Page 347 of 498
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
391
In the early 80s, the Urban Council's importance diminished with the formation of District Boards, and its bridging role was partly replaced by them. The setting up of the Recreation and Sports Services, the Music Office and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council likewise reflected Government's worries about the Council. While it was true that some of the decision-making powers with which the Government had vested the Council could not be resumed, other statutory and semi-governmental bodies became our competitors. We were not the sole provider of cultural and recreational services. In the mid-80s, the gradual increase in the population of new towns in the New Territories triggered off Government's idea of sharing out urban services, and it was under such circumstances that the Regional Council and the Regional Services Department came into existence. In the 90s, the Urban Council's transformation into a fully elected council rendered it more effective in reflecting the needs of society, yet it became increasingly isolated in its daily operation, and it turned into an independent kingdom. Was the outside world placing importance on us?
Last year, many of my colleagues in the Council were rudely roused from their slumbers, for Government's allocation of rates to the Urban Council was smaller than expected. It was something that had never happened before. Furthermore, the highly significant event of the election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took place in December. During the entire election period, we could see various Chief Executive candidates visit the District Boards to get a picture of their operation. They had discussions with District Board Members and publicly voiced their support for the District Boards. However, did those candidates ever pay any visit to the Urban Council? What were their views on the Council? This middle-tier Council of ours is stuck in the middle and is going nowhere. Nevertheless, we are the only Council that possesses actual powers and resources. How come I have the feeling that the Government attaches very little importance to the value of our existence? What message have the changes in the administrative structure of the territory in the last 10-odd years conveyed to us?
I have been a Councillor for 22 months. My counting indicates that I have attended over 400 meetings. I have discovered that we would rather spend time on handling trivialities or getting caught up in them than make efforts to solve important problems, and that we prefer to resolve major issues through channels outside our mechanism or committees. For instance, we were kept in the dark about the negotiations between our Chairman and the Director of Accounting Services, and discussions on how to make an appointment with Mr. TUNG Chee-hwa were shrouded in mystery.
Every year, we have got a chance to speak up freely at the Annual Debate. However, have we given any thought to the significance of endorsing these Statement of Aims? In fact, the Statements of Aims that we are to endorse today have little effect on the Council's daily operation. Every year, we shelve the Statements after we have formally endorsed them. In the ensuing year, we
Page 347 of 498
Page 347 of 498
Page 347 of 498
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
391
In the carly 80s, the Urban Council's importance diminished with the formation of District Boards, and its bridging role was partly replaced by them. The setting up of the Recreation and Sports Services, the Music Office and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council likewise reflected Government's worries about the Council. While it was true that some of the decision-making powers with which the Government had vested the Council could not be resumed, other statutory and semi-governmental bodies became our competitors. We were not the sole provider of cultural and recreational services. In the mid-80s, the gradual increase in the population of new towns in the New Territories triggered off Government's idea of sharing out urban services, and it was under such circumstances that the Regional Council and the Regional Services Department came into existence. In the 90s, the Urban Council's transformation into a fully elected council rendered it more effective in reflecting the needs of society, yet it became increasingly isolated in its daily operation, and it turned into an independent kingdom. Was the outside world placing importance on us?
Last year, many of my colleagues in the Council were rudely roused from their slumbers, for Government's allocation of rates to the Urban Council was smaller than expected. It was something that had never happened before. Furthermore, the highly significant event of the election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region took place in December. During the entire election period, we could see various Chief Executive candidates visit the District Boards to get a picture of their operation. They had discussions. with District Board Members and publicly voiced their support for the District Boards. However, did those candidates ever pay any visit to the Urban Council? What were their views on the Council? This middle-tier Council of ours is stuck in the middle and is going nowhere. Nevertheless, we are the only Council that possesses actual powers and resources. How come I have the feeling that the Government attaches very little importance to the value of our existence? What message have the changes in the administrative structure of the territory in the last 10-odd years conveyed to us?
I have been a Councillor for 22 months. My counting indicates that I have attended over 400 meetings. I have discovered that we would rather spend time on handling trivialities or getting caught up in them than make efforts to solve important problems, and that we prefer to resolve major issues through channels outside our mechanism or committees. For instance, we were kept in the dark about the negotiations between our Chairman and the Director of Accounting Services, and discussions on how to make an appointment with Mr. TUNG Chee-hwa were shrouded in mystery.
Every year, we have got a chance to speak up freely at the Annual Debate. However, have we given any thought to the significance of endorsing these Statement of Aims? In fact, the Statements of Aims that we are to endorse today have little effect on the Council's daily operation. Every year, we shelve the Statements after we have formally endorsed them. In the ensuing year, we
Page 347 of 498
Page 347 of 498
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