LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8247
OFFICIAL RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 26 March 2015
The Council continued to meet at half-past Two o'clock
MEMBERS PRESENT:
THE PRESIDENT THE HONOURABLE JASPER TSANG YOK-SING, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ALBERT HO CHUN-YAN
THE HONOURABLE LEE CHEUK-YAN
THE HONOURABLE JAMES TO KUN-SUN
THE HONOURABLE CHAN KAM-LAM, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE EMILY LAU WAI-HING, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TAM YIU-CHUNG, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE FREDERICK FUNG KIN-KEE, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE VINCENT FANG KANG, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-HING, B.B.S., M.H.
PROF THE HONOURABLE JOSEPH LEE KOK-LONG, S.B.S., J.P., Ph.D., R.N.
THE HONOURABLE JEFFREY LAM KIN-FUNG, G.B.S., J.P.
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THE HONOURABLE ANDREW LEUNG KWAN-YUEN, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE WONG TING-KWONG, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CYD HO SAU-LAN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE STARRY LEE WAI-KING, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAK-KAN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN KIN-POR, B.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE PRISCILLA LEUNG MEI-FUN, S.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KA-LAU
THE HONOURABLE CHEUNG KWOK-CHE
THE HONOURABLE WONG KWOK-KIN, S.B.S.
THE HONOURABLE IP KWOK-HIM, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE MRS REGINA IP LAU SUK-YEE, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE PAUL TSE WAI-CHUN, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ALAN LEONG KAH-KIT, S.C.
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG KWOK-HUNG
THE HONOURABLE ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP
THE HONOURABLE WONG YUK-MAN
THE HONOURABLE CLAUDIA MO
THE HONOURABLE MICHAEL TIEN PUK-SUN, B.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN PEI-CHUN, G.B.S., J.P.
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THE HONOURABLE NG LEUNG-SING, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE STEVEN HO CHUN-YIN
THE HONOURABLE FRANKIE YICK CHI-MING
THE HONOURABLE WU CHI-WAI, M.H.
THE HONOURABLE YIU SI-WING
THE HONOURABLE GARY FAN KWOK-WAI
THE HONOURABLE MA FUNG-KWOK, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHARLES PETER MOK, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHAN CHI-CHUEN
THE HONOURABLE CHAN HAN-PAN, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE KENNETH CHAN KA-LOK
THE HONOURABLE CHAN YUEN-HAN, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE KENNETH LEUNG
THE HONOURABLE ALICE MAK MEI-KUEN, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE KWOK KA-KI
THE HONOURABLE KWOK WAI-KEUNG
THE HONOURABLE DENNIS KWOK
THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG WAH-FUNG, S.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE FERNANDO CHEUNG CHIU-HUNG
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THE HONOURABLE SIN CHUNG-KAI, S.B.S., J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE HELENA WONG PIK-WAN
THE HONOURABLE IP KIN-YUEN
DR THE HONOURABLE ELIZABETH QUAT, J.P.
THE HONOURABLE MARTIN LIAO CHEUNG-KONG, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE POON SIU-PING, B.B.S., M.H.
THE HONOURABLE TANG KA-PIU, J.P.
DR THE HONOURABLE CHIANG LAI-WAN, J.P.
IR DR THE HONOURABLE LO WAI-KWOK, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE CHUNG KWOK-PAN
THE HONOURABLE CHRISTOPHER CHUNG SHU-KUN, B.B.S., M.H., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TONY TSE WAI-CHUEN, B.B.S.
MEMBERS ABSENT:
THE HONOURABLE LEUNG YIU-CHUNG
DR THE HONOURABLE LAU WONG-FAT, G.B.M., G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE ABRAHAM SHEK LAI-HIM, G.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE TOMMY CHEUNG YU-YAN, S.B.S., J.P.
THE HONOURABLE RONNY TONG KA-WAH, S.C.
DR THE HONOURABLE LAM TAI-FAI, S.B.S., J.P.
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PUBLIC OFFICERS ATTENDING:
THE HONOURABLE GREGORY SO KAM-LEUNG, G.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
THE HONOURABLE EDDIE NG HAK-KIM, S.B.S., J.P. SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION
CLERKS IN ATTENDANCE:
MR KENNETH CHEN WEI-ON, S.B.S., SECRETARY GENERAL
MS ANITA SIT, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL
MISS ODELIA LEUNG HING-YEE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL
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MEMBERS' MOTIONS
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Council will now continue with the debate on the motion on "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong".
BALANCING THE IMPACTS OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY ON THE ECONOMY AND PEOPLE OF HONG KONG
Continuation of debate on motion which was moved on 25 March 2015
MS EMILY LAU (in Cantonese): President, I thank Mr Vincent FANG for proposing this motion debate. As just mentioned by the President, the title of today's motion is "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong". It is clear that Members of the Liberal Party are also aware of the huge impacts caused by the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) on Hong Kong people in all aspects of life. As a matter of fact, we have been asking the authorities to tackle this problem long ago. I am really clueless as to what has or has not been done by Secretary Gregory SO such that the problem has aggravated to such an extent. President, some time ago, he told members of the public to wait for the next one or two MTR trains, and his words had attracted severe criticism from the public. That said, the Secretary can hardly be blamed for he seldom rides on the MTR, let alone wait for the train. Incidentally, a member of the public told me yesterday that he must wait for at least seven or eight MTR trains before he could board the train. Even when he managed to board the train, the compartment was so crowded that it was very difficult to alight from the train. The situation is appalling indeed.
Yesterday, Mr SIN Chung-kai clearly stated the stance and response of the Democratic Party towards the motion proposed by Mr Vincent FANG. I now speak to raise two points. Firstly, I would like to voice the grievances of the residents in my district. I believe Mr FANG have heard about that, but he may not have a clear picture as he does not often go to Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long. The situation is serious indeed.
When some Members spoke yesterday, they still stressed the significant economic benefits brought about by the tourism industry or the IVS to Hong Kong. President, did you notice the remarks made by some Hong Kong LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8253 deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) or Hong Kong delegates to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference during the recent meetings of the two sessions in Beijing? In particular, Mr Ambrose LEE, former Secretary for Security and an incumbent Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, said that IVS visitors were our "bosses". His words have infuriated a lot of people. I hope Mr LEE knows that he has hurt the feelings of many Hong Kong people. As far as Hong Kong is concerned, it is mutually beneficial to have Mainlanders visiting Hong Kong for shopping, leisure or business, and there is no need to regard them as "bosses".
Many Members have also expressed the view that the current problem lies with inadequate supporting infrastructure and hence, there is a need to provide additional tourism facilities. President, the number of visitor arrivals to Hong Kong is about 60 million per annum. Yet the Secretary said that the number can be further increased to 70 million or 80 million, or even 100 million. Is this possible? Hong Kong is just a small place. If we really have so many visitors, I am afraid passengers might have to wait for the 20th MTR train before they could get on it. I hope the authorities can really understand the plight faced by local residents. I must invite the Secretary to join me in a visit to Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun someday. Does he have the experience of having his feet run over by a suitcase? If so, how many times? Does Mr Vincent FANG have the same experience? Mainland visitors like to drag their suitcases around and even if their suitcases run over the feet of other people, they would not apologize, as if nothing has happened. President, such incidents have really got on the nerves of Hong Kong people.
As many Honourable Members have mentioned, the local scene in many districts have changed completely. Small shops and eating places originally frequented by kaifongs have all disappeared and replaced by stores selling popular items for Mainlanders such as cosmetics, gold jewellery and powdered formula. Shop rentals as well as food prices are soaring. Do they know that Hong Kong people have almost reached the boiling point? President, though I do not think Hong Kong people are so hard-pressed that they would stage a riot, they are really furious. We hope that some actions would be taken by the authorities. But what did the Chief Executive say this morning? He said that no answer was forthcoming, and he had no idea how long we must wait. What can we do then?
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In January this year, I had a meeting with some government officials in the North District Council. In February, I would meet with the Chief Secretary again … Being a good "fighter", the Chief Secretary had indicated that she would personally lead a number of departments to handle the problem, I thus wrote to invite her for a meeting with the Democratic Party. When she replied on the 25th, she told us that she could not arrange a meeting with us, but the authorities were actually working on the matter. How many departments are involved in tackling the problem? How can one say that there is no impact at all? Great nuisance has been created for civil servants alone. According to the reply given by the Secretary for Security on behalf of the Chief Secretary, the management of border control points involves the Immigration Department, the Police and the Customs and Excise Department. The relevant duties include checking whether the visitors have breached their conditions of stay, whether they are on the watch list of suspected parallel traders, and whether they have smuggled any goods.
Another issue is the irregularities of industrial building because some units inside the building have been converted into retail shops. In this connection, the Fire Services Department has to conduct inspections to check whether the tenants have violated the relevant requirements or lease conditions. If action such as imposing an encumbrance or re-entering is required, the Lands Department will be involved. Separately, there are problems with black spots of parallel trading activities and the management of road space. In this regard, actions are required on the part of the Police, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and street cleaning teams. Last but not least, there are also transportation problems. Why? People cannot get on buses or they must wait a long time before they can board an MTR train. As Mainland visitors often carry bulky luggage around, train compartments become very crowded. Hence, there is a suggestion that passengers carrying bulky luggage can only travel on designated train compartments. There are also problems concerning taxis. Given the rampant touting activities, there is an inadequate supply of taxis to meet the transport needs of local residents in Sheung Shui. How can the problem be resolved? Actions should be taken jointly by the Transport Department and the Police.
President, I have only highlighted a few issues relating to the huge influx of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong. Perhaps other Members can give us further examples to illustrate the problem. I believe the list can go on and on. It is true that Mainland visitors have spurred our economic growth, and I also want to see the robust development of our tourism industry. But as suggested by the title of Mr Vincent FANG's motion, we must strike the right balance.
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Some Members said that they are not interested in striking the right balance. Instead, they consider that the problem lies with inadequate facilities, and additional provision in all aspects must be made to make up for the inadequacies. In fact, civil servants have a lot of grievances. In the several examples I gave just now, at least eight or nine government departments are involved. Moreover, the affected districts are no longer confined to Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun or Yuen Long. Sha Tin and other districts have also been affected. Hence, I truly hope that the Secretary can listen to the views of local District Councils as well as the aggrieved members of the public. Actions should be taken expeditiously to impose limits on the number of inbound Mainland visitors. We cannot receive an endless number of tourist arrivals to Hong Kong, from 60 million to 70 or 80 million. This will only drive Hong Kong people over the edge.
President, I so submit.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those placards on the desks of Members presently not in the Chamber are irrelevant to the business being handled at the meeting. Will the staff please put them away.
MR LEUNG CHE-CHEUNG (in Cantonese): President, I thank Mr Vincent FANG for proposing this motion debate on "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong". This is indeed the talk of the town among people from all walks of life in Hong Kong these days.
On 1 March, some radical groups organized an anti-parallel trading rally in Yuen Long, inciting antagonism between local residents and Mainland visitors, and clamouring to drive Mainlanders away. The protestors besieged shops in Yuen Long and hurled insults at shoppers. As a result, more than 50 shops were forced to suspend operations. Most of these shops are small businesses, unrelated to consortia or parallel trading activities, and they have become affected and their businesses were slashed by as much as 50%. The protestors even charged at the Police cordon lines, circled and assaulted police officers. Finally, they dashed into Yuen Long Main Road and occupied the Light Rail tracks. Traffic in Yuen Long was paralysed for hours.
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Since then, protest actions in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long have become more violent and radical. As caught by cameras of the media, the protestors charged inside goldsmith shops, hurled insults at the visitors and drove customers away. Some even kicked the shopping bags carried by shoppers, forced a mother and her daughter who came to Hong Kong to buy books to open their luggage to prove that they were not parallel traders. Such acts have already crossed the bottom line of Hong Kong people. On the one hand, they criticized Mainland visitors for their uncivilized acts while shopping in foreign countries, but on the other hand, they acted aggressively to drive shoppers away. In the eyes of most Hong Kong people or even foreigners, these acts are likewise highly uncivilized.
As excessive numbers of visitors and parallel traders have affected the daily lives of local residents, it is just natural for residents to express their demands and grievances. However, for acts under the pretext of anti-parallel trading and packaged as safeguarding freedom of assembly and speech, but are in reality, disrupting public order and jeopardizing the personal safety of other people through violence, verbal abuses, provocation and discrimination, they will never gain the approval of civilized Hong Kong people. According to the findings of an earlier opinion poll released by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies under The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) on 4 March, 55% of the people disapproved the protest actions against the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) tourists.
President, as a Member of the Legislative Council and a local resident, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the Police for taking decisive actions to enforce the law stringently on that day, as well as for seizing a large quantity of offensive weapons and restoring expeditiously law and order in society. I would also like to send my regards to the injured police officers. I strongly disagree with the suggestion made by Mr CHAN Chi-chuen in his amendment that the Police should be held "responsible for abusing its power and using brutal means to disperse, arrest and detain the protestors".
As stated in the preamble of the original motion, "That … incidents targeting Mainland tourists have occurred repeatedly in Hong Kong, and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people"; yet some Members, including Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Mr Gary FAN and Ms Claudia MO, have deleted such words. I really fail to understand why they delete this factual statement. I hope they can fully explain their purpose and stance in making the deletion. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8257
Some years ago, the Hong Kong Government has already noted the problem concerning Hong Kong's capacity to receive an excessive number of Mainland visitors. However, it merely "takes the advice without changing the attitude", and no specific measures action or policies have been formulated to resolve the problem, leading to the "eruption". Although the Central Government is in charge of the IVS and multiple-entry endorsement policy, the Hong Kong Government cannot shirk its responsibility. Would the Secretary please explain to us what have been done by the authorities over the years and what measures have been formulated to tackle the problem?
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) agrees that the IVS and the policy on multiple-entry endorsement should be adjusted, for example, by imposing a cap on the number of trips to Hong Kong. It will definitely help to ease the pressures on local infrastructure as well as on people's livelihood. However, we should note that many parallel traders are local people. As indicated by the relevant statistics, 50% of parallel traders are local people while the other 50% Mainlanders. Hence, measures targeting inbound Mainland visitors may not necessarily achieve the desired effect. More importantly, many Hong Kong people and Shenzhen residents with IVS multiple-entry endorsements must travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong frequently, including members of Mainland-Hong Kong families as well as cross-boundary students. We cannot disregard their need for commuting.
In my view, the most effective measure is to expedite the provision of shopping centres at the border to attract more visitors. According to the findings of CUHK poll released on 4 March, 54% of the respondents supported the proposal to develop a border shopping centre at Lok Ma Chau. I hope the Government would provide support expeditiously for an early commissioning of the shopping centre to divert inbound visitors and avoid parallel traders from travelling to urban areas. It will help alleviate the pressures on our receiving capacity.
President, I so submit.
MR MICHAEL TIEN (in Cantonese): President, as far as Hong Kong's present situation is concerned, I think no other issue is more important than the subject of today's motion proposed by Mr Vincent FANG, that is, "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong".
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I often prepare a script when I speak. But today I am going to ditch the script because I want to share some of my thoughts with Members. In our society, the problem of Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) has been discussed from various perspectives, for instance, parallel trading activities, shopping centres, China-Hong Kong conflicts, and so on and so forth. Let us reflect on one point, that is, the IVS was a tourism initiative in the first place, and it has been implemented for many years. If a policy has been implemented for 12 years, shouldn't a review be conducted?
As Members should be well aware, the IVS has always been a win-win measure which helps promote Hong Kong's economic development, especially the retail industry, create employment opportunities and increase our recurrent income. Apart from sightseeing, our Mainland compatriots also buy goods in Hong Kong at bargain prices because commodity prices in Hong Kong are generally 20% less than that in the Mainland, taking into account factors such as the value-added tax in the Mainland and the rising Renminbi exchange rate. Hence, they consider Hong Kong a shopper's paradise. It is a win-win measure in itself.
Why do we have this dire situation? It is because the authorities have never conduct any review on this beneficial measure. No matter how good a policy is, it may deteriorate without regular reviews. Why do I say so?
The IVS policy was originally intended to be a liberalization measure, so that residents in specific Mainland cities could apply visas to visit Hong Kong, say, once or twice per endorsement. The merit of this arrangement is that cities under the IVS can gradually be extended to cover the entire China, while due consideration can be given to Hong Kong's space constraint as a right balance should be maintained between economic development and people's tolerance. Let us not fool ourselves by only focusing on economic development.
I would like to declare interest as I am in the retail business. Yet I cannot seek to increase sales blindly and ignore the quality of life and living space of the people. The two are equally important. Under the original plan, the number of IVS cities would be increased gradually. Until last year, the arrangement of one trip per endorsement was implemented in 48 cities, accounting for some 15 million visitor arrivals to Hong Kong. On average, the number of visitor arrivals was about 300 000 per city. After studying the relevant statistics, I notice that the growth of visitor arrivals is quite stable. In other words, the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8259 number of visitor arrivals of one city will not suddenly soared from 300 000 to 1 million. The relevant authorities can also closely monitor the situation and gradually increase the number IVS cities with the additional provision of infrastructure in Hong Kong. This can ensure the living space of Hong Kong people while allowing more Mainlanders to visit Hong Kong.
But why have things gone wrong? The reason is that one particular city was suddenly given the special treatment of having multiple-entry endorsements. Five years ago, visitors travelling on multiple-entry endorsements only accounted for some 30% of the total IVS visitors, but the percentage has now increased to a staggering 50%. Among the 31 million visitor arrivals last year, half of them were from this one city, while the other half came from the other 48 cities. Even if we do not talk about the demands and interests of Hong Kong people, and simply consider the issue from the perspective of ensuring fairness throughout the country, I think the arrangement is not so appropriate.
Let us also consider the figures in the past two years. While visitor arrivals with IVS multiple-entry endorsements have been increasing steadily by some 20% per annum, the growth rate of IVS visitor arrivals with one trip or two trips per endorsement has dropped to 8%. I reckon that in the first two months this year, the latter figure might even become a negative number. In other words, long-haul Mainland visitors who would like to visit Hong Kong have already done so. After all, with so many tourist destinations around the world, they need not come to visit Hong Kong every year, right? Hence, it is clear that the entire tourist profile has changed. Should the number of visitor arrivals with IVS multiple-entry endorsements continue to increase by some 20% per annum and the number of IVS visitor arrivals with one trip per endorsement maintain a steady or even negative growth, in four years' time, IVS visitor arrivals with multiple-entry endorsements would account for 70% to 80% of total visitor arrivals to Hong Kong. In other words, Shenzhen's population will become virtually the extended population of Hong Kong. Is this the policy objective of IVS as we envisaged?
My view towards this problem is very simple, and I have expressed it openly many times during the two sessions. Should the preferential arrangement of granting multiple-entry endorsements to residents with Shenzhen household registration be implemented indefinitely? The number of Mainlanders with Shenzhen household registration now stands at about 2 million; among them, some 1.6 million or 1.7 million are holding multiple-entry endorsements. These 8260 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 numbers have not changed significantly over the years. Hence, the annual growth rate of some 20% is not caused by an increasing number of holders with multiple-entry endorsements. Instead, it is because some current holders of such an endorsement are making more and more trips to Hong Kong.
