Page 200
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
267
I used to consider it an honour to be elected a Councillor but somehow I am getting the feeling that it is no longer so. The Council's image as a whole has been on the downturn since two years ago and I believe there are reasons for this. Having attended more than 400 meetings in the past two and a half years, I am quite convinced that the leadership is poor and monitoring is ineffective. There are four main characteristics in our operation. Firstly, we concern ourselves with vetting only but not the cost. We have with us some $6b public money, which is an enormous sum, but we never give thought to prioritizing the use of resources. Meetings of the Finance Select Committee are the curtest.
Secondly, we place more emphasis on trifles than matters of importance. We see only the trees and are reluctant to look at the woods. We discuss only items but not the overall policy.
Thirdly, we only care about vetting the proposals. We would not ask whether they are being effectively implemented and whether the Department has effectively carried them out. Everyone is forgetful and everyone is as busy as a bee. Well aware of this weakness of ours, the Department simply stalls and the matter is left outstanding. In 1989, the Council agreed to draw up a timetable for the independence of the three performing companies under us, but this has not been settled so far. The Department is unable to give an explanation.
Fourthly, we care for the hardware only but not the software, which means the level of services, the attitude of the front-line staff, and our ability to use information technology.
Today, everyone hopes that this debate will bring about a forward stride towards improving the image of the Council. I would ask myself two questions and they are: how to bring about good leadership and effective monitoring. The most basic thing is to lead and implement the Five-year Plan, that is, the Five-year Plan of all the select committees of the Council. We must let the public know that the Council has specific objectives. We must lay down a policy with vision and a wide perspective to keep pace with the progress of Hong Kong. We must change from being passive to being active and have the courage to reform. It is of course easier to say than to take action. If we really got down to business, we would need to have a lot of information and in practice, we would also have to face the various barriers put up by the Department and this is by no means an easy task.
As to effective monitoring, could we ask the Department to do their jobs automatically without reminding them? Should we review the manpower structure to find out whether it is too clumsy and that it is the very reason for the rigid and inflexible operation and actions?
Before 1 July, the need to ensure smooth transition and maintain the morale of the civil service was used as the pretext against or obstructing various reform proposals. Now that a new era has been ushered in, I consider that the
Page 268 of 654
Page 268 of 654
Page 268 of 654
Page 200 01 054
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
267
I used to consider it an honour to be elected a Councillor but somehow I am getting the feeling that it is no longer so. The Council's image as a whole has been on the downturn since two years ago and I believe there are reasons for this. Having attended more than 400 meetings in the past two and a half years. I am quite convinced that the leadership is poor and monitoring is ineffective. There are four main characteristics in our operation. Firstly, we concern ourselves with vetting only but not the cost. We have with us some $6b public money, which is an enormous sum, but we never give thought to prioritizing the use of resources. Meetings of the Finance Select Committee are the curtest.
Secondly, we place more emphasis on trifles than matters of importance. We see only the trees and are reluctant to look at the woods. We discuss only items but not the overall policy.
Thirdly, we only care about vetting the proposals. We would not ask whether they are being effectively implemented and whether the Department has effectively carried them out. Everyone is forgetful and everyone is as busy as a bee. Well aware of this weakness of ours, the Department simply stalls and the matter is left outstanding. In 1989, the Council agreed to draw up a timetable for the independence of the three performing companies under us, but this has not been settled so far. The Department is unable to give an explanation.
Fourthly, we care for the hardware only but not the software, which means the level of services the attitude of the front-line staff and our ability to use information technology.
Today, everyone hopes that this debate will bring about a forward stride towards improving the image of the Council. I would ask myself two questions and they are: how to bring about good leadership and effective monitoring. The most basic thing is to lead and implement the Five-year Plan, that is, the Five-year Plan of all the select committees of the Council. We must let the public know that the Council has specific objectives. We must lay down a policy with
vision and a wide perspective to keep pace with the progress of Hong Kong. We must change from being passive to being active and have the courage to reform. It is of course easier to say than to take action. If we really got down to business, we would need to have a lot of information and in practice, we would also have to face the various barriers put up by the Department and this is by no means an easy task.
As to effective monitoring, could we ask the Department to do their jobs automatically without reminding them? Should we review the manpower structure to find out whether it is too clumsy and that it is the very reason for the rigid and inflexible operation and actions?
Before I July, the need to ensure smooth transition and maintain the morale of the civil service was used as the pretext against or obstructing various reform proposals. Now that a new era has been ushered in, I consider that the
Page 268 of 654
Page 268 of 654
Page 268 of 654
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