1996 — Page 309

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 309 of 498

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

351

Mr. San Stephen Wong Hon-CHING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, my speech this year is relatively short, for I cherish but one hope. I believe that the entire Hong Kong community will benefit if we are able to realise this hope. My hope is that we Urban Councillors, after experiencing so many problems last year, will join forces in the next year or the next few years and do what we should do.

Many people say that the past year was probably an inauspicious year for the Urban Council. It can also be said that it was a year in which numerous undesirable incidents took place, and that you, Mr. Chairman, often played the lead. We had difficulties with the Hong Kong Stadium that had first manifested themselves two years ago. There were various problems before and after our overseas visits. Many Urban Council projects suffered delays. In mid-1996, there was the incident involving Urban Councillors' collective buying of stocks. All those events damaged the Urban Council's image. Because of the Chinese Orchestra's internal struggle, the Orchestra itself, the Department and many Urban Councillors encountered various problems. The Council's unprecedented recalling of its Working Party Chairman took place last year. Moreover, there was recently an exhibition on the history of the Diaoyu Islands. Mr. Chairman, you called upon us to ‘shut up'. From this, one can see that there is a great deal of discord in this Council. All those incidents indicated that it seemed a very unlucky year for the Urban Council, but they also reflected the fact that the Councillors all attached great importance to urban service affairs. To a certain extent, each and every Urban Councillor was seriously affected by conflict as those events unfolded. My close observations have told me that some of the Councillors have become strangers to one another on account of their differences in opinion. Recently, there has also been discord among staff members of the Urban Services Department. In their administration of beaches, the Recreation and Sports Officers and the Amenities Officers vie for power and position. This is most pathetic. Is this the price to pay for democracy? Despite all that, I can see that each and every Councillor hopes that the Urban Council will do its best in everything. The problems are probably due to our faulty communication. We should put aside our prejudices. Like what the Vice-Chairman has just said about seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences, we should respect the views of different parties. Nevertheless, we should also take into consideration the fact that the independent Councillors represent their own districts. I hope very much that the spirit of seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences will be applied in each of our select committees and working groups. If this can be achieved, we will be able to do more for the local population and bring about better urban service undertakings. This is my hope.

Recently, we often hear a saying: 'If Hong Kong fares well, China will fare well; if China fares well, Hong Kong will fare even better.' Pulling this in the context of the Urban Council, it should go: 'If the Councillors do well, urban services will do well, and the citizens will benefit more; if the citizens benefit

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Page 309 of 498 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 351 Mr. San Stephen Wong Hon-CHING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, my speech this year is relatively short, for I cherish but one hope. I believe that the entire Hong Kong community will benefit if we are able to realise this hope. My hope is that we Urban Councillors, after experiencing so many problems last year, will join forces in the next year or the next few years and do what we should do. Many people say that the past year was probably an inauspicious year for the Urban Council. It can also be said that it was a year in which numerous undesirable incidents took place, and that you, Mr. Chairman, often played the lead. We had difficulties with the Hong Kong Stadium that had first manifested themselves two years ago. There were various problems before and after our overseas visits. Many Urban Council projects suffered delays. In mid-1996, there was the incident involving Urban Councillors' collective buying of stocks. All those events damaged the Urban Council's image. Because of the Chinese Orchestra's internal struggle, the Orchestra itself, the Department and many Urban Councillors encountered various problems. The Council's unprecedented recalling of its Working Party Chairman took place last year. Moreover, there was recently an exhibition on the history of the Diaoyu Islands. Mr. Chairman, you called upon us to ‘shut up'. From this, one can see that there is a great deal of discord in this Council. All those incidents indicated that it seemed a very unlucky year for the Urban Council, but they also reflected the fact that the Councillors all attached great importance to urban service affairs. To a certain extent, each and every Urban Councillor was seriously affected by conflict as those events unfolded. My close observations have told me that some of the Councillors have become strangers to one another on account of their differences in opinion. Recently, there has also been discord among staff members of the Urban Services Department. In their administration of beaches, the Recreation and Sports Officers and the Amenities Officers vie for power and position. This is most pathetic. Is this the price to pay for democracy? Despite all that, I can see that each and every Councillor hopes that the Urban Council will do its best in everything. The problems are probably due to our faulty communication. We should put aside our prejudices. Like what the Vice-Chairman has just said about seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences, we should respect the views of different parties. Nevertheless, we should also take into consideration the fact that the independent Councillors represent their own districts. I hope very much that the spirit of seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences will be applied in each of our select committees and working groups. If this can be achieved, we will be able to do more for the local population and bring about better urban service undertakings. This is my hope. Recently, we often hear a saying: 'If Hong Kong fares well, China will fare well; if China fares well, Hong Kong will fare even better.' Pulling this in the context of the Urban Council, it should go: 'If the Councillors do well, urban services will do well, and the citizens will benefit more; if the citizens benefit Page 309 of 498 Page 309 of 498 Page 309 of 498