Therefore the authorities must impose certain restrictions on the multiple-entry endorsements. Otherwise, as I said a moment ago, the number of visitor arrivals will double from 15 million to 30 million in four years' time, given the growth rate of some 20% per annum. Rumours have it that the Express Rail Link will be commissioned in 2017. By then, it will only take 15 minutes to commute between Futian Port and Hong Kong. How many visitor arrivals with multiple-entry endorsements will be increased in future?
Basically, I think the problem can simply be addressed from the perspective of ensuring fairness to other cities in the Mainland with a total population of 1.3 billion. Should consideration be at least given to imposing a cap on the number of trips allowed under the multiple-entry endorsements? While I have no specific number in mind yet, such a cap must be imposed first, so that Hong Kong's capacity can be reserved to receive visitors from new IVS cities. If a cap is imposed today so that visitors with multiple-entry endorsements can only make 30 to 50 trips to Hong Kong per endorsement, and assuming that 30 000 such visitors are most active, about 1 million visitor arrivals can be reduced, Hong Kong can have the capacity to receive visitors from two or three new cities. In my view, such a review is imminent. I hope Members can consider the matter seriously and stop dwelling on arguments about what should or should not be abolished. Instead, refinement should be made to strike a balance between multiple-entry endorsements and one trip per endorsement. (The buzzer sounded)
Thank you, President.
MR WONG YUK-MAN (in Cantonese): President, the Chinese Government has been unable to resolve social problems such as "tainted foods" and substandard healthcare services, and has consequently victimized Hong Kong. As a result, the general public of Hong Kong, having to compete with Mainlanders for school places, hospital beds and powdered formula, live in increasingly desperate straits. Yet, people's representatives from both the pro-establishment camp and the pan-democratic camp have acted in collusion with the Communist Party of China LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8261
(CPC) and the Hong Kong communist regime by unanimously denouncing the liberation protests staged by those compelled to protest against the smuggling of parallel goods. They have put the cart before the horse. This is detestable.
Mr Vincent FANG's motion and the amendments proposed by Members from the pro-establishment camp only mention the protection of the safety of tourists shopping in Hong Kong, but totally disregard the damage inflicted by the large number of Mainland tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) and parallel goods smuggling syndicates on Hong Kong's community economy and public order; whereas the amendments proposed by Members from the pan-democratic camp are self-debasing and grovelling in begging the CPC and Hong Kong communists to cancel the policy on multiple-entry endorsements and tighten the IVS policy. The politicians are attempting to please moderate and conservative voters, but dare not offend Beijing officials. Hong Kong people have no choice but to defend their home on their own initiative. I must reiterate that the liberation protests are self-rescue actions taken by Hong Kong people in defence of local interests, which must be supported.
In urban areas, soaring rents have forced small business operators to wind up their business, making it very difficult for people working in the vicinity to find eateries which offer food at reasonable prices. The children of Hong Kong people have no hope of starting their own business or acquiring their own homes. Being unable to fend for themselves, they can only become low-paid salespersons of large chain enterprises and struggle to survive. Large chain enterprises are engaged in profiteering at the expense of all Hong Kong people, which has not only harmed local people's livelihood, but has also resulted in the homogeneity and hollowness of industries. Pro-establishment Members, the Hong Kong communist regime and the so-called prominent members of the community have talked glibly about hospitality, a shoppers' paradise, and so on, but have turned a blind eye to the plight of Hong Kong people in their daily lives.
Last year, ZHANG Zhijun, Minister of The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, visited Taiwan. In Kaohsiung, he was confronted by protesters who tried to splash paint on him in protest. The establishmentarians in Taiwan severely criticized such an act as overly radical and contrary to the proper way of receiving a guest. In response to the establishmentarians' censure, LIN Feifan, a leader of the Sunflower Student Movement, published an article entitled "What is as important as the proper way of receiving a guest ― the proper way of being a guest". It states, and I quote, "Those who are concerned about the proper way of receiving this guest should, perhaps, also be concerned 8262 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 about whether he has fully complied with the proper way of being a guest. Leaving aside courtesy, which demands reciprocity, this guest is even lacking in basic respect as he has insisted on talking and negotiating with the host without regard to the wish of the host. When receiving such an ill-intentioned guest, even though he comes from afar, we as the host should clearly express our stance and make our attitude clear to him, rather than belittling ourselves to hypocritically pander to what he asks for."
The CPC is the main culprit in causing the problems of smuggling and tax evasion and intensifying conflicts between the clans of the two places. The SAR Government should, on behalf of Hong Kong people, make representations to Beijing to clearly express its stance. With justice on its side, the Government should have done so in a way that is neither servile nor haughty, and it is obliged to do so. Regrettably, as the Hong Kong communist regime seeks to guess what its master is thinking, and is afraid of enraging its master, the problems remain unresolved. Now that the master has hinted that the policy on multiple-entry endorsements may be tightened up, the pro-establishment camp and Hong Kong communists have echoed this view. In behaving in such a way as to blindly belittle themselves to hypocritically pander to what the master asks for, they are "those who are bound to be slaves" as described by LU Xun.
No wonder some people in Hong Kong regard the Hong Kong communist regime as a foreign colonial regime. Hong Kong people do not wish to be slaves of the CPC and Hong Kong communists, nor are they willing to wait year after year for the Government to improve its governance. The courageous protests against parallel trading activities are self-rescue actions that mark the beginning of a movement to liberate the communities and defend the original lifestyle of Hong Kong people, so as to enable Hong Kong people to once again become "independent individuals" who can be their own masters.
According to the statistics on visitor arrivals for January 2015, the total visitor arrivals reached some 5.6 million, of which 80% were Mainland visitors, who numbered some 4.4 million in total. They have wreaked havoc on the original community landscape of Hong Kong. Mainland visitors under the IVS have turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to Hong Kong's cultural and social norms, ravaging and trampling on Hong Kong's moral standards, whereas parallel goods smugglers have frenetically snapped up daily necessities in Hong Kong, seriously affecting social order and the daily lives of Hong Kong people. Many of them are not tourists, but only overbearing visitors and smugglers.
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Hong Kong people have heard a lot of the unscrupulous acts of Mainland visitors, such as carving their names on the base of a pyramid, washing their feet in the pool in front of the Louvre, climbing onto the bronze bull at Wall Street for photo-taking, and so on. Mainland tourists have gained international notoriety. Is it not necessary for Hong Kong people to pay attention to the customs and feelings of local people when travelling abroad? Many governments invariably put the lives of their people before all other considerations. Only the foreign, puppet Hong Kong communist regime will keep talking about inclusiveness and hospitality, while asking Hong Kong people to drain the cup of humiliation.
In 1927, LU Xun delivered a speech entitled "Silent China" at the YMCA of Hong Kong. In one of its paragraphs, which I think the President is very familiar with, LU Xun said, "By temperament the Chinese love compromise and a happy mean. For instance, if you say this room is too dark and a window should be made, everyone is sure to disagree. But if you propose taking off the roof, they will compromise and be glad to make a window. In the absence of more drastic proposals, they will never agree to the most inoffensive reforms."1 In the light of this, the liberation protests constitute a self-rescue movement by Hong Kong people. We should pay the highest tribute to those righteous defenders of our home.
Today, in this Chamber, I believe that I, WONG Yuk-man, am the only person who is bold enough to make these comments. No one else dares to say the same. This concludes my speech.
MR CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG (in Cantonese): President, Hong Kong has been renowned as a shoppers' paradise and a hospitable city over the years, and as Hong Kong people have always been civilized and polite, enthusiastic and hospitable, we give a good impression to people outside Hong Kong. This should be the pride of Hong Kong people. Unfortunately, anti-parallel trading protests have repeatedly broken out these days; radical protesters have turned districts such as Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun and Tsim Sha Tsui upside down, hurling abuses and attacking visitors from the Mainland. These incidents have dealt a
1 LU Xun (1927) Silent China. Translated by YANG Xianyi and Gladys YANG. In: Lu Xun Selected Essays. Nanjing: Yilin Press, 2009. 8264 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 severe blow to the local tourism industry, seriously disrupting normal social order and the foundation of the rule of law. If such acts are not curbed in time, the consequences would be dreadful.
The anti-parallel trading protests have recently evolved into protests held every Sunday. Radical protesters who wear masks charged into shops, circled passers-by, kicked suitcases and hurled abuses at women and children. Their actions have clearly gone beyond the normal expression of demands and the bottom line of tolerance in a civilized society. These are simply the acts of hoodlums, and I strongly condemn these misdemeanours.
Regrettably, some pan-democratic Members were recently named and criticized by the Chief Executive for taking the lead to protest against anti-Mainland visitors by dragging luggage around. The Members concerned argued that this is a kind of performance art. May I ask those Members if parallel traders dragging luggage around also considered as a kind of performance art? I believe the public have sharp eyes and they must be able to differentiate between staging performance art and instigating China-Hong Kong conflicts.
President, over the past year or so, owing to frequent incidents targeting Mainland visitors in Hong Kong, our tourism, retail and hotel industries have been experiencing a cold winter. According to statistics, during the Labour Day Golden Week holiday and the Dragon Boat Festival holiday last year, as well as the Chinese New Year holiday this year, the numbers of Mainland visitors dropped as compared with the preceding year. The number of Mainland tours dropped 1.8% year-on-year since 2014; and the number in the first two months in 2015 decreased by 4.5% as compared with the same period last year. On total retail sales, following a decline for six months in a row early last year, there is a year-on-year decrease of 14.6% in January this year. These statistics have proved that a series of actions against Mainland visitors have adversely affected various industries, including the tourism industry. It is imminent to think of ways to stop such acts which undermine our economy and reputation.
It is even more worrying that anti-parallel trading is just an excuse used by the radical groups. As we all know, for activities in the name of "anti-locusts", "dragging luggage", "shopping tour" protests or "liberation" protests, they are organized by the same group of people. They are fond of fighting and pay no regard to law and order, causing chaos to society. Some radical anti-parallel LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8265 trading protesters even wave the flag of "Hong Kong independence" from time to time. We cannot help wondering that the people who mastermind the anti-parallel trading protests are using anti-parallel trading as an excuse, with the ultimate purpose of stirring up China-Hong Kong conflicts and advocating "Hong Kong independence".
Let us not forget that after the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the financial tsunami in 2008, Hong Kong sought help from the Central Government to rescue the ailing economy. The Central Government thus introduced the policies on Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) and multiple-entry endorsements to support Hong Kong. At that time, these two policies really revived our economy. If we now want to cancel the multiple-entry endorsements policy and limit the number of IVS visitors simply because we do not have sufficient receiving capacity, we are actually "turning to people who are helpful but not pleasing in difficult times but abandoning them in happy times". This is too selfish and self-centred. Should we not care about the feelings of our Mainland compatriots?
President, it is a fact that parallel trading activities have caused disturbance to some Hong Kong people, and I also agree that there is room for discussion and review of the policy on multiple-entry endorsements. However, the situation has been exaggerated by Ms Emily LAU, she simply tried to scare people with frightening words. Yet, if one thinks that cancelling the multiple-entry endorsements policy across the board and restricting the number of IVS visitors can solve the problem of parallel traders, he is just getting the crux of the matter wrong.
President, the root of the parallel trading problem is the inadequate receiving capacity of Hong Kong. Only by expanding expeditiously facilities in support of the tourism industry can we solve the problem. Limiting the number of visitors is a palliative measure that will not help solve the problem.
The Chief Executive stressed this morning the important role played by the tourism industry in Hong Kong, contributing to 4.7% of our GDP, and providing a lot of job opportunities for low-skilled and unskilled workers in Hong Kong. The IVS is the lifeblood of the tourism industry. Therefore, I think the authorities should expeditiously increase our tourist receiving capacity and, at the same time, ask Central Authorities to open up more cities under the IVS, so as to attract more overnight Mainland visitors and Southeast Asian tourists. This should be conducive to the economic development of Hong Kong.
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With these remarks, President, I support the original motion of Mr Vincent FANG and the amendments of Mr Andrew LEUNG and Mr WONG Ting-kwong. Thank you, President.
MR MA FUNG-KWOK (in Cantonese): President, the motion proposed by Mr Vincent FANG is at present the talk of the town. From the perspective of society as a whole, the tourism industry is an important pillar of Hong Kong's economy. From the perspective of the business sector, the tourism industry and some 200 000 industry practitioners, the number of tourists affects their livelihood. That said, if parallel trading activities directly affect the daily lives of residents and give rise to widespread discontent, the problem cannot be resolved simply by demanding more patience and tolerance from the public as in the case of the Secretary asking people to wait for another train.
First of all, I believe that it is a common consensus to impose restrictions on parallel traders. Parallel traders are indeed vastly different from Mainland tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS). Tourists come to Hong Kong for shopping, entertainment and sight-seeing, and of course they will also buy a limited quantity of items for self-use. Parallel traders are different. They come to Hong Kong for carrying duty-free Hong Kong commodities into the Mainland. Moving like ants, they make multiple trips across the border every day, dragging luggage and goods. They have probably contravened their conditions of stay in Hong Kong. From the perspective of the Mainland, these are acts of tax evasion or tax avoidance, and the relevant departments on the Mainland should impose restrictions or sanctions. In addition, if the policy on multiple-entry endorsements is being abused by parallel traders, I agree that the governments of both places should consider imposing some restrictions.
However, in restricting the arrangement of multiple-entry endorsements, we must strike a balance. The measures must be target specific and avoid "tarring all people with the same brush". Some people may need to make multiple trips to and from Hong Kong for business purpose or for taking care of their families, so they should not be affected by the restriction. The Mainland and Hong Kong should negotiate and avoid an across-the-board approach. In fact, according to the statistics provided by the Security Bureau, among 100 000 visitors travelling on multiple-entry endorsements, only three have been arrested due to unlawful parallel trading. Our measures on trip restriction must not affect the many innocent people.
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My second point is, when addressing this problem, the Governments of both places must work in concerted efforts and make a decision through negotiation. The Government of either side should not unilaterally hold the other side accountable. In the case of restricting parallel traders, apart from Mainlanders, many local people are also involved. In reply to a Member's question in the Legislative Council earlier, the Secretary for Security indicated that Mainland and Hong Kong residents each account for 50% of parallel traders. Figures from Shenzhen checkpoints indicate that Hong Kong residents account for over 60%. For this reason, even if the Governments of both places implement measures to restrict the number of trips made by Mainland residents to Hong Kong, more Hong Kong residents can easily be recruited to take up the work as long as the trade is still lucrative. If we just blame the Mainland for parallel trading activities, thinking that by restricting Mainlanders' trip to Hong Kong, the problem can be solved, we will most probably make a wrong diagnosis, and the prescription will not be able to cure the disease.
Another point I would like to make is related to the attitude of the SAR Government in handling the problem. According to the figures provided by the Secretary for Security in reply to a Member's question last week, we can see that the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Department, the Fire Services Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Lands Department have taken certain law-enforcement actions, of which I express my appreciation. However, as the Secretary merely emphasized in his reply that the problem had already been relayed to the Central Government for a final decision, he seemed to keep himself aloof from the problem and this attitude can hardly be described as responsible. As I have previously pointed out, the anti-parallel trading activities in recent years have, to a certain extent, caused some misunderstandings and even conflicts between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and the problem can no longer be addressed merely from the perspective of business operation. Rather, we should earnestly take account of the relations between Hong Kong and the Mainland. I think the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau should play a role in addressing the problem. I would very much like to know Secretary Raymond TAM's views on this problem.
President, apart from the problem of parallel traders, the excessive reliance of the tourism industry on Mainland visitors and the insufficient capacity of local infrastructure facilities are also problems that the SAR Government must tackle. I think the SAR Government should further consider and actively proceed with a recent proposal on developing border shopping centres. 8268 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Finally, I would like to express my views on levying a land departure tax, which I believe is not be a sound strategy to tackle the problem of parallel traders. In fact, when exchanges between the two places are becoming increasingly frequent, levying such a tax will directly affect normal exchanges and integration. More importantly, if Hong Kong levies such a tax, the Mainland will also have the same justification to levy a tax on Hong Kong people, and in the long run, we will not be benefited. For this reason, I will oppose the relevant amendment.
President, I so submit.
MR NG LEUNG-SING (in Cantonese): President, profiteering by way of parallel trading is a worldwide phenomenon, but recently in Hong Kong, protestors blatantly disregarded the law, resorted to violence and even treated visitors inhumanely, adversely affecting local residents. Under the pretext of anti-parallel trading protests, they were actually sustaining their grievances over the failure of the Occupy movement by taking advantage of the residents' discontent with parallel traders. Some radical organizations have gone so far as to undermine the rule of law, disrupt social order and instigate xenophobia against the Mainland. Many of the protestors covered their face, wore a mask and a hat, just like the followers of Al-Qaeda, and they dared not reveal their true faces. They held special banners, chanted slogans and scribbled all over the place. All these revealed that they had malicious motives. No wonder some media organizations have described their behaviour as "hooligans going crazy", and some columnists have called them "terrorists" who want to establish ISIS in Hong Kong. Regarding those hooligans and their attempt to promote "Hong Kong independence", the legislature of the SAR should express our strong condemnation.
It is a well-known fact that the outbreak of SARS in 2003 dealt a severe blow to Hong Kong's economy, and the tourism industry hit the bottom at that time. With the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) by the Central Authorities, Hong Kong's economy saw its recovery, and the retail, catering, hotel and tourism industries all benefited remarkably. To date, the tourism industry has developed into one of the four pillar industries of Hong Kong, contributing 5% to our GDP, with a workforce of some 250 000, representing nearly 7% of the total workforce of Hong Kong. The development of the tourism industry gives impetus to the development of other relevant industries, and we can thus say a booming industry leads to the prospering of multiple industries. The recent LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8269 spate of abominable incidents of the so-called "liberation" protests have, after being covered by the Chinese and foreign media, severely impaired the reputation of Hong Kong as a hospitable city, deterring not only Mainland visitors but also international visitors from visiting Hong Kong. According to the tourism industry, the number of Mainland tourist groups dropped drastically year-on-year by 30% last month, and the number even plunged by 60% early this month; the number of Southeast Asian visitors also dropped by 20%. The situation is worrying.
Tourism is a smokeless industry and its output is conducive to the economy; its development should thus be promoted rather than hindered. Regarding issues such as parallel trading, the IVS and the arrangement of multiple-entry endorsements, discussions have been held in the community and concerns have been aroused. Certainly, the Government should effectively tackle the problem and balance the impact of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong. I think the Government should make the best use of the situation to formulate short-, medium- and long-term planning.
In the short-term, since it is reported that residents from both places each account for 50% of the parallel traders, parallel trading is not merely a problem involving Mainlanders. In this connection, the customs and excise authorities of both places should take rigorous law-enforcement actions. In particular, the authorities should adopt administrative means to crack down on syndicated parallel trading activities by restricting the unreasonable number of trips made each day by those people carrying commodities across the border, levying taxes on those parallel traders so as to reduce their incentives, thereby striking a balance between normal exchanges and parallel trading activities.
In the medium-term, in order to cater for the shopping needs of non-local visitors, the Government should focus on developing border shopping centres as suggested by a number of members, so as to divert non-local visitors who intend to purchase various items and avoid causing inconvenience to local residents.
