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HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

MR. PETER WONG MAN-KONG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman and Colleagues, it is a rare opportunity for me to hold a discussion with you here today. I have learned a great deal from the 6 areas of urban services in which I have taken part. I would like to share with you today my views on the work of the Urban Council during the past 6 months. I shall also take this opportunity to respond to certain questions raised by my colleagues earlier on.

My main concern is the question of accountability of the Urban Council. During the last 6 months I have tried to learn more about the statutory rights and responsibilities of Members of the Provisional Urban Council and also the work of the Urban Services Department. But as I see it now, there could have been many traditions in the past which prevented me from fully understanding the relevant legislation when I joined the Provisional Urban Council. This leads me to raise the following questions today:

First, all Members of the Provisional Urban Council are now appointed by the Chief Executive. Therefore, as far as accountability is concerned, our job is i not only to carry out the work of the Provisional Urban Council, but also to face and serve the general public. But at the same time, if any major problem arises. I believe we must also communicate with the Office of the Chief Executive. In this respect, I am sure the Chairman and individual Members can reflect their problems through the proper channels. But I feel that since all Members of the Provisional Urban Council are appointed by the Chief Executive, there is also a need to communicate with the Office of the Chief Executive in the event of any major problem. The Chairman is naturally the most suitable person to lead us in this task. In the past 6 months, we have encountered many issues where there were conflicts of opinion, sometimes with votes standing at 49: 51. That is why I think we should communicate with the Office of the Chief Executive regarding these issues.

In the beginning, the 9 of us who were newly appointed to the Provisional Urban Council shared a certain degree of consensus. First of all, we wanted to do the best we could to assist in the work of the Provisional Urban Council immediately after the SAR Government was established so that it could discharge its affairs in a stable manner. We also wanted to make the situation less political. As pointed out by several of our colleagues earlier on, the functioning of the Council has been criticized as being too political in the past. When implementing these two points of consensus during the last 6 months. we discovered many problems. When decisions had to be made, they were often based on personal, not objective grounds and considerations were often based on the party not the person. This affected the decisions of the Provisional Urban Council and was detrimental to the interests of the public. Urban services do, in fact, reflect the face and climate of a city. They also reflect the standard by which the status and culture of Hong Kong people are being judged. Therefore, I believe we should set a good example and treat one

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