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influence the Central Government. That erroneous decision on the part of the government has caused the entire Hong Kong community to point an accusing finger at it after so many years. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I deem this an appropriate opportunity for members of the community to reconsider the merging of the Urban Council and the Regional Council.
I mentioned previously that if the Urban Council and the Regional Council were to merge, then our work, with the public interest in mind, should not be confined to the existing tasks. Past incidents, like the recent bird flu incident or those concerning toxic vegetables or the control of contamination of imported foodstuffs, reflected that many of the Urban Council's tasks required coordination with other departments. In the past, I brought up the subject of the work of the Department of Health. At present, certain staff members of the Department of Health have been assigned to work there by the Municipal Councils, and their work is just what the Municipal Councils need to handle. In other words, if merging of the Municipal Councils were to be considered, then there would have to be adjustments in our scope of responsibilities. For instance, the Department of Health's work on public health should be covered by the new Council. Furthermore, at present the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority is responsible for issuing various kinds of licenses. This overlaps the Urban Council's work on the management of performances and consideration could be given to turn such duties over to the Council. There is also the work of the Environmental Protection Department. The existing duties of the Council and the Environmental Protection Department would have to be reallocated so that the tasks and policies could be executed in a truly effective manner.
Another issue that I wish to address is that Hong Kong will have an election in May, and the election will mark the beginning of a new system. I was worried about the Urban Council, and I am still worried if the Urban Council will become increasingly politically oriented. What bearing will political orientation have on Council? As I mentioned earlier, the Urban Council is in fact a decision-making body that safeguards public health and improves the community's cultural standard. If we cause this Council to become politically oriented, then many of our very sound policies may, due to political considerations, fail to win the support of all Members of this Council. Good policies proposed by one political party may not be endorsed by another. Therefore, the Council should stick to the principle of prevention of political orientation. I hope that my colleagues will, for the benefit of the people of Hong Kong, refrain from rendering the Urban Council a political battlefield. The Urban Council should be nothing more than an administrative and decision-making structure that takes the interests of the Hong Kong community into consideration. This is crucially important. Political orientation will occur, just as it should be. What I mean by not being politically oriented does not denote our non-involvement and non-participation in politics. What I am saying is that in decision-making, we should not focus our consideration
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HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
427
influence the Central Government. That erroneous decision on the part of the government has caused the entire Hong Kong community to point an accusing finger at it after so many years. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I deem this an appropriate opportunity for members of the community to reconsider the merging of the Urban Council and the Regional Council.
I mentioned previously that if the Urban Council and the Regional Council were to merge, then our work, with the public interest in mind, should not be confined to the existing tasks. Past incidents, like the recent bird flu incident or those concerning toxic vegetables or the control of contamination of imported foodstuffs, reflected that many of the Urban Council's tasks required coordination with other departments. In the past, I brought up the subject of the work of the Department of Health. At present, certain staff members of the Department of Health have been assigned to work there by the Municipal Councils, and their work is just what the Municipal Councils need to handle. In other words, if merging of the Municipal Councils were to be considered, then there would have to be adjustments in our scope of responsibilities. For instance, the Department of Health's work on public health should be covered by the new Council. Furthermore, at present the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority is responsible for issuing various kinds of licenses. This overlaps the Urban Council's work on the management of performances and consideration could be given to turn such duties over to the Council. There is also the work of the Environmental Protection Department. The existing duties of the Council and the Environmental Protection Department would have to be reallocated so that the tasks and policies could be executed in a truly effective manner.
Another issue that I wish to address is that Hong Kong will have an election in May, and the election will mark the beginning of a new system. I was worried about the Urban Council, and I am still worried if the Urban Council will become increasingly politically oriented. What bearing will political orientation have on Council? As I mentioned earlier, the Urban Council is in fact a decision-making body that safeguards public health and improves the community's cultural standard. If we cause this Council to become politically oriented, then many of our very sound policies may, due to political considerations, fail to win the support of all Members of this Council. Good policies proposed by one political party may not be endorsed by another. Therefore, the Council should stick to the principle of prevention of political orientation. I hope that my colleagues will, for the benefit of the people of Hong Kong, refrain from rendering the Urban Council a political battlefield. The Urban Council should be nothing more than an administrative and decision-making structure that takes the interests of the Hong Kong community into consideration. This is crucially important. Political orientation will occur, just as it should be. What I mean by not being politically oriented does not denote our non-involvement and non-participation in politics. What I am saying is that in decision-making, we should not focus our consideration
Page 431 of 654
Page 431 of 654
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