In the long-term, a rational delineation of residential areas as well as commercial and tourism areas should be made in respect of urban planning, and there should be a proper distribution of ancillary transport, tourism, catering and retail facilities, with the aim of developing Hong Kong into an international tourist city. In the coming years, there will be a successive completion of various large-scale infrastructure facilities, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Express Rail Link and several railway 8270 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 extensions, as well as new scenic spots such as the Multi-purpose Sports Complex in Kai Tak and the West Kowloon Cultural District. In addition, there are the extension of the two theme parks, existing scenic spots like the renowned and charming Victoria Harbour, the Global Geopark and country parks, as well as activities in the areas of traditional culture and arts, it is expected that the Pearl of the Orient will be more glittering.
President, the long-term sustainable development of the tourism industry requires the support of diversified services in respect of convention, exhibition and product promotion, enhanced hardware facilities and greater receiving capacity. It is also very important to develop software to standardize the professional level of our reception services, and create a quality and safe environment for tourists. Since it took decades for Hong Kong to develop into an international tourist city and establish its reputation as Asia's World City, we must never allow the so-called nativists to pick quarrels, stir up troubles, cause disturbance, inflict damage, harass tourists, impede business operations, affect the normal daily life of the public, and act against the fundamental interests of Hong Kong. At the same time, the authorities must seriously punish those lawbreakers according to the law, so as to provide an equally safe and joyful environment to tourists and local residents in their daily life.
President, I so submit.
DR HELENA WONG (in Cantonese): President, the Democratic Party does not endorse any form of verbal abuse or physical violence to harass Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) visitors savagely. That said, I hope that pro-establishment Members or government officials will not treat those who initiated the harassment as hooligans. What had triggered them to harass IVS visitors in this manner? Has the Government directly responded to their complaints and taken any positive action so far? Due to the failure of the Government to resolve the problem, people had to employ their own means to change the status quo and regain the future of their community. They were employing their own means to force the Government to face up to the problem. The failure and procrastination on the part of the Government infuriated members of the public, so they had to force the Government to respond. People have realized that if they do not employ such means, the Government will pay no attention whatsoever to them. For this reason, it is the Government which has fostered such behaviour. I think we need to face up to such a vicious cycle.
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President, the IVS was rolled out in July 2003 as one of the post-SARS measures taken by the Mainland to support Hong Kong. Despite the contribution of the IVS to the economy of Hong Kong over the past 12 years, the continuous growth of Mainland visitors has nevertheless caused negative impacts and nuisances on the livelihood and daily lives of local residents. We need to face up to the fact. The drastic rises in shop rentals in popular shopping districts have driven away old or small shops popular among local residents, and shops are becoming homogeneous as they scramble to cater for Mainland customers. Owing to the tight supply of shops, and the continuous robust development of the retail industry driven by the booming inbound tourism industry, the rents of retail shops rose by an average of 69.4% from 2004 to 2013. The pressure of rental increases not only affects shops in traditional tourist districts, but also shops in the New Territories, particularly Tuen Mun and districts along the East Rail Line such as Sheung Shui, Fan Ling and Sha Tin.
The increase in shop rental has changed the profile of the retail industry in traditional tourist districts like Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok as well as other districts along the East Rail Line. Shopping malls and shops that mainly attract inbound Mainland visitors have increased sharply in the said districts, and they scramble to sell high-end products that are highly popular among Mainland visitors, such as luxury watches, jewellery, designer leather handbags, electronic products, clothing, and so on. The visitors not only snap up pricey items, but also inexpensive daily necessities like powdered formula, pharmaceutical products, as well as toiletries such as shampoo and cosmetics. At the same time, some small shops that cater for the needs of local residents are forced to close down or relocate to districts with light visitor flows or less expensive rents for survival.
In the nine years from 2004 to 2013, the number of cosmetics and toiletries shops recorded a steep increase of 1 500%, which is very shocking. According to a survey conducted by a newspaper on the distribution of pharmacies, well-liked by parallel traders and IVS visitors, in the 18 districts of Hong Kong, there are 494 pharmacies in Yau Tsim Mong District, a district with the most extensive distribution of pharmacies, and there is one pharmacy for every 638 persons. The survey also reveals that six out of eight shops in a section of the Argyle Street are pharmacies. President, if we want to go shopping, but find that six out of eight shops in a street are pharmacies, how come our community has come to this state.
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The Democratic Party opines that in order to resolve the problems arising from the IVS, it is necessary to abolish the arrangement of multiple-entry endorsements. Studies should be conducted on replacing the arrangement by "eight trips per year". It is sufficient for general visitors to travel to Hong Kong eight times per year or twice every three months on average. In the meantime, business visa holders and parents of cross-boundary "doubly non-permanent resident students" should be exempted. While the Government and some people are concerned that tightening the arrangement of multiple-entry endorsements may deal a serious blow to the tourism industry, some academics point out that according to their analyses and studies, if the arrangement is tightened, parallel traders may probably have to recruit more Hong Kong people to carry merchandise over the border, just like moving ants, leading to the increase in costs and some pharmacies, particularly non-chain pharmacies, may have to cease operation. According to the academics, the closure of pharmacies will not have any significant impact on the operation of the retail market as a whole, but will rather trigger a drop in rents, which will in turn rescue those small shops on the brink of business closure due to exorbitant rents, and put the retail industry of Hong Kong back on the track of sound development.
In fact, tightening the IVS has gained extensive public support in Hong Kong. A recent survey conducted by Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong to gauge public views about the IVS has revealed that 63% of the respondents agreed that the number of IVS visitors has already exceeded the receiving capacity of Hong Kong. Nearly 90% of the respondents agreed to the tightening of the IVS even if such a move may cause negative impact on the local economy. In addition, some 70% of the respondents support the abolition of the policy of multiple-entry endorsements for residents with Shenzhen household registration. It is thus clear that the Government can no longer evade the problem and allow people to tackle it on their own, the Government must come up with an effective way to control the number of inbound Mainland visitors and resolve the social problems arising from the IVS.
With these remarks, I support Mr SIN Chung-kai's amendment.
MR CHAN HAK-KAN (in Cantonese): President, troublemakers have, in the name of protesting against parallel traders, stirred up troubles successively in Sheung Shui, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, seriously disrupting public order in the districts and tarnishing the image of Hong Kong. In this regard, Hong Kong LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8273 people and I strongly condemn such acts. I have just heard certain pan-democratic Members claiming repeatedly that they do not endorse physical violence or verbal abuse. However, they then indicated that if these anti-parallel trading protestors had not protested in the name of "liberation", the Government would not have taken any follow-up action. Such a saying virtually lends support to these troublemakers and inflates their arrogance. The problem related to parallel traders has now seen signs of resolution, and according to some parallel trader concern groups, the problem has been alleviated after the Chinese New Year. Whether the problem of parallel traders can be resolved by liberation actions or scuffles, or whether the implementation of certain measures can lead to its long-term resolution, I believe Hong Kong people have discerning eyes. I think we should resolve the problem of parallel traders in a peaceful, rational and pragmatic manner. Hong Kong and Mainland customs and immigration authorities have played a pivotal role in this regard. They have stepped up the inspection of goods and conducted "lighting" operation to resolve the problem of parallel traders.
However, even if the problem of parallel traders can be eradicated, some people still hold the view that their daily lives will be affected if too many tourists go to their communities for shopping. Some politicians have taken the opportunity to hype up the issue, attributing all the problems to Mainlanders and wantonly instigating hatred against Mainlanders. I think such means are despicable. The problem with Hong Kong nowadays is our insufficient capacity to receive tourists. I recall that many motions or oral questions were raised in this Chamber asking the Government how to resolve the problem concerning our insufficient capacity to receive tourists. As we have failed to formulate proper planning for transport and ancillary tourist facilities, we are unable to appropriately divert inbound tourists. As tourists who want to purchase daily necessities go to the communities in the New Territories, and such communities do not expect to receive large numbers of tourists, conflicts have thus arisen. The problem is as simple as this. President, there is no need to escalate the discontent to the level of confrontation or liberation.
I think the most important question is whether there is a place that can attract tourists for shopping, and such a place should be far away from the urban areas. In fact, Mr WONG Ting-kwong of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong has proposed a long time ago the establishment of a border shopping centre, so that Mainland visitors can shop there immediately after crossing the border, and there is no need for them to travel farther to places like Yuen Long, Sha Tin, Tai Po and the North District by 8274 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 taking the East Rail Line or using other modes of transport with local residents. Another advantage of a border shopping centre is that it creates employment opportunities for people in other areas of the New Territories, shops that are overly concentrated in other areas can also move to the border shopping centre. In this way, we can gradually normalize the local community economy of the New Territories and its community shops. The establishment of a border shopping centre is a measure that kills two birds with one stone, Mainland visitors are happy while residents in the New Territories can be benefited. I fail to see any reason to oppose or delay its implementation.
President, Hong Kong has all along been renowned for commerce across the globe. The flexibility, business acumen and hard work of Hong Kong people have contributed to the outstanding achievements of Hong Kong to date. As crises are usually followed by opportunities, we should not ignore the opportunities in Hong Kong society despite the presence of numerous conflicts nowadays. I believe Members have heard the story about He Shi Bi. The King of the State of Chu failed to recognize that He Shi Bi was a piece of rare and precious jade and thought that it was merely a stone, so he punished BIAN He, the founder of the jade, by cutting off his feet. Today, politicians who instigate social conflicts only discern problems rather than opportunities. Are there any difference between them and the King of Chu who cut off the feet of BIAN He? I learn that the Mainland authorities intend to establish a Hong Kong commodity centre in Qianhai; this reflects that they have recognized the precious jade inside the stone. Others will do what we have failed to do. Instead of selling Hong Kong commodities in the Hong Kong commodity centre on the Mainland, why do we not establish our own border shopping centre? Nowadays we need to turn crises into opportunities and resolve social conflicts through rational and justified means.
President, I welcome the operation of a temporary border shopping centre by a non-governmental organization in the near future. I hope the concept of a temporary border shopping centre can be actualized shortly. In the long run, only by establishing a permanent border shopping centre can the problem of Mainland tourists shopping in local communities be resolved. I hope that Secretary Gregory SO can actively proceed with this plan, which I believe is worthy to do so.
President, I so submit.
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MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): President, when the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) was launched in 2003, it was indeed a panacea to the weak economy of Hong Kong. At that time, the economy of Hong Kong was in dire straits after experiencing the financial turmoil and SARS outbreak. The IVS stimulated the tourism industry and the retail market, leading our overall economy towards gradual recovery. Nevertheless, the number of visitor arrivals from the Mainland increased substantially from 6.3 million in 2006 to 47 million last year. As Hong Kong is just a tiny place, it is not easy to receive such a huge number of visitors. Moreover, the living habits of Mainland visitors are quite different from those of Hong Kong people, and with the rising number of visitors, cultural conflicts would arise easily. If the then Government was far-sighted and had taken measures to divert the visitors and introduced some remedial measures, such as improving tourism facilities, enhancing the capacity in receiving visitors and optimizing the IVS policy to ease the conflicts on all sides, the situation of today would not have arisen.
In recent years, as the Legislative Council has become highly politicized, some Members keep filibustering and have initiated the non-cooperation movement, the energy of the legislature has thus been wasted on meaningless political struggles and it has failed to focus on dealing with issues concerning people's livelihood. The work on monitoring the development of society has not been done properly, no timely discussion has been seriously held on the IVS policy and the problems incurred and no comprehensive follow-up actions have been taken. As a matter of fact, the Legislative Council should also assume some responsibilities.
In fact, recently, incidents of protestors harassing Mainland visitors with violence have occurred frequently, causing instant impacts on the tourism industry. The recent drop in the number of visitors may be attributed to Mainlanders fearing to visit Hong Kong after watching news footage of protestors kicking suitcases of other people. The behaviour of protestors really has served the purpose of scaring visitors away. Meanwhile, it is worrying that the international image of Hong Kong will be tarnished when people around the world have seen such scenes of conflict. Hong Kong has to pay a high price for this kind of brutality. The local economy is stagnant now, the performance of the retail market is particularly poor, and the property market is crisis-ridden. Once there is an economic downturn, everyone in Hong Kong will suffer.
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In the face of the social grievances towards IVS and the resulting cultural conflicts, the proper way of handling will be trying to ease the grievances and rectify the loopholes in the system, so as to restore peace in society. A kind-hearted person will adopt this approach. When a kind-hearted person sees his friends quarrelling, he will surely try to stop them instead of adding fuel to the fire. Appallingly, there are people who not only refuse to help to solve conflicts, but keep sowing discord. They stir up conflicts between different races or clans, direct the radicals to be hostile to Mainland visitors, magnify indefinitely the uncivilized behaviour of visitors to intentionally create confrontation between Hong Kong people and Mainland visitors, and lastly, they even instigate the radicals to use violence against visitors. Sadly, the victims are the elderly, women and even children. I trust most members of the public feel distressed and helpless when they see such a scene, wondering why people have degenerated to such a state? People who stir up trouble do so for getting personal gain by causing harm to society. These people are in fact the lowest wretches who do things that normal people will never do. They try to get ballots by sowing discord and will eventually be condemned by their own conscience and spurned by the public.
Many Members propose amendments today. Some Members propose to delete the words "recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people" in the original motion; and the amendment proposed by Dr KWOK Ka-ki is most exaggerated, he proposed to replace the above clause by "there have even been a number of clashes between the Police and members of the public". In fact, all people of Hong Kong have seen the scene of protestors treating visitors with violence; only Dr KWOK Ka-ki fails to see the fact and even describes the incidents as clashes between the Police and members of the public. He is simply talking black into white, trying to cheat the people of Hong Kong. On the one hand, he tries to whitewash the atrocities of the protestors and shifts the responsibilities onto the Police on the other. I will definitely oppose such a mean practice of confusing right and wrong.
I so submit.
MR KENNETH LEUNG (in Cantonese): President, many protests targeting Mainland visitors have occurred in Hong Kong in the past few weeks. Many Members present have also stepped forward to condemn these protests. Certainly, it is my wish that all protests will be conducted in a peaceful, rational and restrained manner, and will not damage the image of Hong Kong.
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Regrettably, there is now a kind of sentiment against Mainland visitors. We now criticize the protestors for using violence in this Chamber, but even if we made criticisms time and again, the problem cannot be resolved because we have not prescribed the right medicine. We have to take note of the impacts caused by the present overflow of visitors. Public officers who hold power and have a say in formulating government policy must consider introducing practical measures and policies to ease social conflicts. This is the best way to resolve the present problems; raising criticism alone does not help.
There are currently many discussions in society on how to resolve the problems of parallel traders. I think these discussions are not comprehensive, albeit desirable, because the inconvenience caused to the daily lives of Hong Kong people and their dissatisfaction are, to a great extent, related to an excessive number of visitors. Many colleagues have said that the tourism industry is one of the four major pillar industries in Hong Kong, accounting for 5% of the Gross Domestic Product. However, I also have pointed out, if we can receive visitors of a higher quality, say, those who come here to spend $10,000 instead of $100, then we do not have to receive 100 000 visitors. This is the option that we definitely ought to take.
President, there were 60.8 million visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in 2014, which was 8.4 times of the local population. If we compare this figure with the 21.81 million visitor arrivals in 2004, the increase rate was as high as 179%. However, the so-called "headcount" increase is not proportional to the actual increase in our earnings. We should concentrate our resources and capacity to receive high value-added visitors instead of those who come here to buy shampoo, powdered formula or daily commodities. Hong Kong is a small place with an area of just 1 000 sq km, but the increase rate in visitors is so frightening.
If we compare Hong Kong with some cities that we like to visit, New York is much bigger than Hong Kong in terms of area, its visitor arrival in 2014 was 56.4 million. From this comparison of figures, we can see the number of visitor arrivals in Hong Kong is frightening. Here I am talking about the quantity, not the cost-effectiveness. The cost-effectiveness is not significant. Why then do we still put efforts in the retail level which has such a low cost-effectiveness rate? Although many fellow Members said that shopping is a part of travel, let me give an example: will we go to London or New York 20 times a year for shopping? We go there for travelling, for enjoying the culture and folklore of the city, but not solely for shopping.
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According to the Assessment Report on Hong Kong's Capacity to Receive Tourists released in late 2013, it is projected that visitor arrivals in 2017 would exceed 70 million, while that in 2023 could exceed 100 million. How then can we receive the visitors? Are we capable for receiving such a large number of visitors? Can we simply ignore the living of Hong Kong residents?
Hong Kong has only limited receiving capacity, resources and land, and we cannot expand our infrastructure facilities indefinitely. Is Hong Kong capable of receiving 200 million visitor arrivals? Even though we can gain a lot of money, but are we capable to do so? Surely not. We should focus our resources on receiving high value-added visitors. We should now review the multiple-entry endorsement scheme and even gradually abolish it. Certainly, such measures involve different provinces and cities, and I also understand that there would be difficulties to change the measures at short notice; yet the Government can in fact adopt other measures for adjusting the number of visitors as well as their current mode of travelling.
President, I have suggested earlier that the Government may impose an arrival tax on visitors. This suggestion has been discussed in many newspapers as well. This measure will not only broaden the tax base, but also increase revenue. If the Government takes taxation as a policy tool, it can adjust the number of inbound visitors, and also make use of the tax collected for building tourism infrastructure. If an arrival tax at $50 is levied on visitors, the amount will not be significant for those overnight visitors who come to Hong Kong for spending. But for those parallel traders who travel to and from Hong Kong three or four times a day, this amount may have some deterrent effects.
Apart from introducing an arrival tax for visitors, the Government may also study the feasibility of promoting alternative modes of travel. The World Trade Organization proposed the concept of sustainable tourism as early as 2004. By sustainable tourism, it means that in developing tourism, apart from catering the needs of existing visitors and travel areas, the chance for further development should also be safeguarded and increased. To achieve this goal, the requests from society and people should be safeguarded in managing resources, and the local culture, traditions and ecology should be maintained as well. In planning the future tourism industry, the Government should attach importance to "qualitative" instead of only "quantitative" enhancement. We should focus on the increase in revenue but not the number of visitors.
President, I so submit.
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MR WU CHI-WAI (in Cantonese): There is no doubt that the tourism industry is an important pillar of Hong Kong's economy. Even though Hong Kong is a financial centre, we will not allow our development as a financial centre to jeopardize the safety of Hong Kong's financial system. By the same token, we will not sacrifice the normal lives of Hong Kong people for the sake of the development of the tourism industry. When the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) brings into Hong Kong an overwhelming number of visitors far exceeding Hong Kong's receiving capacity, and consequently affecting Hong Kong people's daily lives and exerting great pressure on all trades and industries and other economic aspects, it is certainly not the role that we expect the tourism industry should play in our economy.