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Page 309 of 498 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL 351 Mr. San Stephen Wong Hon-CHING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, my speech this year is relatively short, for I cherish but one hope. I believe that the entire Hong Kong community will benefit if we are able to realise this hope. My hope is that we Urban Councillors, after experiencing so many problems last year, will join forces in the next year or the next few years and do what we should do. Many people say that the past year was probably an inauspicious year for the Urban Council. It can also be said that it was a year in which numerous undesirable incidents took place, and that you, Mr. Chairman, often played the lead. We had difficulties with the Hong Kong Stadium that had first manifested themselves two years ago. There were various problems before and after our overseas visits. Many Urban Council projects suffered delays. In mid- 1996, there was the incident involving Urban Councillors' collective buying of stocks. All those events damaged the Urban Council's image. Because of the Chinese Orchestra's internal struggle, the Orchestra itself, the Department and many Urban Councillors encountered various problems. The Council's unprecedented recalling of its Working Party Chairman took place last year. Moreover, there was recently an exhibition on the history of the Diaoyu Islands. Mr. Chairman, you called upon us to ‘shut up'. From this, one can see that there is a great deal of discord in this Council. All those incidents indicated that it seemed a very unlucky year for the Urban Council, but they also reflected the fact that the Councillors all attached great importance to urban service affairs. To a certain extent, each and every Urban Councillor was seriously affected by conflict as those events unfolded. My close observations have told me that some of the Councillors have become strangers to one another on account of their differences in opinion. Recently, there has also been discord among staff members of the Urban Services Department. In their administration of beaches, the Recreation and Sports Officers and the Amenities Officers vie for power and position. This is most pathetic. Is this the price to pay for democracy? Despite all that, I can see that cach and every Councillor hopes that the Urban Council will do its best in everything. The problems are probably due to our faulty communication. We should put aside our prejudices. Like what the Vice-Chairman has just said about seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences, we should respect the views of different parties. Nevertheless, we should also take into consideration the fact that the independent Councillors represent their own districts. I hope very much that the spirit of seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences will be applied in each of our select committees and working groups. If this can be achieved, we will be able to do more for the local population and bring about better urban service undertakings. This is my hope. Recently, we often hear a saying: 'If Hong Kong fares well, China will fare well; if China fares well, Hong Kong will fare even better.' Pulling this in the context of the Urban Council, it should go: 'If the Councillors do well, urban services will do well, and the citizens will benefit more; if the citizens benefit Page 309 of 498 Page 309 of 498 Page 309 of 498

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Page 309 of 498

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

351

Many people say that the past year was probably an inauspicious year for the Urban Council. It can also be said that it was a year in which numerous undesirable incidents took place, and that you, Mr. Chairman, often played the lead. We had difficulties with the Hong Kong Stadium that had first manifested themselves two years ago. There were various problems before and after our overseas visits. Many Urban Council projects suffered delays. In mid- 1996, there was the incident involving Urban Councillors' collective buying of stocks. All those events damaged the Urban Council's image. Because of the Chinese Orchestra's internal struggle, the Orchestra itself, the Department and many Urban Councillors encountered various problems. The Council's unprecedented recalling of its Working Party Chairman took place last year. Moreover, there was recently an exhibition on the history of the Diaoyu Islands. Mr. Chairman, you called upon us to ‘shut up'. From this, one can see that there is a great deal of discord in this Council. All those incidents indicated that it seemed a very unlucky year for the Urban Council, but they also reflected the fact that the Councillors all attached great importance to urban service affairs. To a certain extent, each and every Urban Councillor was seriously affected by conflict as those events unfolded. My close observations have told me that some of the Councillors have become strangers to one another on account of their differences in opinion. Recently, there has also been discord among staff members of the Urban Services Department. In their administration of beaches, the Recreation and Sports Officers and the Amenities Officers vie for power and position. This is most pathetic. Is this the price to pay for democracy? Despite all that, I can see that cach and every Councillor hopes that the Urban Council will do its best in everything. The problems are probably due to our faulty communication. We should put aside our prejudices. Like what the Vice-Chairman has just said about seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences, we should respect the views of different parties. Nevertheless, we should also take into consideration the fact that the independent Councillors represent their own districts. I hope very much that the spirit of seeking overall unity while tolerating minor differences will be applied in each of our select committees and working groups. If this can be achieved, we will be able to do more for the local population and bring about better urban service undertakings. This is my hope.

1996 — Page 309

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