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3.
4.
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
cultural policies will be unified;
351
territory-wide food hygiene duties can be administered by a single council;
5. food imports and exports in the entire territory can be put under effective supervision to ensure food safety and hygiene;
6.
7.
8.
9.
health education duties in the entire territory can be put under the charge of a single council;
a single council can organize international conferences, events and competitions;
only one performing company needs to be set up for each category of performing arts;
a single council may represent Hong Kong to attend international conferences;
10. duplication of resources may be avoided;
11. time spent by government staff in attending meetings and preparing committee papers may be saved;
12. resources may be allocated flexibly and used effectively;
13. resources may be centralized and Hong Kong may benefit from the economy of scale;
14. administrative efficiency and quality of services will be improved; 15. it is cost-effective;
16. it meets the actual needs of Hong Kong.
It was a regret that the government turned a deaf ear to our advice and eventually set up the Regional Council in 1986 to 'divide the power'. Ten years have now passed and what we witness are the emergence of factionalism, divergence of policy on the same issue, deepening of disagreement, creation of confusion, cutting of power and authority, distortion of image and the dropping of importance of the Urban Council. There is no wonder that some Members feel ashamed of being Urban Councillors. Outside the Urban Council, a temporary patriot who claims himself to be a 'general without soldiers' is, under the pretext of overall planning of the cultural policy to deepen the public's understanding of the Chinese culture, trying to take away the decision-making role on cultural issues which the Urban Council has assumed for over a hundred years. It was already an irreversible mistake for the government to establish the Regional Council arbitrarily in 1986. If the SAR Government now takes away from the Urban Council the power of decision-making over cultural, recreation and sports issues and put it under the jurisdiction of the “Country”, the government will be taking wrong move again. Fellow colleagues, please give the matter some second thoughts.
Mr. Chairman, look back to the past, review the present and plan for the future is the way to improve. However, Hong Kong has just passed beyond the transition, and right now is being trampled upon by the financial crisis in Asia and the stock market crash; social problems will emerge. It is appropriate to conduct discussions on the reform of district administration now, but as to the
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Page 356
Page 355 of 654
3.
4.
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
cultural policies will be unified;
351
territory-wide food hygiene duties can be administered by a single council;
5. food imports and exports in the entire territory can be put under
effective supervision to ensure food safety and hygiene;
6.
7.
8.
9.
health education duties in the entire territory can be put under the charge of a single council;
a single council can organize international conferences, events and competitions;
only one performing company needs to be set up for each category of performing arts;
a single council may represent Hong Kong to attend international conferences;
10. duplication of resources may be avoided;
11. time spent by government staff in attending meetings and preparing
committee papers may be saved;
12. resources may be allocated flexibly and used effectively;
13. resources may be centralized and Hong Kong may benefit from the
economy of scale;
14. administrative efficiency and quality of services will be improved; 15. it is cost-effective;
16. it meets the actual needs of Hong Kong.
It was a regret that the government turned a deaf ear to our advice and eventually set up the Regional Council in 1986 to 'divide the power'. Ten years have now passed and what we witness are the emergence of factionalism, divergence of policy on the same issue, deepening of disagreement, creation of confusion, cutting of power and authority, distortion of image and the dropping of importance of the Urban Council. There is no wonder that some Members feel ashamed of being Urban Councillors. Outside the Urban Council, a temporary patriot who claims himself to be a 'general without soldiers' is, under the pretext of overall planning of the cultural policy to deepen the public's understanding of the Chinese culture, trying to take away the decision-making role on cultural issues which the Urban Council has assumed for over a hundred years. It was already an irreversible mistake for the government to establish the Regional Council arbitrarily in 1986. If the SAR Government now takes away from the Urban Council the power of decision-making over cultural, recreation and sports issues and put it under the jurisdiction of the “Country”, the government will be taking wrong move again. Fellow colleagues, please give the matter some second thoughts.
Mr. Chairman, look back to the past, review the present and plan for the future is the way to improve. However, Hong Kong has just passed beyond the transition, and right now is being trampled upon by the financial crisis in Asia and the stock market crash; social problems will emerge. It is appropriate to conduct discussions on the reform of district administration now, but as to the
Page 355 of 654
Page 355 of 654
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