In fact, one's travelling experience is certainly not limited to shopping, but rather the overall feeling gained on the whole trip. But today, many colleagues, the pro-establishment Members in particular, say that shopping is the most important activity of visitors. We should not limit the development of the tourism industry to the provision of shopping services, but should instead provide visitors with a good overall travelling experience. The shopping habits of Mainland visitors may change as the environment in China changes. For example, as pointed out by many colleagues, free trade zones will be established in China. If one or two shopping centres are established in China, and the quality of the goods sold there is comparable with which sold in Hong Kong, Mainland visitors may decide not to come to Hong Kong for shopping. Therefore, we should not simply equate travelling experience with shopping experience, or equate the development of the tourism industry with satisfying the shopping needs of visitors. That is the cause of today's conflicts. That is also why we always emphasize that if no restriction is imposed, when the receiving capacity of the tourism facilities in Hong Kong cannot catch up with the demand of the IVS visitors, China-Hong Kong conflicts will arise.
In fact, we do not bring up this issue when we see this phenomenon today. As early as 2003 when LEUNG Chun-ying requested the Central Government to introduce the IVS, the Central Government had raised this concern and asked whether the SAR Government could cope with the impact of the introduction of the IVS and whether Hong Kong was well prepared to receive the huge number of IVS visitors. Regrettably, the then SAR Government and LEUNG Chun-ying, "Father of the IVS", stressed that there would be no problem and Hong Kong could cope with the situation.
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The facts are before our eyes. Can we cope with the situation? Can we enhance our ancillary tourism facilities fast enough to keep up with the growth in the number of visitors? Or is the growth in the number of visitors disproportionate to our receiving capacity? This well indicates that in our pursuit of the introduction of the IVS, we only saw one side of the coin but lost sight of the negative impact brought by it.
More unfortunately, when the public made criticisms about the impact of the IVS, LEUNG Chun-ying criticized Hong Kong people for "being conceited before getting rich". In making such a comment, LEUNG Chun-ying had obviously not adopted a positive attitude to timely address the social conflicts caused by the IVS. All he wants is to evade the problem, without seeing that the IVS has intensified China-Hong Kong conflicts. Apparently, in 2003, LEUNG Chun-ying misled the Central Government into introducing the IVS, either because he lied or because he had inadequately assessed the community's receiving capacity. Because of LEUNG Chun-ying's obstinacy, the IVS has become the core issue of China-Hong Kong conflicts.
Is the SAR Government truly out of its depth as to how to solve this problem? I do not think so. If the SAR Government had looked squarely at the problem when it first emerged and imposed restrictions on the activities of parallel traders or IVS visitors whose real purpose to travel to Hong Kong is to engage in trading and took action against them for beach of the condition of stay, it could have prevented the further deterioration of the problem. However, did the Government do so? No. Had the Government timely detected the border control problems and realized that those visitors who frequently crossed the border to buy and sell daily commodities were in fact parallel traders but not tourists to enjoy the travelling experience in Hong Kong, it could have addressed the problem through border control measures. But did the Government address the problem? No. It was not until the Central Government brought up the problem about the social conflicts caused by the IVS and instructed the SAR Government to address it seriously did the SAR Government take any action.
At the Question and Answer session today, LEUNG Chun-ying boasted eloquently about the Government's achievements in the past year in blacklisting over 10 000 parallel traders. If the authorities had done this several years ago, they could have significantly alleviated the problems facing the community today. Has the SAR Government discussed with the Central Government the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8281 speed of the introduction of the IVS according to the receiving capacity of Hong Kong? If we do not face these problems squarely, we are just like an ostrich burying our head in the sand and we will never be able to truly resolve the problems brought by the IVS.
Therefore, the Democratic Party has put forward a number of proposals, including restricting the number of IVS visitors and cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, which we believe to be positive measures. We may need time to explore the measures but if we can properly perform our gate-keeping role, these measures can alleviate the problem within a short time.
Thank you, President.
DR CHIANG LAI-WAN (in Cantonese): President, today I hear many colleagues in this Council express their hope about restricting the arrangement of multiple-entry endorsements and some even say that the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) should be abolished.
It cannot be denied that while everyone is talking enthusiastically about this motion, those who truly care about the economy of Hong Kong are somewhat worried. As we know, Hong Kong's service industry contributes 90% of Hong Kong's GDP. In other words, the majority of people in Hong Kong depend on the service industry to make their living. The service industry in Hong Kong mainly consists of the financial services industry and tourism industry. There is a great income discrepancy among the practitioners in the financial services industry and many of them are highly paid. This industry employs relatively few grass-roots workers. Which industry do the majority of people in Hong Kong rely on to make a living then? It may well be the tourism industry.
Just now, many Members, including Mr WU Chi-wai, said that since the introduction of the IVS, it has aroused conflicts in Hong Kong in various aspects, including China-Hong Kong relation. In this respect, I would like to make some corrections. The real culprit of those problems in Hong Kong today is not the IVS or parallel traders under discussion. We have to understand that since the introduction of the IVS, many Mainland visitors visit Hong Kong. They stay for a few days and go shopping in various major shopping areas in Hong Kong, not just in Tuen Mun or Yuen Long.
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It was only after the introduction of the policy on multiple-entry endorsements that parallel traders emerged in Hong Kong. There is another kind of visitors, the so-called "shopping visitors". Who are they? These people are just like ordinary Hong Kong residents. They go shopping on Saturdays and Sundays and then go home. The only difference is that their home is in Shenzhen. We must bear in mind the saying, "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." If we do not want those people to come to Hong Kong and tell them not to come again, we should know that there are also many "shopping visitors" from Hong Kong. They go to Shenzhen on Saturdays and Sundays for shopping, have their clothes tailored and enjoy a massage. People in both places are enjoying the shopping experience on the other side of the border.
Where does the crux of the problem lie? How can we solve the problem? I think the first measure the Government should consider is diversion, which is very important. I remember 10 years ago, the Government planned to build a Science City in the river-loop area at the border and I, acting as a representative of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, expressed our views to the Government. Today, when we look at the river-loop area at the border from Hong Kong Island, we find the place very far away, in the rural area, but from the perspective of the Guangdong Province, the area is situated in the centre where people in both places always pass by. How should this centre area be developed? Apart from setting up a border shopping centre or border shopping city in the area, it will be best to designate the area as a border tax free zone. Of course there is no tax levied on the sale of most commodities in Hong Kong, but a tax free zone is common in many parts of the world. In many places in the world, tax free centres are set up at the border, thus allowing people on both sides of the border to go shopping on Sundays.
A tax free zone not only serves to divert the tourists, but can also boost the business and create jobs in the North District, which will greatly benefit areas such as Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun where the unemployment rate has all along been very high. We should reserve a bigger area for the tax free zone and carry out the project as soon as possible. We can model on Disneyland and build a few dozen beautiful pedestrian boulevards in the zone. The boulevards can be named as Paris Boulevard, Spain Boulevard, Barcelona Boulevard or Rome Boulevard as we think fit. We can even sub-let those boulevards to different nationals to develop a market for the merchandise of their home countries. This suits Hong Kong's image as an international metropolis and can also help bring LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8283 merchandise from different parts of the world into the Mainland market, giving a chance to these nationals to showcase their products. They will be grateful to the Hong Kong Government, won't they?
President, no matter what, the fundamental and most serious problem of Hong Kong should be the homogeneity of industries. But so far, the Government still says that there is no land and it cannot help other industries. I really do not understand. Why was it that light industry products were once our biggest export? The lands in Hong Kong have not been reduced; but rather, through removal of hills and land reclamation in recent years, the lands in Hong Kong have increased a little. I sincerely hope that the relevant government departments will consider my suggestions.
Finally, I would like to say that before making any changes, the Government should pay attention to the situation of our business sector. Some shop owners may have already rented a shop, hired workers and ordered the merchandise. If the authorities suddenly say, starting from next month, Mainland visitors are not allowed to visit Hong Kong, or this and that restriction will be imposed, it will deal a heavy blow to these people's livelihood. We should at least grant a favourable grace period to shop owners, so that they can consider whether to renew their rental contract when it expires (The buzzer sounded) … and allow them to make a decision. Thank you, President.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Dr CHIANG, speaking time is up. Does any other Member wish to speak?
MR ALBERT CHAN (in Cantonese): President, on the issues of multiple-entry endorsements and the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), People Power has put forward a number of proposals over the years, including cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements. We ask the Central Authorities not to deal with Hong Kong by using tactics such as turning Tibet into Sichuan or turning Xinjiang people into Han race. The Central Authorities should not use economic tactics to destroy a place having its own characteristics. Hong Kong will be doomed by this political policy and local protests would continue to intensify. The greater the pressure, the higher the intensity, and we will inevitably find more protests in Hong Kong. The issues of multiple-entry endorsements and parallel traders are just like the tip of the iceberg, even if the 8284 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 issues of multiple-entry endorsements and parallel traders are alleviated and improved, if the strategy of China-Hong Kong integration is continuously adopted to deal with Hong Kong, there will never be days of peace in Hong Kong. Although we are discussing today the issues of multiple-entry endorsements and parallel traders, the political motives and political purposes behind these issues are crucial.
Speaking of the protests against parallel traders, many Members, especially royalist Members, have accused the use of violence. In fact, the Government is the most violent. Over the years, it has deprived the public of their democratic rights and political freedom. Black cops have abused power and beaten people. They have dragged people or beaten them up until they bleed, and they have abused violence. Mr CHAN Chi-chuen cited an example yesterday. An adolescent was not released on bail after he had been arrested for several days, and he was detained in Pik Uk for dozens of days, but the authorities finally removed all charges. Evidently, the Police's abuse of power is the most violent. I have repeatedly said in this Chamber that the Police's abuse of power and use of violence will inevitably intensify protests, and people will tend to become more violent in staging protest. History told us that this is an inevitable fact, right? In the democratic societies in the past few decades … even though many people who participated in protests supported the United Kingdom, we should pay attention to some historical facts which are connected with the development of violence and terrorism in Ireland in the United Kingdom.
Owing to political manipulation … Ireland in the 1960s was very similar to Hong Kong at present; the Communist Party of China (CPC) wants to manipulate Hong Kong, just as the United Kingdom wanted to manipulate Ireland back then ― I thank Mr SIN Chung-kai for his reminder, it should be Northern Ireland. Certainly, when we compare the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, we find that Hong Kong is more isolated and we have fewer people and resources. Our overall background is very similar though there are cultural differences. There are also religious differences between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.
During 40 years of violent protests and terrorism, there were incidents of bombing, assassination and gun battles; some people in the Northern Ireland prison who went on a hunger strike until they finally died. More than 100 000 people attended the funeral of the first person who died after the hunger strike. Political bodies that supported the independence of Northern Ireland won in many subsequent elections held in Northern Ireland, which demonstrated people's LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8285 aspirations. The situation in Hong Kong is the same, the more the CPC wants to suppress us and the more it wants Hong Kong to become un-Hong Kong, the forces supporting local protests will certainly expand and increase because this is an irresistible trend.
Northern Ireland experienced terrorism, death, and casualties within 40-odd years. From 2005 to 2006, all protesters decided to lay down their weapons and adopted peaceful means. They advocated and accepted the use of peaceful means to fight for independence and democracy. The origin of protest is despotism and dictatorship, and the deprivation of the equal rights of the people of Northern Ireland, especially Catholics. The case is just that simple.
The same happened in Hong Kong; the functional constituencies, bigwigs and pro-China camps have privileges and they control everything. Consequently, the rights of over 6 million ordinary people have been taken away. Hence, people participated in protests. As long as there is political discrimination and people have been deprived of their political rights, there will inevitably be protests. While there are political suppression, devil cops and seven cops beating a person in the dark corner, hostility will definitely be created, which will lead to violence.
Therefore, I call upon all those who support democracy and human rights; on the road of protest … Martin Luther KING has a famous saying: "Hatred paralyses life, love releases it; Hatred confuses life, love harmonizes it; Hatred darkens life, love illuminates it". I hope we could follow Martin Luther KING's path and continue to fight for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Does any other Member wish to speak?
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): President, I really think that the remarks made by pro-establishment Members are ridiculous. I do not understand the point made by Dr CHIANG Lai-wan because all commodities in Hong Kong are duty free. If a duty-free zone is set up at the border, the Mainland will certainly have to grant tax exemption; how can duty be exempted again, buddy? We only have alcohol and tobacco duties in Hong Kong. This issue involves the differences in duties and commodity prices; it originated from the failure of the Mainland Government in combating corruption, thereby giving rise to parallel trading activities. We all know that some people bribe customs 8286 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 officials so that the persons-in-charge shut their eyes to any illegal activities for half an hour to an hour, and they do not need to pay duties even if they carry $50,000. A person-in-charge at the Lo Wu Control Point was arrested for this reason. Why do Members who are concurrently deputies to the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference not mention this point? This is simply a waste of time! Since they are so patriotic, they should recover the duties for the country. The issue of duty differences can be resolved.
Regarding the difference between commodity prices, Renminbi is simply a piece of waste paper for the authorities keep printing banknotes and people come to Hong Kong for shopping. While we support the issue of banknotes with the Exchange Fund, the Mainland currency keeps appreciating, that is why people rush to Hong Kong to snap up our stuff. In the past, we paid HKD$80 for RMB 100 yuan, now we pay HKD$100 for RMB 80 yuan; there is a difference of more than 30 percentage points. While everybody in the Mainland come to Hong Kong for shopping, what has the pro-establishment camp done? This is the first point.
The second point, Mr WONG Yuk-man has said that he is the only one who supports anti-parallel trading protests. I have said many times that I do not oppose direct actions, but I think it is wrong to intimidate women and children with a view to achieving the purpose. Mr WONG Yuk-man has just quoted LU Xun's words, and I also want to quote LU Xun's words. President, you should have heard such words many times. LU Xun said, "When the courageous is angry, he comes down on the one stronger than he, but when the coward is angry, he comes down on the one weaker than he. In an incorrigible nation, many heroes glower at children. They are cowards! Children who grow up in anger will glower at other children. They will think, they have spent their whole life in angry. That is what anger is, and so they will be angry throughout their lives ― they will also be angry in their second, third and fourth lives, and until their last lives."
The reason for my opposition is that direct actions should target the state apparatus rather than ordinary people. What is the state apparatus? The state apparatus is to safeguard those in charge of the regime, not just any ordinary people. This is my position: direct actions should not target ordinary people; similarly, we oppose capitalism but we will not beat workers because they serve capitalists. We only target capitalists.
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Anyway, what has the pro-establishment camp said about the parallel trading? There are 250 000 people working in the tourism industry which accounted for 5% of the GDP. But we must not forget that there are opportunity costs. The airport runway also has opportunity costs. We are going to spend more than $140 billion on the construction of this project, but the results will be different if the sum is spent on other projects.
According to LEUNG Chun-ying, the "Father of the IVS", there was an economic downturn in 2003 because of SARS and we relied on the low value-added tourism industry for our economic recovery. That is really bad! He endorsed banks not conducting normal business but selling toxic products, and many Honourable colleagues had also rendered their support. That's really bad! Our public assets have been privatized and there is speculation in public housing. Buddy, in the course of the invasion of China by crony capitalism, parallel trading is just a trivial matter.
Let me cite an example. The Hang Seng index reflects the market value of listed companies, and 60% of these companies are China-affiliated enterprises which have penetrated into Hong Kong with far-reaching influence. For example, the bigwigs from Sichuan, whom I mentioned many times, provided capital for various public transport facilities, including bridges and tunnels, and have exploited Hong Kong people. I think it is perfectly justified to oppose them because they pushed up property prices and public utility charges, suppressed our wages and engaged in property speculation, thereby increasing the prices of "sub-divided units" and columbarium niches. We should oppose these people who only see images but lack abstract thinking; they are useless cowards.
President, insofar as violence is concerned, from 3 October to 4 October, there were conflicts between Occupy Central protestors and anti-Occupy Central protestors in Mong Kok, and the authorities connived a large number of triad members at beating Occupy Central protestors under the protection of the Police. What kind of violence were these? Some Members have accused acts of violence; are there any differences between these acts of violence and the acts of violence in which suitcases were kicked? I believe the nature is different. The state apparatus and triad members assaulted protestors engaging in peaceful demonstrations.
This example illustrated that "when the courageous is angry, he comes down on the one stronger than he"; Occupy Central protestors were doing the same. LEUNG Chun-ying and the Communist Party of China connived triad 8288 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 members and the Police, which illustrated that "when the coward is angry, he comes down on the one weaker than he". When Honourable colleagues condemn violence, why do they not condemn the abuse of violence by the Police? This is hypocrisy! When they condemn violence, why do they not condemn the use of violence by seven devil cops? When they condemn violence, why do they not condemn the shooting of unarmed students by those in power during the June 4 incident? This is hypocrisy! All this is hypocrisy! This is the royalists' logic.
MR CHRISTOPHER CHUNG (in Cantonese): A person who speaks loudly does not necessarily have reason on his side. Today's motion is actually a magic mirror which reveals the true identity of Members who are anti-Chinese and discriminating against our Mainland compatriots. Let us consider the amendments proposed by some Honourable colleagues of the pan-democratic camp. They unanimously demand the abolition of the policy on multiple-entry endorsement, wrongly accuse Mainland visitors as parallel traders and demand the levy of a land arrival or departure tax on Mainland visitors. All these suggest that they are looking at Mainland visitors through tinted glasses. The amendment proposed by Mr CHAN Chi-chuen is even more ridiculous for he wants to condemn the SAR Government and hold the Police responsible for their actions. A moment ago, the Member spoke with a very loud voice. Where has he gone now? Recently, anti-parallel trading protestors have resorted to bullying the elderly, the underprivileged, women and children. But those Members simply turn a blind eye to such vices. They are best at twisting reality with lies, aren't they?
President, the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) is definitely one of the most important measures over the past 10 years as far as Hong Kong's economy is concerned. Any broad-brush measures to abolish the IVS or levy a land entry or departure tax would seriously dampen the inclination of Mainland tourists to visit Hong Kong. Ultimately, it will be Hong Kong and Hong Kong people who suffer. There is a saying that we should contrast our past bitterness with present sweetness. Since 1998, Hong Kong's economy was severely hit by the Asian financial turmoil, the burst of the property market and IT stocks and the 911 terrorist attack successively. To add insult to injury, Hong Kong was struck by the SARS pandemic in 2003. As visitors stayed away from Hong Kong, the economy was brought to a standstill with the catering and retail industries bearing the brunt. Many shops closed down as a result. In that year, the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8289 unemployment rate was as high as 8.6%, and GDP growth even turned negative in the second quarter. To help Hong Kong tide over the crisis, the Central Government rolled out the CEPA and IVS successively, leading to a rapid economic rebound from the fourth quarter of 2003.
Over the past 11 years, all trades and industries in Hong Kong have benefited from the IVS significantly. I think even Members of the pan-democratic camp cannot deny this fact. As far as the tourism industry is concerned, prior to the implementation of the IVS, Mainland visitor arrivals to Hong Kong were only about 6.84 million in 2002, but in 2014, the figure has already jumped to 47.25 million. In 2013, the share of IVS visitor spending in Hong Kong's total retail sales has increased to 22%. Thus it is quite inconceivable that the opposition camp can now play a game of use and dump after enjoying the economic benefits brought by this policy. They disregard the facts completely and vilify the Central Government for trying to drain Hong Kong's resources through the IVS. It is really a dirty trick.
