HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 3539 OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Wednesday, 19 May 1993 The Council met at half-past Two o'clock PRESENT THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE JOHN JOSEPH SWAINE, C.B.E., LL.D., Q.C., J.P. THE CHIEF SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE SIR DAVID ROBERT FORD, K.B.E., L.V.O., J.P. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY THE HONOURABLE NATHANIEL WILLIAM HAMISH MACLEOD, C.B.E., J.P. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THE HONOURABLE JOHN WOOD, C.B., J.P. THE HONOURABLE ALLEN LEE PENG-FEI, C.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS SELINA CHOW LIANG SHUK-YEE, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE HUI YIN-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LEE CHU-MING, Q.C., J.P. THE HONOURABLE SZETO WAH THE HONOURABLE ANDREW WONG WANG-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE EDWARD HO SING-TIN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE RONALD JOSEPH ARCULLI, J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARTIN GILBERT BARROW, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS PEGGY LAM, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS MIRIAM LAU KIN-YEE, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE LAU WAH-SUM, O.B.E., J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE LEONG CHE-HUNG, O.B.E. 3540 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 THE HONOURABLE JAMES DAVID McGREGOR, O.B.E., I.S.O., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MRS ELSIE TU, C.B.E. THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP THE HONOURABLE VINCENT CHENG HOI-CHUEN THE HONOURABLE MOSES CHENG MO-CHI THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG MAN-KWONG THE HONOURABLE CHIM PUI-CHUNG REV THE HONOURABLE FUNG CHI-WOOD THE HONOURABLE TIMOTHY HA WING-HO, M.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL HO MUN-KA DR THE HONOURABLE HUANG CHEN-YA THE HONOURABLE SIMON IP SIK-ON, J.P. DR THE HONOURABLE LAM KUI-CHUN THE HONOURABLE LAU CHIN-SHEK THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING THE HONOURABLE LEE WING-TAT THE HONOURABLE GILBERT LEUNG KAM-HO THE HONOURABLE ERIC LI KA-CHEUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE FRED LI WAH-MING THE HONOURABLE MAN SAI-CHEONG THE HONOURABLE STEVEN POON KWOK-LIM THE HONOURABLE HENRY TANG YING-YEN, J.P. THE HONOURABLE TIK CHI-YUEN THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN DR THE HONOURABLE SAMUEL WONG PING-WAI, M.B.E., J.P. HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 3541 DR THE HONOURABLE PHILIP WONG YU-HONG DR THE HONOURABLE YEUNG SUM THE HONOURABLE HOWARD YOUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE ZACHARY WONG WAI-YIN DR THE HONOURABLE TANG SIU-TONG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE CHRISTINE LOH KUNG-WAI THE HONOURABLE ROGER LUK KOON-HOO THE HONOURABLE ANNA WU HUNG-YUK ABSENT THE HONOURABLE DAVID LI KWOK-PO, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE NGAI SHIU-KIT, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE PANG CHUN-HOI, M.B.E. THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG THE HONOURABLE PETER WONG HONG-YUEN, O.B.E., J.P. THE HONOURABLE MARVIN CHEUNG KIN-TUNG, J.P. THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE DR THE HONOURABLE CONRAD LAM KUI-SHING IN ATTENDANCE THE HONOURABLE MRS ANSON CHAN, C.B.E., J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE THE HONOURABLE JOHN CHAN CHO-CHAK, L.V.O., O.B.E., J.P. SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER MRS ELIZABETH WONG CHIEN CHI-LIEN, I.S.O., J.P. SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE MR JAMES SO YIU-CHO, O.B.E., J.P. SECRETARY FOR RECREATION AND CULTURE 3542 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL SZE CHO-CHEUNG, I.S.O., J.P. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS MR ANTHONY GORDON EASON, J.P. SECRETARY FOR PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND LANDS MR DONALD TSANG YAM-KUEN, J.P. SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY MR MICHAEL DAVID CARTLAND, J.P. SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL SERVICES THE CLERK TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR CLETUS LAU KWOK-HONG THE DEPUTY CLERK TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MR PATRICK CHAN NIM-TAK HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 3543 Papers The following papers were laid on the table pursuant to Standing Order 14(2): Subject Subsidiary Legislation L.N. No. Prison (Amendment) Rules 1993 ............................................................... 152/93 Telecommunication (Control of Interference) (Amendment) Regulation 1993 ...................................................... 153/93 Cremation and Gardens of Remembrance (Regional Council) (Amendment) Bylaw 1993............................................... 154/93 Exhumation (Fees) (Regional Council) Bylaw........................................... 155/93 Public Cemeteries (Regional Council) (Amendment) Bylaw 1993 .................................................................................... 