

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Finally, may I say, for my own part, that it has been a tremendous honour and privilege to serve as your Chairman for the last 4 years and to be able to associate myself with the phenomenal developments of this Council. Such successes cannot, however, be achieved without your cooperation and support, to which I am, indeed, indebted. A lot more remains to be done and I am so glad to be able to remain in this Council for the next few years to meet this challenge. I will, as always, do my utmost to continue serving this Council in whatever capacity Members consider me fit.

Fellow Councillors, to all those departing this Council, we say we would continue to value your expressed opinions on our policy deliberations. To those who remain to serve this Council, let us continue to work in full cooperation and harmony to further improve our services to the community of Hong Kong.

(Applause)

(Messrs SUEN Kai-cheong and Daniel WONG arrived at 2.42 p.m.) VICE-CHAIRMAN (in English):-Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me speak out of the agenda and to respond to your speech. While you open your own speech with a note of sadness about those who will be departing from the Council, I think all my colleagues who are part of this departing team would wish me to start this with a happier note.

First of all, to congratulate all those who will come back to serve the city through the work of this Council and that includes yourself and many others who will see to it that the Council's good record of service will be continued and with lasting strength.

I also think that very often credit goes to Council with the Select Committees but not on too many occasions do we see credit duly given to the person in the chair of the whole Council. Strong leaders are necessarily of a controversial nature because as you say, people who are dedicated to the work for the good of the public are very often passionate in their views and certainly, it is no mean description of your commitment to issues that you feel most concerned, you always show strong passion in those issues. And naturally, strong passion invites and attracts different reactions and very often reactions unrelated to the issue blur the basic intention of the issue at its start and I think looking back, all my colleagues would agree with me that you have been placed in the right place at the right time and doing the right things in the long term and I think my colleagues who are in the departing team, although I did not consult each and every one of you, would agree with me that we give thanks to our chairman and to our colleagues who will be remaining, we wish them every success in the future.

PAPER

(Applause)

The following paper was laid on the table:

Report to the Urban Council by the Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of February 1995.

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