Even machines need an overhaul after prolonged use. As the IVS has been implemented for 11 years, it is natural that some problems would arise. To address these problems, thorough discussion in society is required. Undeniably some districts close to the border such as Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Sheung Shui and Sha Tin have become overcrowded. Daily necessities in these districts are also in short supply due to parallel trading. Those are indeed the side-effects of the implementation of IVS for over a decade. We must address these problems by studying the matter carefully, yet we cannot, as the saying goes, throw the baby out with the bath water.
Certainly, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) has not turned a blind eye to the problems caused by the IVS. As early as in the end of 2013, we have proposed to the Government the idea of building shopping cities in the border area. Regarding the swarming parallel traders at the East Rail, we suggested that the MTR should step up control and restrict passengers who carry bulky luggage in excess of the specified volume from boarding the trains. Regarding the supply of powdered formula, we supported the "powdered formula restriction order" imposed by the Government. Regarding the street obstruction caused by parallel traders, we demanded that the law-enforcement departments should step up inspections in order to maintain order at streets. For the sake of combating parallel trading, the DAB also supported that the Central Government should review the merits of changing the 8290 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 multiple-entry endorsements to "certain number of trips per endorsement". As Honourable colleagues from the DAB have already touched on these proposals earlier, I will not repeat the same here.
Regarding today's motion, instead of focusing on the problem of parallel trading caused as a result of IVS, Hong Kong people should be most concerned and wary about the violent protest actions which smack of anti-Chinese sentiments and notions about "Hong Kong independence". Some so-called "localist" groups and media organizations deliberately stir up political and national tensions on the pretext of IVS in order to incite Hong Kong people's antagonism against our Mainland compatriots, their opposition against the SAR Government as well as their storming actions against the Police, with the aim of achieving the sinister objectives of resisting China and promoting "Hong Kong independence". There are tell-tale signs everywhere as the Dragon and Lion Flag is always around when these anti-parallel trading protests are held. It is clear that the real intent of these people is to incite anti-Chinese feelings.
Mr LEE Kuan-yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore, recently passed away due to sickness. I recall that when Mr LEE first assumed office as the Prime Minister, he led Singapore into a merger with Malaysia, but Singapore was forced to leave the union eventually as a result of racial conflicts. Mr LEE once said that he envied Hong Kong because China was its hinterland. With support from the Motherland, Hong Kong enjoys protection in respect of our economy and people's livelihood. Sadly, a handful of reactionists are trying to destroy our stronghold. They will stop at nothing for desinicization. Hong Kong people must stay vigilant against such sinister conspiracy as they must be deterred at all costs. Thank you, President.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Does any other Member wish to speak?
MR STEVEN HO (in Cantonese): Just now, I heard Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung say that Renminbi is useless paper and I also learnt from history books that the excessive printing of money will devalue the currency. This is precisely what happened in the Yuan Dynasty when many people lost faith in its currency. It was only until the Ming Dynasty that Jiaozi2 was issued.
2 China's earliest paper money. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8291
Recently, the price of one banknote has surged rapidly in Hong Kong, and that is, the $150 banknote to be issued by the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Hong Kong people like to take part in speculative activities, why is that so? Because they can gain benefits; but they will oppose the speculation of other commodities which has an impact on their living. Therefore, the problem of parallel traders lies in the fundamental interests of members of the public. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and I hold that there is nothing wrong to oppose against parallel traders, what matters is how they express their aspirations. The issue under discussion is that some people have used violent means to deal with social issues, which may adversely affect other people and Hong Kong's international image, and undermine our international status in the long run.
A Member just now said that he opposed the use of force, including verbal violence, but then he immediately denied and said that there were reasons for the protesters' behaviour. The SAR Government is certainly one of the reasons, and thus the protesters are forgivable. Yet, offence is an offence, and this is a yardstick. If we expand the scope to cover other areas, it can be universally applicable to, for example, child abuse, murder and animal abuse. Has anyone thought about the reasons behind the alleged assault by the seven police officers during the illegal Occupy movement? No. This is double standard.
Secondly, why did some Members disassociate, at this point of time, from such shameless acts of making an old man fall down or making small children cry? The reason is nothing more than political interests. Have they ever condemned people who stress nativism, waved the colonial "dragon and lion flag" and caused disruption in various districts on the pretext of opposing parallel traders? No. When Mr LEUNG Che-cheung and I learnt that some people intended to stir up trouble in Yuen Long, we had a meeting with the local people on the day before to assess the implication on them. A press conference was then held to condemn the people concerned and urge them not to go to Yuen Long. Where were those Members at that time? They were watching television like spectators and fanning the flames by pointing their fingers at the incompetent government. They called on people to stage protests, because only this can force the Government to take action. A few days later, an old man was pushed onto the ground and people were infuriated. Those Members then immediately held a press conference to declare that they did not encourage such acts. This shows that they are merely "sitting on the fence" and do not have an established stance. They know very well that what happened is the after-effect of the illegal Occupy movement organized by them. What was their attitude 8292 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 towards the present incidents? They have made a clear break with the incidents, and this is precisely political speculation. They do not work for Hong Kong people, and they are ready to sacrifice everything, including small children, when the situation is unfavourable to their election. Members of the DAB certainly oppose such shameless behaviour.
Concerning parallel traders, some Members have created new names for them. For example, this morning, I heard Mr Gary FAN call them "parallel goods smugglers". For this name, Members should note that smuggling and parallel trading are different matters. One is lawful while the other is not. The purpose of using the term "parallel goods smugglers" is to lure people into thinking that smuggling and parallel trading are both unlawful. By creating this political blur among members of the public, they then put all the blame on the Government, accusing it of not taking any law-enforcement actions. This is indeed a blow to the rule of law. Hong Kong people must think carefully how the problem of parallel traders should be properly dealt with.
The DAB is well aware of the implication of this problem on members of the public, and the series of action mentioned by Mr Christopher CHUNG earlier, such as the imposition of restriction on the size of luggage and powdered formula, did achieve certain effects. It is only that the effects are not great enough. Nonetheless, this is fine because we can only resolve the problem in the most expedient and effective way through legal and reasonable means.
Last year, someone suggested building a border shopping centre, thinking that this would divert shopping tourists to a certain extent in the medium to long run, thereby minimizing their impact on local residents. During the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference sessions that have just ended, Hong Kong deputies have moved a motion to the effect that the multiple-entry endorsements be adjusted to dovetail with Hong Kong's capacity to receive tourists before administering the right prescription, which is a viable measure.
Thirdly, should we step up the joint enforcement actions of the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Customs to curb parallel trading activities?
Fourthly, on the problems of illegal parking and the placing of goods in the streets in Hong Kong, targeted measures should be put in places in respect of street management. Only this can address the difficulties encountered by local residents. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8293
Is it helpful to forcefully disrupt the living of local residents and Hong Kong's business environment? This may even bring about more serious negative effects than pushing an old man onto the ground, abusing women and children or making small children cry. While the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong deputies are working to tighten or adjust the policy on multiply-entry endorsements, some people light a fire at the backyard. Should the Central Authorities approve the relevant proposal? If so, those violent people would certainly think that they have made this happen. This will undoubtedly place the Central Authorities in a dilemma.
Let us resolve this political issue at a later date. I eagerly hope that Hong Kong people will see for themselves the tactics that the opposition camp has employed to mislead members of the public in favour of their election. Hong Kong people must open their eyes to look at their evil acts. Thank you, President.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Does any other Member wish to speak?
MR PAUL TSE (in Cantonese): President, I have been listening attentively to Members' speeches, and I think Members should now have a clear picture of the history, background and developments of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) and the multiple-entry endorsements. I hope that Members would raise more views from new angles or perspectives.
President, just now a colleague talked about hypocrisy. Very often, in this Council, Members of certain political parties like to emphasize the principles of human rights and freedom, but when it comes to issues relating to the human rights and freedom of Hong Kong people or our compatriots living to the north of the Shenzhen River, they would forget the principles that they have long emphasized.
(THE PRESIDENT'S DEPUTY, MR ANDREW LEUNG, took the Chair)
Deputy President, for many years, Hong Kong people have been very lucky to have the freedom to go north at any time. Dr CHIANG Lai-wan just now talked about "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and the fact 8294 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 is, while many Hong Kong people like to spend their weekends north of the Shenzhen River, the entry or exit of our compatriots have been subject to great restrictions for many years. Despite the fact that the nation has opened up and become freer, people are still subject to certain restrictions. If we arbitrarily request to impose restrictions on the IVS, tighten the multiple-entry endorsements or impose arrival or departure tax, will we end up losing a more important sense of direction due to short-sightedness and utilitarianism?
Therefore, Deputy President, apart from discussing the pros and cons of the incident, I also hope that we may, from time to time, employ the ultimate manoeuvre and fundamentally examine Hong Kong's values and core values and introduce certain policies. Otherwise, we may forget the more important direction and principle for expedience or because of difficulties.
At this juncture when the funeral of Mr LEE Kuan-yew will be held, Mr Christopher CHUNG just now mentioned the difficulties that Mr LEE encountered when establishing the nation. This reminds me of a remark made by Mr LEE Kuan-yew, who said that if Singapore encounters major difficulties, he would rise from his coffin to make his voice heard. Of course, this is an analogy only. What will a sagacious political figure like Mr LEE Kuan-yew do ― forgetting about people's comment on him ― in the face of this problem? I guess my answer may not be same as that of Members or government officials, but I am pretty sure that Mr LEE would not introduce or even strongly oppose any initiative that provokes racial conflicts. Although the current problem has nothing to do with racial conflict, it is by and large a conflict arising from the differences in the background of people of the two places. This is a very slippery slope. I certainly understand that this is the world trend, and nativist ideas and activities caused by economic problems are found in different countries. Some political parties even did this for votes, which can be seen in the election results. Therefore, if we choose to walk on this dangerous slope, our principles would be in danger.
On the other hand, we must also find out why Mr LEE Kuan-yew considered it imperative to avoid provoking racial struggle or conflict back then. This is also the case of Hong Kong. It is absolutely impossible and undesirable for Hong Kong to provoke any conflict with our Mainland compatriots as this will be detrimental to Hong Kong.
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Deputy President, although I will not lay all the blame on the Government or consider the imposition of restriction on powdered formula a turning point of the present crisis, just like Mr Vincent FANG, I do agree that the Government is pretty slow in response, and can even be said to have no response at all. In the past, we had the "Ah Chun" incident and clashes with inbound Mainland group tours after they were brought to shopping had also occurred. Problems ranging from tourists being brought to specialized stores to shop, to a dispersed customer base resulting from the growth of IVS visitors at a later stage, are all attributable to the Government's attitude of sitting on the sideline to reap at ease the fruits of the incessant growth in visitors. But if the Government continues to sit with its arms folded, the situation will deteriorate and I am afraid the number of visitors will drop. Why is that so? Because it is obvious that more and more Mainland visitors have become tired of coming to Hong Kong. Therefore, the Government should not adopt the same attitude this time.
Deputy President, when people lose faith in their country, this will often give rise to the so-called "nativism". Some may even advocate the "closed door policy" or "struggles against the foreigners". We have once resisted foreigners such as foreign domestic helpers, and it so happened that many foreign domestic helpers are found gathering near my home every weekend. There are always pros and cons. While we must look squarely at the social consequences of any changes in the tourism policy, we should not focus only on the cons of the policy without considering the whole picture. As I have said, Hong Kong should not take racial or regional conflict as the starting point, in addition to political sagacity. If Hong Kong is to borrow the political wisdom of Mr LEE Kuan-yew, this is definitely something that we should guard against.
Thank you, Deputy President.
MR ALAN LEONG (in Cantonese): Deputy President, I believe people who call on the Government to address the parallel goods problem or adjust the policy on multiple-entry endorsements do not intend to provoke conflicts between Mainlanders and HKSAR residents. With regard to sowing dissension, I think LEUNG Chun-ying is the exemplar because Members should have seen how he sowed dissension yesterday and this morning.
Deputy President, as MAO Zedong had said, "Where there is oppression, there is resistance". This is common sense. When our daily lives and living pattern are no longer the same, we will naturally hope that something will be 8296 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 done by the Government. But if the Government turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to these changes, we will certainly have to make our voice heard. A few months ago, LEUNG Chun-ying highlighted the need to increase the number of cities under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), but then before the commencement of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference sessions, he expressed an unequivocal wish to freeze the number of IVS cities. He went on to express his wish to pursue, during the two Sessions, the imposition of a cap on the number of visitors with multiple-entry endorsements or to address the problems brought about by the IVS policy in some ways. And yet, nothing has been delivered on this score. I therefore find it all too natural for people to urge the Government to change its policies and restore the normal lives of Hong Kong people in this way.
Let me elaborate. Hong Kong should not tolerate violence of any form, be it verbal or physical abuse. But the point is, Deputy President, if the Government continues to sit with its arms folded, the pressure described by MAO Zedong will build up. Who is responsible for this and what factors contribute to the present scenario? No one purposely provoked the conflict between the Mainland and Hong Kong, it is probably the passive attitude of the Government that has objectively given rise to the present scenario.
Deputy President, concerning the anti-parallel trading protests, about 40 people have been arrested so far according to my rough estimation. As noted from the protests in Sha Tin, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun, the age of the people arrested ranges from the youngest 13 to the eldest 74. This shows that the issue is not a concern only to any particular group or age group, and the age varies greatly. The anti-parallel trading protests showed that the existing policy is seriously imbalanced, and the number of visitors coming to Hong Kong with multiple-entry endorsements has increased from 6.19 million in 2011 to 12.15 million in 2013, representing an increase of nearly two-fold. The situation has gone nearly out of control.
We cannot draw an equal sign directly between the multiple-entry endorsements and parallel traders because not all visitors coming to Hong Kong are parallel traders. But even if they are not, they have imposed a heavy burden on our public transport facilities and restaurants, and exerted unbearable pressure on people's living. Not only are there excessive parallel traders, the number of IVS visitors has also increased in an alarming rate. As we can see, the number of inbound visitors was 41.92 million and 60.83 million in 2011 and 2014 respectively, whereas the number of same-day visitors was 10.48 million and LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8297
33.06 million in 2011 and 2014 respectively. While the number of Mainland visitors has increased by 68% from 28.1 million in 2011 to 47.28 million in 2014, the number of inbound visitors from Japan, Canada, Singapore, France, the United States, Australia and Taiwan has recorded a decline between 5% and 16%.
LEUNG Chun-ying is good at laying blame on other people. He criticized behind closed door in name Legislative Council Members, including Ms Claudia MO and Mr Gary FAN belonging to my political party, for organizing anti-parallel trading campaigns, which has affected the number of inbound Mainland visitors. He even blamed the protesters for involving the democratic camp and foreign forces in the campaigns. This is undoubtedly an ostrich approach to deceive himself.
Deputy President, the saddest thing is that, according to the method for selecting the Chief Executive, it would be extremely difficult to select a Chief Executive who genuinely works for the well-beings of Hong Kong people. The incumbent Chief Executive, who was elected by way of "inbreeding", is only accountable to a group of "kingmakers". As a Member has said earlier on, after imposing restrictions on powdered formula, he can be best described by the saying "once bitten, twice shy" for he dares not make any adjustment to the "king-making" structure. I hope that after today's debate, we will have better development.
IR DR LO WAI-KWOK (in Cantonese): Deputy President, first of all, I thank Mr Vincent FANG for moving this motion so that Members can explore this hot topic which concerns the economic development of Hong Kong and the livelihood of our people.
Last week, I moved a motion in this Council, urging the SAR Government to expeditiously formulate a long-term and comprehensive industrial policy to strengthen the pillar industries, promote emerging industries and revitalize traditional industries. The motion was passed. I quoted the tourism industry as an example of the pillar industries because after all, the tourism industry contributed 5% to our GDP and employed about 270 000 workers, it is thus important to our economy and people's livelihood.
Deputy President, as the saying goes, "It takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep". The current problems faced by the tourism industry reflected that the Government has failed to formulate long-term policies 8298 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 and make proper planning for the tourism industry over the years. The authorities highly value the economic benefits brought by the Mainland visitors under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), but have done nothing to increase Hong Kong's capacity to receive visitors. Various ancillary tourism facilities in Hong Kong, including scenic spots, hotels, shopping malls, transport facilities and control point facilities prove to be increasingly insufficient. This has not only impeded the development of the industry, but also given rise to conflicts between visitors doing their shopping and residents in local communities from time to time due to insufficient capacity of some traditional shopping areas, thereby affecting people's daily lives.
However, if people use anti-parallel trading as an excuse of using violence willfully to harass Mainland tourists in public areas and create trouble in shops, or even advocate "Hong Kong Independence" and disrupt social order, we must strongly condemn them. Some Members of this Council have proposed some across-the-board measures, such as cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, ceasing to increase the number of IVS cities, setting a ceiling on the number of IVS tourists, and levying a land departure tax on Mainland visitors, and so on. These measures are not the right prescriptions, but may instead weaken the tourism industry, strike a blow to tourism-related industries, seriously affect the livelihood of the workers concerned, and even hinder exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland in other aspects.
Deputy President, travelling aboard for pleasure has become part of life of Mainland people, particularly families with high income. In recent years, Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have simplified their visa application procedures and made great efforts to attract visitors from the Mainland. While Hong Kong has the advantage of geographical proximity with the Mainland, if it closes its door on Mainland visitors, it will not only forfeit the chances for economic gains and lose numerous job opportunities, but also damage Hong Kong's reputation as an international tourist city. We should not forget that chances missed or customers left will not come back easily. Besides, there is a special kinship between our Mainland compatriots and Hong Kong people.
Therefore, I think the SAR Government has to face the problems squarely, balance the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong and formulate appropriate measures in the short-, medium- and long-terms. Regarding short-term measures, the authorities should enhance communication with the law-enforcement agencies on the Mainland to combat parallel trading. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8299
At the same time, law-enforcement against people who harass visitors and local people in public areas should be strengthened to protect the personal safety and property of visitors and local people. Recently, the protests against parallel traders have become more violent. This has seriously affected the safety of visitors, the operation of shops in the districts concerned and the livelihood of local people. According to the figures provided by the Travel Industry Council, the number of Mainland inbound tour groups recorded in February this year dropped by 32.3% in comparison with the same period last year. Figures of the Census and Statistics Department also showed that the value of total retail sales in January 2015 was about $46.6 billion, representing a drastic drop of 14.6% compared with the same period last year. These figures foretell an increasingly difficult operating environment for the tourism industry.
Regarding medium-term measures, the SAR Government should approach the problems in two ways. First, negotiate with the relevant Mainland departments to enhance the IVS and the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, so as to increase the ratio of overnight Mainland visitors. Second, step up overseas promotions to achieve a balanced composition of visitors. In the Budget this year, the Financial Secretary announced that he would allocate an additional $80 million for the Hong Kong Tourism Board to step up its promotion efforts, including overseas promotions, in the coming year to reinforce Hong Kong's image as a premier tourist destination. In fact, considering the number of visitor arrivals in January 2015, the number of Mainland visitor arrivals has only increased slightly by 3.3% as compared with the same period last year, but the numbers of visitor arrivals from the United States and South Korea have increased by 10.2% and 16.3% respectively. This phenomenon deserves attention.