156/93 Kowloon-Canton Railway (Restricted Area) (No. 2) Notice 1993 .................................................................................... 157/93 Sessional Paper 1992-93 No. 79 — Report of Broadcasting Authority September 1991 - August 1992 Obituary PRESIDENT: It is my sad duty to speak today to mark the death of our colleague, Mr Stephen CHEONG Kam-chuen, and to pay respect to his memory. Stephen was first appointed to this Council in December 1980 and became an elected Member in October 1985, representing the Industrial Constituency, and has had unbroken service since then. In his 13 years with this Council, Stephen has served on numerous committees, panels and ad hoc groups and was in his second term as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. His public service outside of this Council reads as a scroll of honour and is well known to all of us and to the community. I think the abiding memory that most of us will carry of Stephen both inside and out of this Chamber is the passion and depth of his convictions, and the spirit and eloquence with which he expressed these convictions. But there 3544 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 was also a generosity of spirit and a sentimental side to Stephen which many of us will remember with affection. Hong Kong has suffered a grievous loss with his sudden death and we are all the poorer for it. To his widow Joan, his four sons and his parents, I offer our deepest condolences. After other Members have spoken, I will ask that we all stand and observe silence for one minute in honour of his memory. CHIEF SECRETARY: Mr President, on behalf of the ex officio Members of the Council and all my colleagues throughout the public service, I would like to express the shock and deep regret with which we received the news of Stephen CHEONG's untimely death. Those of us who worked closely with Stephen admired the dedication, enthusiasm and competence he brought to the task of addressing the many complex issues of great public importance with which he was involved. We valued in particular the leadership and guidance he provided in the Council as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and as Convener of the ad hoc group on the Financing of the Airport Core Programme. Outside the Legislative Council Stephen's particular field of interest was of course that of industrial development, a field in which he served with distinction as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Industries General Committee and Chairman of the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation Board. Closely linked to his day-to-day involvement in industrial development was his commitment to the development of higher education in the field of industrial technology. He was a first class Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic and a dedicated, hard-working member of the Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In short, his contribution to the constituency he represented, to this Council as a whole and to the entire community of Hong Kong has been immense. In his personal relationships with colleagues in this Council and elsewhere Stephen was recognized as someone who was genuinely open to ideas and could be relied upon to give honest and frank opinions on the issues which came before him. Above all we will miss his friendship, his zest and enthusiasm for life, and his sense of fun. Joan and the boys can surely be proud of all that Stephen has done for Hong Kong and to them we send our most sincere condolences. Our thoughts are with you. HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 19 May 1993 3545 MR ALLEN LEE (in Cantonese): Mr President, Mr Stephen CHEONG's sudden death is a loss to this Council and indeed a loss to Hong Kong. Stephen was first appointed to this Council in December 1980. Since then, he has devoted himself to industrial development and trade promotion in Hong Kong. He has worked for the future of Hong Kong with immense zest and is a typical politician who has Hong Kong's interest at heart. As I recollect, in the early 1980s, Stephen and I were of the opinion that the increase in electricity charges by the two public utility companies was unfair and unacceptable to Hong Kong people. However, the Government approved the application for increase in charges on grounds of a control scheme. The control scheme was a secret document not open to the public at that time. We considered that it was extremely unreasonable to keep it from the public so we moved a debate in this Council in an attempt to compel the Government to make public the control scheme. People who were well-informed of the political situation at the time felt that what we were doing was mission impossible and that the Governor would not re-appoint Stephen and me to this Council. In spite of this, Stephen and I held that being Members of this Council, if we were unable to pursue the truth and uphold justice and our belief, we would rather not be re-appointed. In May 1983 when Hong Kong's future still hanged in the balance, Stephen and I organized a young professionals delegation to Beijing to express Hong Kong people's worries to the Chinese leaders, in the hope that it could help to end the jitters about the future of Hong Kong.