Deputy President, to resolve the problems at root, the SAR Government should expeditiously formulate long-term and comprehensive policies and devise corresponding plans to increase supporting tourism, transport and retail facilities. According to the authorities, the expansion projects of Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park are in the pipeline, but I think more efforts are needed. As I have suggested before, the airport at Chek Lap Kok and its surrounding areas are gradually forming a large-scale integrated transport hub where flight routes, railways, highways and ferry routes converge. The authorities should actively make reference to the experience of the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands in developing its airport city by using the Hong Kong airport as the core in planning and developing a sky city incorporating such functions as 8300 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 tourism, convention and exhibition, business, retail, catering, and so on, so as to attract tourists from around the world and Mainland residents to visit and spend in Hong Kong, as well as to divert visitors from the tourist activities in the urban areas.
Planning for the tourism industry in Hong Kong and its implementation involve various policy areas, including land and urban planning, development of scenic spots, land, marine and air transport networks, border control point facilities, training of workers in the tourism industry, overseas promotion, enhancement of service quality, regulation of the trades, and so on. The authorities have to adopt an open mindset, communicate adequately with various stakeholders as well as doing a good job in inter-departmental co-ordination. Moreover, they also have to seek co-operation with other relevant regions so as to increase Hong Kong's capacity to receive visitors and uphold our image as a hospitable city.
Deputy President, I so submit.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Vincent FANG, you may now speak on the amendments. The speaking time limit is five minutes.
MR VINCENT FANG (in Cantonese): Deputy President, I am grateful that a total of 40 Members have spoken, including the 11 Members who have proposed amendments and myself. Although I know that this motion has no legislative effect, I hope that this debate can arouse the concern of the Government and this Council on the subject, so that the problems can be resolved.
I would like to clarify two points here. First, concerning the multiple-trip land levy proposed by me, on any day, visitor who first enter or exit Hong Kong needs not pay any levy, only those who enter and exit Hong Kong for the second time or more have to pay. Students and Hong Kong people working on the Mainland can be given special exemptions because the levy only seeks to penalize parallel traders of Hong Kong and the Mainland. Second, in my original motion, I have proposed to divert Mainland visitors from the local people. The idea is to divert visitors by providing effective ancillary transport facilities and developing more scenic spots. In addition, setting up a platform on the Internet as suggested by Mrs Regina IP is another way to divert visitors. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8301
Furthermore, as shopping centres at land boundary control points will be more attractive to parallel traders than tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) and local people, the proposal can thus facilitate diversion.
Some Members have not condemned the people who have "used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people" in their amendments. I cannot agree with these Members. A Member proposed to freeze the number of the IVS cities and substantially reduce the number of entries permitted under the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, I cannot agree with him either. Some pro-establishment colleagues have proposed a number of views to enhance the IVS and the policy on multiple-entry endorsements and I support them. Members of the business sector understand that Hong Kong is a small place and it really has limited capacity. Therefore, the Liberal Party agrees to enhance the policy on multiple-entry endorsements. However, in the long-term, Hong Kong must develop more scenic spots, shopping centres and various ancillary tourism facilities. I hope that my colleagues will support my original motion after listening to my explanation of these two points.
Thank you, Deputy President.
SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (in Cantonese): Deputy President, I am very grateful to the 40 Members who have given their views yesterday and today on various issues, including the development of the tourism industry, ancillary transport and retail facilities, as well as enforcement on parallel trading activities. My responses on these issues are as follows.
First, anti-parallel trading protests have affected the tourism industry and related trades. Members may be aware that anti-parallel trading protests are becoming more radical and they have caused a far-reaching impact on the tourism industry and the retail trades, as pointed out by a number of Members earlier. If Members have noticed the recent figures regarding the number of inbound visitors and the retail trades, they will understand our worries.
Let me talk about the figures on the number of inbound visitors first. At the beginning of 2015, the total arrivals of Mainland visitors maintained a steady growth in January and February, but the number of arrivals started to fall after a series of increasingly radical anti-parallel trading protests. The Chinese New 8302 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Year has all along been the peak season for Mainland visitors to visit Hong Kong. When compared with the first seven days of the Chinese New Year in 2014, the total arrivals of Mainland visitors for the same period in 2015 fell by 4.3%, and in particular, the number of visitor arrivals under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) fell by 8.6%. In the last three weeks (that is, from 1 March to 22 March), the total number of arrivals of Mainland visitors fell rapidly by about 13% and in particular, the number of visitor arrivals under the IVS fell by almost 19%.
Regarding the number of inbound tour groups, the situation is even more serious. According to the registration numbers recorded by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, there was a slight reduction in the total number of tour groups in January and February this year, and the total number of tour groups in the first seven days of the Chinese New Year this year dropped by about 26% as compared with the same period last year. The rate of reduction was even more alarming in March. From 1 March to 22 March, the average number of registered tour groups per day was only 274, representing a significant drop of about 45% when compared with about 502 groups per day in the same period last year. The trades generally think that apart from the increasingly keen competition in the area and fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, the recent incessant anti-parallel trading protests and harassment of visitors have directly or indirectly discouraged visitors from visiting Hong Kong.
Next, I would talk about some retail figures. The retail figures published recently showed a downturn of the market. For 2014 as a whole, the value of total retail sales decreased by 0.2%, which is the first time of any reduction recorded since the implementation of the IVS policy in 2003. The value of total retail sales in January 2015 fell by 14.6% when compared with the same period last year. Many people in the trades are very concerned about the impact of the performance of the retail trades on the economy. They are worried that a continuous reduction in the number of visitors will strike a hard blow to our entire economy and create a great negative impact on our employment, making Hong Kong lose its momentum in economic growth.
In the anti-parallel trading protests, some protesters unlawfully assaulted and harassed others. Such behaviour makes one bristle with anger. As Mr Jeffrey LAM said in his speech yesterday, these protesters did not really want to resolve the problems. Apart from affecting Hong Kong people, their behaviour will eventually cause damage to the economy and the tourism industry of Hong Kong as well as the livelihood of more than 200 000 workers in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8303 tourism industry and related trades. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kong people shall have freedom of peaceful assembly, of procession and of demonstration. However, when people exercise these rights, they cannot disrupt public order or disregard the law. Recently, anti-parallel trading protests characterized by harassment, disturbances, violence and unlawful behaviour, have obviously gone beyond the limit of tolerance of Hong Kong people and dealt a blow to the core values of Hong Kong. We would definitely not tolerate any unlawful or violent act which disturbs the peace of our society. The Police will surely enforce the law strictly to maintain public order and protect the safety of the public.
The SAR Government has attached great importance to combatting parallel trading activities. In fact, the law-enforcement agencies have established a watch list which contains information of persons suspected to be involved in parallel trading activities and they have stepped up the interception of suspects at boundary control points. If the purposes of visits of visitors are in doubt, we will consider refusing their entry and repatriating them back to the Mainland immediately. The law-enforcement agencies have been mounting large scale joint enforcement operations named "Windsand" as well as special operations with the Shenzhen authorities to combat parallel trading activities. Recently, the relevant departments have taken a number of targeting actions to combat parallel trading. For example, District Lands Offices in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and North District under the Lands Department have set up special operation teams to target cases that breach lease conditions by converting industrial building units into retail shops; the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has enhanced street cleansing services and stepped up removal of discarded items at parallel trading black spots in North District so as to keep the district clean and tidy; and the Fire Services Department has stepped up inspections of buildings suspected to be involved with parallel trading activities in Sheung Shui, Fan Ling and Tuen Mun.
We have to rebuild the confidence of visitors to visit Hong Kong. As I said earlier, various sectors of the society have expressed concern about the series of unfriendly actions against visitors taken by the anti-parallel trading protesters. They think that if the situation continues, it will seriously discourage visitors to visit Hong Kong, which will in turn deal a further blow to the already suffering tourism industry and related trades, including retail. As the Deputy President said yesterday, the tourism industry and the retail trade were having both internal and external problems. I have to thank the Deputy President for his 8304 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 understanding of the efforts made by the SAR Government over the years on opening up new sources of visitors. The SAR Government well understands the concerns of the industries. To rebuild the confidence of visitors to visit Hong Kong, the Financial Secretary has announced in the Budget to provide an additional funding of $80 million to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for strengthening the image of Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination as a targeted support measure.
As regards promotional efforts in the Mainland, the HKTB will roll out new videos on its "My Time for Hong Kong" promotional platform in collaboration with nationwide media organizations and online video platforms in 2015-2016, and broadcast them on television and digital marketing channels to promote Hong Kong's hospitable culture and unique tourism experiences. The HKTB will also promote relevant themes to Mainland consumers through newspapers, magazines, outdoor promotions and other channels in the market. In addition, through its website and other online channels as well as promotional materials, the HKTB will inform visitors of the areas requiring attention while in Hong Kong, including language and culture, transportation, communications, emergency and public hygiene, so that they would have a basic understanding of the different aspects of the Hong Kong society.
Furthermore, Deputy President, we have to build more tourism, transportation and retail facilities. Earlier, a number of Members have given their views on providing more tourism and retail facilities. Mr LEUNG Che-cheung asked what the Government had done in this period. In fact, the SAR Government has all along endeavoured to increase Hong Kong's capacity to receive tourists. Let me give some specific examples so that Members will understand our work in this area.
The two major theme parks of Hong Kong will continue to take forward their new development projects. The Ocean Park has embarked on developing an all-weather indoor cum outdoor waterpark at Tai Shue Wan. The construction works of the Park's first hotel, namely Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, also commenced. These two development projects are expected to be completed by 2017. Besides, the Ocean Park has issued an invitation for expression of interest for the Fisherman's Wharf Hotel development project. Subject to the results of the expression of interest, the Ocean Park Corporation will conduct the re-tender for the hotel development concerned. In relation to the Hong Kong Disneyland, further to the launch of the new night time parade LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8305
"Disney Paint the Night" in October 2014, the Hong Kong Disneyland will continue to launch a series of new initiatives, including the 10th Anniversary Celebration later this year, a new themed area based on Marvel's Iron Man franchise by the end of 2016, and a new 750-room hotel with a theme dedicated to the spirit of exploration in early 2017. The Government has also commenced discussions on the Phase 2 development of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort with The Walt Disney Company.
In relation to the medium and long-term development projects of Lantau and the "Kai Tak Fantasy", the Lantau Development Advisory Committee was established in March 2014 to assist in considering and implementing worthwhile and feasible development proposals. The result of the International Ideas Competition for the Kai Tak Fantasy was announced in November 2014, and the Government will make reference to the design and ideas of the winning and shortlisted submissions. The Working Group on Convention and Exhibition Industries and Tourism under the Economic Development Commission agreed that these two areas have potentials to be developed into specialized tourism clusters to attract more high-spending visitors to Hong Kong.
Furthermore, the HKTB will continue to encourage the local travel trade to develop new and themed tours in sponsoring part of the promotional costs through the New Tour Product Development Scheme so as to provide more options for visitors. The Scheme covers tours with local features, including the popular "Sham Shui Po Foodie Tour" which takes visitors on a local culinary journey. The Scheme has received positive response from the tourism industry since its introduction and 17 tour products are now sponsored by the Scheme. The HKTB will continue to run the Scheme in 2015-2016 and encourage the travel trade to make use of their creativity. The HKTB is also planning to introduce new themes, for example, tours introducing local cultures and green tours to unleash the creativity of the trade and utilize the tourism resources of different districts.
Regarding the supply of hotel rooms, as at the end of 2014, there were a total of 244 hotels in Hong Kong, providing about 72 700 rooms. The two major theme parks of Hong Kong (that is, the Hong Kong Disneyland and the Ocean Park) and the North Commercial District on the Airport Island will commence their hotel development projects respectively. Besides, the Government will endeavour to release the first site within the "hotel belt" of the 8306 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Kai Tak Runway Precinct to the market by the end of this year. On the whole, we expect that new hotels will be completed one after the other in the next few years and the total supply of hotel rooms in Hong Kong will increase to about 84 000 in 2017.
In relation to ancillary transport facilities, while the Government is planning and co-ordinating the development of public transport services, it will also assess and respond to the needs of all passengers, including the transport needs of local residents and visitors. The occupancy rate of and waiting time for the public transport services in Hong Kong vary on different days (holidays versus working days), at different time intervals (peak versus non-peak hours) and in different districts (commercial versus residential areas). The capacity of Hong Kong's public transport network to receive a large number of visitors would thus accordingly vary. This shows that the receiving capacity of public transport modes has certain flexibility.
The average occupancy rate of franchised buses during peak hours in the morning and afternoon is 70%. The Transport Department will consider factors such as demographic changes, infrastructural development, passenger needs and actual circumstances on a yearly basis and discuss with the bus companies on introducing new services, adjusting existing services and rationalizing bus services, so as to better respond to passengers' needs and increase the operating efficiency of the bus services. Given the recent influx of passengers to the bus routes serving the boundary control points, the Transport Department has reminded the bus companies to reserve sufficient buses and to strengthen bus services to cope with the increase in passenger demand. Furthermore, as many passengers on the routes concerned carry luggage, the Transport Department has also requested the bus companies to deploy additional staff to provide assistance to boarding passengers, separate passengers with luggage and improve the queuing arrangements. The Transport Department and the franchised bus companies will continue to pay close attention to the situation.
Regarding railway services, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) has observed that the problem of passengers carrying large suitcases occur mainly along the East Rail Line. Therefore, the MTRCL has tightened the maximum weight limit for passenger luggage to 23 kg since February 2013, and together with the existing limit for luggage size, these measures can ensure that passengers do not carry oversized or overweight luggage to maintain smooth passenger flow.
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The MTRCL has also put in place a number of measures along the East Rail Line, including installing electronic ground scales at some stations of the East Rail Line and MTR staff will proactively check the weight of passenger luggage before passengers enter the stations. In addition, large banners are put up at Sheung Shui Station, where passenger flow is high, to remind passengers of the luggage limits. Barriers are also erected at Entrance C of Sheung Shui Station for passengers carrying large items to enter the Station using wide ticket gates, so as to maintain more orderly queuing. We will pay close attention to the impact of Mainland visitors on public transport services.
Regarding the proposal of constructing border shopping centres to divert visitors who mainly come to Hong Kong for shopping, the SAR Government maintains a positive attitude towards providing more facilities in appropriate districts to facilitate visitors to shop. Earlier, it was proposed that a commercial and shopping centre be built on the land near the Lok Ma Chau Boundary Control Point. I think if the proposal can be put into effect, visitors can be diverted in the short-term, and employment opportunities can be created for residents of the existing and future new towns in the New Territories.
The SAR Government has set up an inter-departmental working group and the Tourism Commission will co-ordinate with the government departments concerned to provide advice and necessary information to the project proponent. The inter-departmental working group held its first meeting in February 2015. A large area of the proposed site is private land, the development will involve certain statutory planning and lands procedures and the project proponent is in the process of negotiating with the relevant government departments. We will continue to follow up on the project.
Many Members are very concerned about the progress of the Government in enhancing and improving the IVS. I have to stress once again that the SAR Government has all along attached great importance to this issue. We have kept in view the opinions expressed by different sectors of society on enhancing and improving the IVS, including the proposal of changing the multiple-entry endorsements to "certain number of trips per endorsement". The SAR Government has all along reflected the views of Hong Kong people, the concerns of the society and our economic situation to the Central Government and we have maintained close contact with the Central Government. I believe the Central Government will make a decision after comprehensively considering the relevant 8308 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 situations (including the latest situation of the tourism industry of Hong Kong). No final decision on enhancing the arrangements has yet been reached, and the Government will publish the news as soon as they are available.
Deputy President, as I said in my opening speech, as one of the four pillar industries of Hong Kong, the tourism industry has a very important influence on other trades as well as the long-term stability and development of our economy. Undoubtedly, the SAR Government attaches importance to the healthy, continuous and orderly development of the tourism industry. The SAR Government also understands that the public are concerned that the daily lives of the people in some districts have been affected by the activities of visitors and the public are concerned about parallel trading. Thus, the SAR Government will not slack off in combatting parallel trading. Meanwhile, we will continue to reinforce Hong Kong's status as a tourist destination and let visitors know that Hong Kong will continue to extend our warm welcome to visitors from different places so that they will have a happy experience in Hong Kong.
Finally, I thank Members for their invaluable views. I will convey Members' proposals to the relevant Policy Bureaux and departments after the meeting. I will also continue to listen humbly to the views of Members and the voices of the public for the sake of promoting the long-term and healthy development of the tourism industry.
Thank you, Deputy President.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now call upon Dr KWOK Ka-ki to move an amendment to the motion.
DR KWOK KA-KI (in Cantonese): Deputy President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Dr KWOK Ka-ki moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To add ", as the SAR Government has not properly resolved the problems brought by the Individual Visit Scheme" after "That"; to delete "some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people" after "recently" and substitute with LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8309
"there have even been a number of clashes between the Police and members of the public"; to add "and the community economy" after "tourism services"; to delete ", and" after "shopping in Hong Kong" and substitute with ";"; and to add "; instruct relevant government departments to take enforcement action to combat parallel trading activities, including the Customs and Excise Department taking stringent enforcement, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department stepping up prosecution against parallel traders for causing obstruction by placing goods in public places, and the Lands Department stepping up inspection of units suspected of violating land leases, etc; immediately cease the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme; and cancel the policy on multiple-entry endorsements and implement a land departure tax" immediately before the full stop."
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Dr KWOK Ka-ki to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Dr KWOK Ka-ki rose to claim a division.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Dr KWOK Ka-ki has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for five minutes.
(While the division bell was ringing, THE PRESIDENT resumed the Chair)
8310 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK, Mr Kenneth LEUNG and Mr IP Kin-yuen voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Emily LAU, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Ms Claudia MO, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8311
Mr WONG Yuk-man abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, seven were in favour of the amendment and 21 against it; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 31 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 14 against it and one abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
MR ANDREW LEUNG (in Cantonese): President, I move that in the event of further divisions being claimed in respect of the motion on "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong" or any amendments thereto, this Council do proceed to each of such divisions immediately after the division bell has been rung for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the motion moved by Mr Andrew LEUNG be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Does any Member wish to speak?
(No Member indicated a wish to speak)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(No hands raised)
8312 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I think the question is agreed by a majority respectively of each of the two groups of Members, that is, those returned by functional constituencies and those returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, who are present. I declare the motion passed.
I order that in the event of further divisions being claimed in respect of the motion on "Balancing the impacts of the tourism industry on the economy and people of Hong Kong" or any amendments thereto, this Council do proceed to each of such divisions immediately after the division bell has been rung for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms Claudia MO, you may move your amendment.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Ms Claudia MO moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year, incidents targeting Mainland tourists have occurred repeatedly in Hong Kong, and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people; such incidents have damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a shoppers' paradise established for half a century, and have dealt a blow to industries related to tourism services; if the situation continues, the related industries will shrink and the practitioners' livelihood will also be affected" after "That" and substitute with "in recent years, excessive tourists have flooded to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme and the multiple-entry endorsements, and some of them have even engaged in parallel goods smuggling activities, seriously affecting the daily lives of Hong Kong people"; and to delete "regulate the activities of carrying duty-free commodities into the Mainland for sale (commonly known as 'parallel trading activities') and same-day Mainland tourists who come to Hong Kong mainly for procurement; at the same time, the SAR Government should increase tourism, transport and retail facilities for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and deal with those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8313
people in accordance with the law" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "tackle the problems concerned, including regulating parallel goods smuggling activities, cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, ceasing to increase the number of the Individual Visit Scheme cities and setting a ceiling on the number of tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme, so as to assist the long-term and balanced development of Hong Kong's economy"."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Ms Claudia MO to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Ms Claudia MO rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms Claudia MO has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
8314 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK, Mr Kenneth LEUNG and Mr IP Kin-yuen voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Emily LAU, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Ms Claudia MO, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr WONG Yuk-man abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, seven were in favour of the amendment and 21 against it; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8315 through direct elections, 31 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 14 against it and one abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN, you may move your amendment.
MR GARY FAN (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr Gary FAN moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year, incidents targeting Mainland tourists have occurred repeatedly in Hong Kong, and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people; such incidents" after "That" and substitute with ", the SAR Government has all along refused to accept the view of cancelling the granting of multiple-entry endorsements to residents with Shenzhen household registration, with the intention of facilitating regional integration, and has allowed the number of same-day Mainland tourists to Hong Kong to increase substantially, giving rise to public resentment and a number of protests targeting Mainland parallel goods smugglers, thereby intensifying China-Hong Kong conflicts; and the policy on multiple-entry endorsements has enlarged the living circle of Shenzhen residents, with many of them travelling to districts near the Hong Kong border such as Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun etc. to procure daily necessities, and such acts, which are different from those of ordinary tourists, have caused much nuisance to local residents and"; to delete ", and have dealt a blow to industries related to tourism services; if the situation continues, the related industries will shrink and the practitioners' livelihood will also be affected" after "half a century"; and to delete "increase tourism, transport and retail facilities for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and deal with those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local people in accordance with the law" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "no longer use the mindset of treating ordinary tourists to resolve the problem, but has to review afresh the 8316 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
strategy of 'Hong Kong-Shenzhen integration' which was implemented without consulting the public, including cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, so as to directly and effectively alleviate China-Hong Kong conflicts"."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr Gary FAN to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr Gary FAN rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8317
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK, Mr Kenneth LEUNG and Mr IP Kin-yuen voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Emily LAU, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Ms Claudia MO, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr WONG Yuk-man abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
8318 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, seven were in favour of the amendment and 21 against it; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 31 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 14 against it and one abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr TANG Ka-piu, you may move your amendment.
MR TANG KA-PIU (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr TANG Ka-piu moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To add ", as an Asia's world city, Hong Kong has always extended hospitality to tourists, but" after "That"; to add ", and to storm the shops" after "Mainland and local people"; to add "and occupational safety" after "livelihood"; to add ", increasing their psychological pressure at work" after "also be affected"; to add "strongly condemns all uncivilized violent words and deeds, and" after "this Council"; to delete "and same-day Mainland tourists who come to Hong Kong mainly for procurement" after " 'parallel trading activities')" and substitute with ", including proactively discussing with relevant Mainland authorities the setting of limits on multiple-entry endorsements"; to delete "for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and" after "retail facilities" and substitute with ", rebuild Hong Kong's social culture of being a hospitable city,"; and to add ", and implement the proposals of relevant District Councils on street management, thereby safeguarding the safety of tourists and practitioners of the retail and service industries" immediately before the full stop."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr TANG Ka-piu to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8319
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr CHAN Chi-chuen rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr CHAN Chi-chuen has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted for the amendment.
Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO and Mr IP Kin-yuen abstained.
8320 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the amendment.
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, 22 were in favour of the amendment, three against it and three abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 30 were present, 13 were in favour of the amendment, 12 against it and four abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr SIN Chung-kai, you may move your amendment.
MR SIN CHUNG-KAI (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr SIN Chung-kai moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To add "the two initiatives of the Individual Visit Scheme, which has been implemented for more than 10 years, and the multiple-entry LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8321
endorsements, which was introduced in April 2009, have brought to Hong Kong a large number of same-day Mainland tourists, and have also exerted heavy pressures on various districts in Hong Kong, particularly the districts near the border such as Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun; a large number of Mainland tourists dragging luggage distribute goods on roadside, and such acts not only cause obstruction of roads, but also disturb the normal lives of residents;" after "That"; to add "the SAR Government has indicated that it would review the policy on Individual Visit Scheme, but no progress has been made so far, causing rampant discontent among Hong Kong people, with the result that" after "past year,"; to add "intensifying China-Hong Kong conflicts," after "repeatedly in Hong Kong,"; to add "reduce the impact of excessive tourists on Hong Kong people, and" after "so as to"; to delete "their" after "safeguard" and substitute with "the"; to add "of Mainland tourists" after "safety"; and to add "; the relevant measures include: (1) immediately conducting a review on the policy on Individual Visit Scheme, including restricting Mainland tourists to make one trip to Hong Kong per day and freezing the number of the Individual Visit Scheme cities; (2) cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements and considering only allowing residents with Shenzhen household registration to visit Hong Kong eight times a year at most; (3) introducing a land arrival tax for tourists; (4) building a shopping centre at the border; (5) strictly enforcing regulations on passenger luggage on public transport, and conducting a study on levying a cross boundary luggage surcharge on Hong Kong people and tourists travelling on the Mass Transit Railway ('MTR') to the Mainland; and (6) conducting a study on requiring tourists travelling on the MTR East Rail Line with luggage to use designated train compartments" immediately before the full stop."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr SIN Chung-kai to Mr Vincent FANG's motion be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
8322 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr IP Kwok-him rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr IP Kwok-him has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK, Mr Kenneth LEUNG and Mr IP Kin-yuen voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr POON Siu-ping and Mr TANG Ka-piu abstained.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8323
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Emily LAU, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr WU Chi-wai, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Mr Gary FAN and Miss Alice MAK abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, seven were in favour of the amendment, 17 against it and four abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 31 were present, 10 were in favour of the amendment, 16 against it and four abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, you may move your amendment.
MR CHAN CHI-CHUEN (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
8324 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Mr CHAN Chi-chuen moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year, incidents targeting Mainland tourists" after "That" and substitute with "liberation protests expressing discontent with the flood of Mainland parallel traders and tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme"; to delete ", and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people; such incidents have damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a shoppers' paradise established for half a century, and have dealt a blow to industries related to tourism services; if the situation continues, the related industries will shrink and the practitioners' livelihood will also be affected" after "repeatedly in Hong Kong"; to add "the root cause of the problem lies in the SAR Government turning a blind eye to the continuous nuisance to residents of the districts caused by Mainland parallel traders and lacking the ability despite having the will to cancel the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, leaving Hong Kong people with no alternative but to rescue themselves by exerting pressure on the SAR Government;" before "in this connection,"; to add "solemnly condemns the SAR Government for blindly fawning upon the Communist Party, tilting in favour of the interests of the Mainland authorities, disregarding public resentment and creating division in Hong Kong, and holds the Police responsible for abusing its power and using brutal means to disperse, arrest and detain the protestors; in response to the discontent of Hong Kong people, this Council" after "this Council"; to delete "regulate the activities of carrying duty-free commodities into the Mainland for sale (commonly known as ' " and substitute with "deal with the problems concerned, including immediately tightening the policy on Individual Visit Scheme, cancelling the policy on multiple-entry endorsements, introducing a land arrival tax for Mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong, stepping up inspection of places where Mainland parallel traders gather, combating the setting up of parallel goods distribution and sales outlets in factory buildings and residential units, arresting persons carrying articles the export of which is restricted under the Import and Export (General) Regulations upon departure, and regulating"; to delete " ')" after "parallel trading activities"; and to delete "; at the same time, the SAR Government should increase tourism, transport and retail facilities for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and deal with those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local people in accordance with the law" immediately before the full stop."
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8325
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr CHAN Chi-chuen to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr IP Kwok-him rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr IP Kwok-him has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, 8326 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO and Mr IP Kin-yuen abstained.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, three were in favour of the amendment, 22 against it and three abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 32 were present, 12 were in favour of the amendment, 15 against it and four abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8327
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr YIU Si-wing, you may move your amendment.
MR YIU SI-WING (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr YIU Si-wing moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year," after "That"; to delete "to regulate" after "measures" and substitute with ", including co-operating with the Mainland Customs to combat"; to add "large quantities of" after "carrying"; to delete "and same-day Mainland tourists who come to Hong Kong mainly for procurement" after " 'parallel trading activities')"; and to delete "for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and" after "retail facilities" and substitute with "to enhance the capacity to receive tourists and avoid tourists affecting the normal lives of local people, and stringently"."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr YIU Si-wing to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr CHAN Chi-chuen rose to claim a division.
8328 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr CHAN Chi-chuen has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted for the amendment.
Mr Frederick FUNG, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO and Mr IP Kin-yuen abstained.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the amendment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8329
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, 20 were in favour of the amendment, five against it and three abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 32 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 12 against it and four abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Ting-kwong, you may move your amendment.
MR WONG TING-KWONG (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr WONG Ting-kwong moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To add "the policies on Individual Visit Scheme and multiple-entry endorsements have brought significant economic benefits to Hong Kong and created many employment opportunities, but the problem of Hong Kong's inadequate capacity of receiving tourists has gradually surfaced, and some parallel trading activities have even affected people's livelihood;" after "That"; to delete "regulate the activities of carrying duty-free commodities into the Mainland for sale (commonly known as ' " after "measures to" and substitute with "conduct studies on the regulation of "; to delete " ')" after "parallel trading activities"; to add "to tackle the problems of Hong Kong's inadequate capacity of receiving tourists and parallel trading activities," after "at the same time,"; to delete "Mainland" after "diverting"; to delete "so as to" after "from local people," and substitute with "and, in particular, identify suitable locations in districts near the Hong Kong border for the construction of border shopping centres to divert visitor flows in other districts; request public transport 8330 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
operators to strengthen station management and increase service frequencies to avoid overcrowding on stations and public transport; enhance the exchange of intelligence with relevant Mainland authorities to combat parallel trading activities; strengthen the combat against problems arising from engagement in parallel trading activities such as street obstruction, non-compliant uses in industrial buildings, violations of restrictions on outbound goods, breaches of conditions of stay by tourists, etc.; and negotiate with relevant Mainland authorities for adjusting the multiple-entry endorsements to 'certain number of trips per endorsement'; on the other hand, the SAR Government should publicize Hong Kong's hospitable image both in the Mainland and overseas, promote the sense of hospitality among local people,"; to delete "their" after "safeguard" and substitute with "the"; to add "of tourists" after "safety"; and to add "; meanwhile, this Council condemns those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local people" immediately before the full stop."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr WONG Ting-kwong to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr Gary FAN rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8331
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted for the amendment.
Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Frankie YICK and Mr IP Kin-yuen abstained.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the amendment.
8332 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Ms Emily LAU, Mr Paul TSE, Mr James TIEN, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, 19 were in favour of the amendment, four against it and five abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 31 were present, 12 were in favour of the amendment, 12 against it and six abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Dr Fernando CHEUNG, you may move your amendment.
DR FERNANDO CHEUNG (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Dr Fernando CHEUNG moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year, incidents targeting Mainland tourists have occurred repeatedly in Hong Kong, and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people; such incidents have damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a shoppers' paradise established for half a century, and have dealt a blow to industries related to tourism services; if the situation continues, the related industries will shrink and the practitioners' livelihood will also be affected" after "That" and substitute with "in 2014, the number of tourist arrivals received by Hong Kong exceeded 60 million, among them, Mainland tourists accounted for more than 70%, and the number of Mainland tourist arrivals under the multiple-entry endorsements also exceeded 10 million; the number of tourists received by Hong Kong is already greater than that received by the United Kingdom, South Korea, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8333
Japan and Australia, etc., and is far beyond its receiving capacity; the huge number of Mainland tourists has also affected the lives of Hong Kong people, including overcrowded Mass Transit Railway train compartments, substantial increases in shop rentals and retail shops selling cosmetics and personal care products replacing small shops in the neighbourhood, etc"; and to delete "; at the same time, the SAR Government should increase tourism, transport and retail facilities for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and deal with those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local people in accordance with the law" immediately before the full stop and substitute with ", and reduce the number of tourists under the Individual Visit Scheme and only approve applications for multiple-entry endorsements for the reasons of family reunion and study etc"."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Dr Fernando CHEUNG to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr IP Kwok-him rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr IP Kwok-him has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
8334 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Frederick FUNG, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK, Mr Kenneth LEUNG and Mr IP Kin-yuen voted for the amendment.
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted against the amendment.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Emily LAU, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Ms Claudia MO, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki, Dr Fernando CHEUNG, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the amendment.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr WONG Kwok-hing, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted against the amendment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8335
Mr WONG Yuk-man abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, eight were in favour of the amendment and 20 against it; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 33 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 16 against it and one abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Andrew LEUNG, you may move your amendment.
MR ANDREW LEUNG (in Cantonese): President, I move that Mr Vincent FANG's motion be amended.
Mr Andrew LEUNG moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "over the past year, incidents targeting Mainland tourists have occurred repeatedly in Hong Kong, and recently some people have even used violence to harass tourists who 'appear' to come from the Mainland and local people; such incidents have" after "That" and substitute with "the occurrence of a number of incidents targeting Mainland tourists in Hong Kong has severely"; to delete "have" after "century, and" and substitute with "has"; to add ", even hitting Hong Kong's economy" after "also be affected"; to delete "immediately take multi-pronged measures to regulate the activities of carrying duty-free commodities into the Mainland for sale (commonly known as 'parallel trading activities') and same-day Mainland tourists who come to Hong Kong mainly for procurement; at the same time," after "urges SAR Government to" and substitute with "face up to the problems concerned, step up law enforcement against any person who harasses tourists and local people in 8336 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
public places, so as to safeguard the personal safety and property of tourists and local people, and strengthen communication with the law enforcement agencies on the Mainland for combating parallel trading activities;"; and to delete "for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong, and deal with those persons who have caused disorder in public places and harassed tourists and local people in accordance with the law" immediately before the full stop and substitute with "to enhance the capacity of receiving tourists and maintain Hong Kong's image as a hospitable city"."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mr Andrew LEUNG to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr Gary FAN rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8337
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted for the amendment.
Mr Frederick FUNG, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr IP Kin-yuen and Mr TANG Ka-piu abstained.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr Michael TIEN, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the amendment.
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WONG Kwok-hing, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mr WU Chi-wai, Miss Alice MAK, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
8338 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 27 were present, 16 were in favour of the amendment, five against it and six abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 33 were present, 13 were in favour of the amendment, 12 against it and seven abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mrs Regina IP, you may move your amendment.
MRS REGINA IP (in Cantonese): President, I move the amendment under my name.
Mrs Regina IP moved the following amendment: (Translation)
"To delete "and local people; such incidents have damaged Hong Kong's reputation as a shoppers' paradise established for half a century, and have dealt a blow to industries related to tourism services;" after "from the Mainland" and substitute with ", resulting in some local people being innocently embroiled;"; to delete "the related industries will shrink and the practitioners' livelihood will also be affected" after "continues," and substitute with "similar violent incidents are extremely likely to affect tourists from Asia and other regions, damage Hong Kong's reputation as a shoppers' paradise established for half a century, deal a blow to industries related to tourism services and seriously affect the practitioners' livelihood; and as the Individual Visit Scheme involves multi-dimensional issues such as the integration between the Mainland and Hong Kong, the smoothing out of the feelings of people of the two places and Hong Kong's long-term economic development, etc., it cannot be viewed purely from a commercial perspective"; to add "consolidate urban management and" after "measures to"; to add "the nuisances brought by" after "regulate"; to delete "and same-day Mainland tourists who come to Hong Kong mainly for procurement" after " 'parallel trading activities')"; to LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8339
delete "for diverting Mainland tourists from local people, so as to safeguard their safety when shopping in Hong Kong," after "retail facilities" and substitute with "to enhance Hong Kong's capacity of receiving tourists; apart from strengthening public education and promoting a social atmosphere of friendliness and hospitality, the SAR Government should update tourism information for tourists from time to time, so as to enable them to better understand local customs and habits, and reduce the misunderstanding and conflicts with local people, thereby safeguarding the safety and dignity of tourists when visiting and shopping in Hong Kong, ensuring them a comfortable and pleasant journey;"; to delete "caused disorder" after "persons who have" and substitute with "disrupted order"; and to add ", so as to uphold Hong Kong's reputation as an Asia's world city, a shoppers' paradise and a hospitable city" immediately before the full stop."
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the amendment, moved by Mrs Regina IP to Mr Vincent FANG's motion, be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you as stated. Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr Gary FAN rose to claim a division.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
8340 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Steven HO, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr YIU Si-wing, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok and Mr Tony TSE voted for the amendment.
Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the amendment.
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO and Mr IP Kin-yuen abstained.
Geographical Constituencies:
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr WONG Kwok-hing, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr James TIEN, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Miss Alice MAK, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG voted for the amendment.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the amendment.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8341
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WU Chi-wai, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 28 were present, 21 were in favour of the amendment, four against it and three abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 32 were present, 15 were in favour of the amendment, 12 against it and four abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the amendment was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): The 11 amendments have all been negatived. As Mr Vincent FANG has already used up his speaking time, I will not call upon him to reply.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now put the question to you and that is: That the motion moved by Mr Vincent FANG be passed.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will those in favour please raise their hands?
(Members raised their hands)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Those against please raise their hands.
(Members raised their hands)
Mr Gary FAN rose to claim a division.
8342 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr Gary FAN has claimed a division. The division bell will ring for one minute.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please proceed to vote.
(Mr WONG Kwok-hing stood up)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG Kwok-hing, what is your point?
(Mr WONG Kwok-hing indicated that the problem with the voting button had been fixed)
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please check their votes. If there are no queries, voting shall now stop and the result will be displayed.
Functional Constituencies:
Mr Albert HO, Mr James TO, Mr Vincent FANG, Mr Jeffrey LAM, Mr Andrew LEUNG, Mr CHAN Kin-por, Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, Mr NG Leung-sing, Mr Frankie YICK, Mr MA Fung-kwok, Miss CHAN Yuen-han, Mr KWOK Wai-keung, Mr Christopher CHEUNG, Mr IP Kin-yuen, Mr Martin LIAO, Mr POON Siu-ping, Mr TANG Ka-piu, Ir Dr LO Wai-kwok, Mr CHUNG Kwok-pan and Mr Tony TSE voted for the motion.
Mr Frederick FUNG, Mr CHEUNG Kwok-che, Mr Charles Peter MOK and Mr Kenneth LEUNG voted against the motion.
Mr WONG Ting-kwong, Ms Starry LEE, Mr IP Kwok-him, Mr Steven HO and Mr YIU Si-wing abstained.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8343
Geographical Constituencies:
Ms Emily LAU, Mr WONG Kwok-hing, Dr Priscilla LEUNG, Mr WONG Kwok-kin, Mrs Regina IP, Mr Paul TSE, Mr James TIEN, Mr WU Chi-wai, Miss Alice MAK, Mr SIN Chung-kai and Dr Helena WONG voted for the motion.
Mr LEE Cheuk-yan, Ms Cyd HO, Mr Alan LEONG, Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung, Mr Albert CHAN, Mr WONG Yuk-man, Ms Claudia MO, Mr Gary FAN, Mr CHAN Chi-chuen, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Dr KWOK Ka-ki and Dr Fernando CHEUNG voted against the motion.
Mr CHAN Kam-lam, Mr TAM Yiu-chung, Mr CHAN Hak-kan, Mr CHAN Han-pan, Mr LEUNG Che-cheung, Dr Elizabeth QUAT, Dr CHIANG Lai-wan and Mr Christopher CHUNG abstained.
THE PRESIDENT, Mr Jasper TSANG, did not cast any vote.
THE PRESIDENT announced that among the Members returned by functional constituencies, 29 were present, 20 were in favour of the motion, four against it and five abstained; while among the Members returned by geographical constituencies through direct elections, 32 were present, 11 were in favour of the motion, 12 against it and eight abstained. Since the question was not agreed by a majority of each of the two groups of Members present, he therefore declared that the motion was negatived.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Debate on the second motion with no legislative effect. The motion debate on "Comprehensively reviewing the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary curriculum".
Members who wish to speak in the motion debate will please press the "Request to speak" button.
(A number of Members conversed loudly when leaving the Chamber)
8344 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Will Members please do not chat in the Chamber.
I now call upon Dr Priscilla LEUNG to speak and move the motion.
COMPREHENSIVELY REVIEWING THE SUBJECT OF LIBERAL STUDIES UNDER THE NEW SENIOR SECONDARY CURRICULUM
DR PRISCILLA LEUNG (in Cantonese): President, the motion I propose today is to urge the Government to comprehensively review the curriculum design, coverage of teaching, assessment method and teacher training of the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary curriculum. I expect that this motion will arouse great controversies but I sincerely hope that Honourable colleagues will be open minded, and carefully consider what kind of Liberal Studies suits the needs of our next generation.
Since the implementation of Liberal Studies in 2009, I have been showing great concern about the teaching and assessment method of this subject. Over the past five years, I have received over 1 000 complaints from parents, and cases requesting for assistance by teachers and students have never stopped. I totally sympathize with the parents. As I mentioned this morning, many parents are very worried about the secondary education their children receive in Hong Kong which they think it is rife with problems. They are also very worried that young people would be brainwashed after receiving secondary education.
The following is an actual case. In 2009, a student from a Band 1 school in Kowloon West came to the Legislative Council to lodge a complaint. He complained that 70% of the language used by his Liberal Studies teacher was foul language. However, his complaint was ignored by the school and his classmates made sarcastic comments about him because of the school-based assessment. Even a press conference was held, but eventually the student was forced to go to another school.
In 2010, there was another case in which the parents were upset about the behaviour of their daughter who attended another school in Kowloon West. They said to her, "If you continue to behave like that, we will not support you to study abroad." To their surprise, their daughter said to them, "How dare you say you will not support me to study abroad. After you died, all your money will be mine. Why don't you die sooner?" The heart-broken parents asked their LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8345 daughter where did she learn about such words and how come she behaved like that, as her two elder brothers were not like that. The 16-year-old girl told them, "My Liberal Studies teacher has taught me the law of inheritance. After you die, I will get all your assets."
(THE PRESIDENT'S DEPUTY, MR ANDREW LEUNG, took the Chair)
At present, among the participants of the Occupy Central movement, the "shopping tour" protests, as well as the anti-parallel trading protests mentioned just now, many of them are young people aged 13 or 14, and many people carrying dangerous weapons are not even 14 years of age, how can we not be worried? Some young people have walked around shopping centres, carrying an open umbrella. Some parents refused to attend their son's university graduation ceremony because they were upset about the rude behaviour of some students at the ceremony. Many people are worried that Liberal Studies, which is supposed to cultivate young people's critical thinking, has turned them to oppose everything in society. Some young people have become anarchists, acting against human relations and society. Furthermore, Liberal Studies emphasizes on negative emotions, making many young people think that everyone has done them a disservice. First, the Government has done them wrong, then their parents, and then their friends. Some even blame the Government and the system for being not handsome or being unable to find a girlfriend.
The fact that so many young people had participated in Occupy Central must have something to do with Liberal Studies. If one says that the two are unrelated, I would absolutely disagree. The philosophy of Liberal Studies is to do nothing that goes against nature, and the free and unrestrained teaching method have given teachers, who are inclined to identify with the "yellow" philosophy, the chance to use the platform of Liberal Studies to publicize their beliefs. Benny TAI once said that he had been invited to over 10 and even 100 secondary schools to talk about his idea of civil disobedience. If students do not fully understand that civil disobedience is just one of the many views and they do not have adequate knowledge to balance such a view, will they be brainwashed after listening to his talk?
Under certain circumstances, the teaching materials and teaching method of Liberal Studies are not monitored. I think project learning is good and can be enhanced. In the process of project learning, students have to gather information 8346 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 by themselves. They can interview and film experts holding different opinions and then draw the conclusion themselves. I think project learning is the most commendable element of the Liberal Studies curriculum and the Government should allocate more resources to support it. However, as school principals have no control over the contents of Liberal Studies, I am thus greatly worried. A 13 or 14-year-old child or a 16 or 17-year-old youngster is basically at a rebellious stage. They are against the establishment, against their parents, against the Government and society. They are against everything. They will eventually make society a dangerous place.
I have with me a book containing the teaching materials for Liberal Studies. In the part on the rule of the law, I think most of the contents are quotes from Benny TAI. To facilitate Members' discussion, I have magnified that part. In the last section on "justice through law", it is mentioned that if the legal provisions do not conform to justice, people should engage in civil disobedience. There are no other expositions, such as making the law conform better to justice by way of lobbying, or striving to change or amend the law. Nothing has been mentioned about attempting to persuade other stakeholders to make the law conform better to justice. Smokers may feel unhappy about the current anti-smoking legislation, and owners of unlicensed guesthouses may also be dissatisfied with the current legislation. Should all these people engage in civil disobedience then? The book containing the teaching materials for Liberal Studies makes no mention of other ideas, or other concepts other than civil disobedience. For example, sometimes one has to compromise, sometimes one has to seek common ground while reserving difference, and sometimes one has to accept gradual changes. But nothing has been mentioned.
As regards the marking guideline of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), it contains the criticism made by the HKEAA last year that candidates have a weak sense of the rule of law, and then it mentions, in a few sentences, that regulation by law is necessary. Other issues are also mentioned briefly. Lastly, it tells the readers to read the reference guideline for Liberal Studies on their own. This is the marking guideline. Why does it not make a clear statement? As Hong Kong is a law-abiding society, compliance with the law is an essential part of the rule of law, unless the law of Hong Kong is not worth complying. In respect of the rule of law, if we only criticize people for mistakenly thinking that compliance with the law is the rule of law, the message conveyed is that the illegal act of civil disobedience is the true manifestation of the rule of law. This is absolutely wrong. We should LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8347 not rationalize, romanticize and idealize such an illegal act. The teaching materials for Liberal Studies have not provided sufficient information to help students distinguish between right and wrong.
Besides, when someone first advocated the idea of Occupy Central, the biggest and most influential (in my opinion) education and political group in Hong Kong immediately published a book titled Liberal Studies Teaching Material 1.0, incorporating basically all information provided by Benny TAI, such as the timetable, and so on. Later, owing to criticisms made by some members of the public, including me, many teachers and parents, the book was amended and some people's thoughts about filibustering were added in.
The rule of law is Hong Kong's sterling reputation. If someone told young people not to comply with court orders, even if the court orders were issued after a fair trial of the case filed by someone who had been granted legal aid, they should not comply. Did they wish to tarnish Hong Kong's reputation of the rule of law?
In my view, we should have a set of impartial teaching materials for Liberal Studies, so that specialized teaching is possible. The teaching materials for law should contain the ideas of different legal experts or we should, after discussion, incorporate those information agreed by everyone into the teaching materials.
There are also two sides in the case of court litigations. To discuss politics, one cannot just talk about civil disobedience. We should also talk about the theory of incrementalism developed by Charles LINDBLOM or we should point out that the civil service system is about generalists instead of specialists. How can we learn about the prevailing problems faced by the Government from the teaching materials for Liberal Studies? In respect of some political movements that are still in the process of formation, that are now taking place or that are highly controversial, why should we talk about these inconclusive and highly controversial subjects, such as Occupy Central, filibustering, and so on, in classrooms, and why should we incorporate them in the main curriculum of Liberal Studies and even listed them as compulsory examination questions?
Deputy President, when Liberal Studies was first launched, a teacher, Mr HO Hon-kuen said, "The Liberal Studies subject is introduced glamorously while the Chinese History subject is abandoned rashly." Other subjects such as the Science and Chinese History suddenly depreciated in value, and some other 8348 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 subjects such as Music … The first case I received for assistance was lodged by a music teacher. As no students took the Music subject, she had to teach Liberal Studies and suddenly she had to be omnipotent. At that time, many schools just asked any teachers available to teach Liberal Studies. I have recently heard that a school has 12 Liberal Studies teachers. As the number of students taking subjects such as Chemistry, Biology and History has dwindled, the teachers who originally teach those subjects have all been assigned to teach Liberal Studies. Is this specialized teaching? And is it fair to other subjects?
As regards Liberal Studies, I think that we were too ambitious from the start. We wanted it the subject to cover social science, psychology, contemporary Chinese history, history of Hong Kong, energy and science, environmental science, politics, international relations, almost everything indeed. I know some schools have appointed five or six teachers especially to design the Liberal Studies curriculum. These schools may be doing a better job. But in so doing, they spend too many school resources on this subject. What about other subjects then?
Many Liberal Studies teachers have made great efforts but the fact is that many teachers are not specialized in teaching Liberal Studies. They have not been trained in teaching law, politics or environmental protection. Topics such as "globalization of obesity" have thus been proposed. I think we should perhaps think about how to answer this kind of questions. I am not saying that the Liberal Studies teachers are not working hard but since problems have arisen, we need to deal with them seriously.
I think that many people are worried about Liberal Studies, including parents and future employers. I have received some 1 000 complaint letters from parents who criticize the Liberal Studies curriculum as poorly organized, making them feel at a loss. They also oppose making Liberal Studies a compulsory subject of public examinations and the mark of this subject has to be taken into account. Consequently, some students who are very good at science subjects are not admitted to medical school due to their poor performance in Liberal Studies. This kind of examination still cannot get rid of the "spoon-feeding" mode of education.
Why can't we learn from others' experience? For example, in the United States, there is an excellent documentary on the History Channel titled "Who Created America" for teaching the American history. Students are not compelled to sit for examination and they learn happily. It would be great if Liberal Studies can be made an elective subject and students can choose whether LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8349 to take it or not. For those who like science may take the science subjects or one may choose to take Chinese History. For students who like politics, they may take Liberal Studies. Dr David LEE Ka-yan once said that if he were a secondary student today, he might never make it to become a doctor.
Moreover, I think the HKEAA should adopt a "sunshine" policy and be more transparent. I always think that the operation and appointment system of its committees are not transparent and the membership composition imbalance. The committee does not comprise representative for each subject, including Law, Environmental Protection and Political Science, as well as persons with different political views. I have done some research and found that among all committee members, the only incumbent member in the realm of Political Science is Prof MA Ngok from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and there are no other professors of Political Science who hold other political views. I know Prof MA Ngok should be very supportive of the "yellow" movement. Why are there no persons with impartial views in the committees to give advice on the setting of examination questions?
In November last year, the Government launched a consultation on New Academic Structure Medium-term Review and Beyond. The Government advised that no single disciplinary subject in the Humanities can replace the role of Liberal Studies and Liberal Studies is a new inter-disciplinary core subject. Given its importance, I demand specialized teaching for this subject, and only teachers who have studied the subject can teach the curriculum on law, political science or environmental protection. At the same time, there should be a set of quality teaching materials that are professionally designed.
At present, the performance of many students fail to meet the original objectives of Liberal Studies, which include cultivating students' positive values, establishing a pluralistic society, learning the values of dealing with conflicts. Many young people are rude and show no respect for law and order. They always speak foul language, and they even use foul language when they wear a uniform or when they speak at the Legislative Council.
Deputy President, many parents are very worried. I believe we have to comprehensive review Liberal Studies and I hope that colleagues from various political parties and grouping will support this motion for the benefit of our next generation and for the sake of Liberal Studies.
Deputy President, I so submit.
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DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Dr LEUNG, you may move your motion.
DR PRISCILLA LEUNG (in Cantonese): I now move my motion.
Dr Priscilla LEUNG moved the following motion: (Translation)
"That the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary curriculum has received much concern since its implementation and is controversial in terms of its curriculum design, coverage of teaching, assessment method and teacher training, etc.; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to comprehensively review the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary curriculum."
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now propose the question to you and that is: That the motion moved by Dr Priscilla LEUNG be passed.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Seven Members will move amendments to this motion. This Council will now proceed to a joint debate on the motion and the seven amendments.
I will call upon Members who move the amendments to speak in the following order: Mrs Regina IP, Dr Helena WONG, Dr Kenneth CHAN, Mr IP Kin-yuen, Mr WONG Kwok-hing, Ms Cyd HO and Ms Starry LEE; but they may not move amendments at this stage.
MRS REGINA IP (in Cantonese): Deputy President, first of all, I would like to thank Dr Priscilla LEUNG for proposing this motion, giving us the chance to discuss issues about the New Senior Secondary (NSS) academic structure and the subject of Liberal Studies.
The NSS academic structure was implemented in 2009. Since the first Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination was held in 2012, various sectors have divergent views on the new structure and many people invariably consider that there is room for improvement in the new structure. As LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8351 a parent, school principal and employer, I have paid close attention to the development of the NSS academic structure for some years, and the Savantas Policy Institute found by me has also conducted very detailed studies on this issue for the purpose of reviewing comprehensively the current situation of the NSS academic structure. We hope to do something for the future development of our local education.
Deputy President, the subject of Liberal Studies is intended to encourage students to study different topics so that they are no longer bound by the streaming of arts and science subject, but can be exposed to both subjects, thereby promoting their whole-person development. Nonetheless, due to its status as a core subject and the tremendous amount of homework, students are often discouraged from taking one or two more subjects in order to cope with the examination, leaving them with less time and energy for studying other subjects. At present, the majority of students study four core subjects and two other elective subjects at school, thus narrowing their knowledge base. According to the statistics released by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, since 2012 when the first HKDSE examination was held, there has been a general decline in the number and proportion of candidates sitting for various elective subjects, the situation for advanced Mathematics and the humanities is most worrying. The total number of day-school candidates sitting for Chinese History in 2012 was 8 100, but the number dropped to about 6 500 in 2014. Similarly, the total number of day-school candidates sitting for Mathematics (M2) in 2012 was 8 100, but the number dropped to about 5 500 in 2014. In 2014, the number of candidates taking Chinese Literature was only about 2 600 while the number of those taking English Literature was as low as 362.
I have previously called on the professors of three universities and they told me that the mathematics standard of students taking STEM subjects (that is Science, Engineering, and so on) is on the decline. Professors from The Chinese University of Hong Kong even said that Mainland students and Hong Kong students are split into two classes for some technical courses as the mathematics standard of Hong Kong students is often inferior to that of Mainland students.
In addition, although Liberal Studies is intended to expose students to both science and arts subjects, it is pointed out in the Liberal Studies Curriculum and Assessment Guide that "the subject is not necessarily tied to a particular ideology such as 'humanism' and 'classicism', and this is the reason why students fail to 8352 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 infer from the past and gain insight into present events. A renowned historian in the United States also made the following remarks, "History is why we are and what we are today". The shallow curriculum design will only encourage students, who lack the necessary basic knowledge, to make superficial arguments on whatever topics and rely heavily on the examination "tips" and drillings by tutorial schools for a particular type of examination questions, which can be said to be totally at odds with the initial intention of the Education Bureau in designing Liberal Studies.
Against this background, the Savantas Policy Institute has, after a long process of survey, research and consultation with university professors, teachers and principals of secondary schools and other educational bodies, released our submission made on the consultation on New Academic Structure Medium-term Review and Beyond at the end of last month. We have proposed a number of improvements: The Bureau should devise clearer guidelines for different issues in the curriculum of Liberal Studies, for example, setting out the concepts that students should master, giving a heavier weight to theoretical bases, requiring students to read the theories and classics of different schools of thoughts instead of serving as knowledge points; requiring textbooks of Liberal Studies be submitted for review so that their basic academic standards will be ensured, and preventing excessively frequent revision of textbooks to avoid increasing parents' financial burden; ensuring students to equip themselves with the necessary basic knowledge for exploring different issues, so that they can judge the authenticity of information, thus training their ability to distinguish between right and wrong and becoming informed, rational and responsible citizens, so as to solve at root the unhealthy trend of keeping books without reading and making arguments without grounds.
Deputy President, the education system should be constantly refined to tie in with the times, such that our next generation will receive good education to take up future challenges. If the NSS academic structure remains unchanged and Liberal Studies fails to offer additional choices to students to enable them lay a more solid foundation on both science and arts subjects, our next generation will have to suffer the dire consequences, thereby adversely affecting Hong Kong's competiveness in the long run.
With these remarks, I implore that the Education Bureau and the relevant public officers will give serious thoughts to the proposals made by Dr Priscilla LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8353
LEUNG and me. Given the mild wordings of Dr Priscilla LEUNG's motion, I call on all Honourable colleagues to support her motion as well as my amendment. Thank you, Deputy President.
DR HELENA WONG (in Cantonese): Deputy President, first of all I would like to declare that among the 70 Legislative Council Members, I am the only one who specialize in teaching the subject of Liberal Studies in university and I have been teaching this subject for 16 years. I have been involved in the design of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum and I have also provided consultancy service on this subject and written some teaching materials.
Originally, we should thank Dr Priscilla LEUNG for proposing this motion, giving us the chance to consider the teaching and learning of Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum. It is a shame that after listening to Dr Priscilla LEUNG and reading her original motion ― though Mrs Regina IP said her remarks are mild and asked us to support her amendment and Dr Priscilla LEUNG's original motion ― I found two problems after listening to Dr Priscilla LEUNG. First, she urges the Government to comprehensively review Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum, this is redundant. Why? The Education Bureau launched a consultation on New Academic Structure Medium-term Review and Beyond between 24 November 2014 and 28 February 2015. As Chinese, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies are core subjects under the NSS curriculum, the review will certainly cover Liberal Studies. Dr Priscilla LEUNG urges the Government to conduct a comprehensive review but since the review is already underway, I think this motion debate is unnecessary.
Dr Priscilla LEUNG of course has a purpose in proposing this motion. But is she truly so concerned about Liberal Studies? She emphasized that since she joined the Legislative Council, she has always raised questions about Liberal Studies. Both her original motion and her speech have put across negative messages. She has listed out 10 so-called "controversial" situations and all of them have negative implications. Does she wish to improve Liberal Studies by means of conducting a review or does she wish to abolish the subject through the review? I would like to ask her to clarify.
What is the purpose of Liberal Studies? At the Chief Executive's Question and Answer session this morning, Dr Priscilla LEUNG jumped the gun and asked the Chief Executive this question. Many people do not like LEUNG 8354 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Chun-ying as the Chief Executive, and I also hope he will step down soon as he is the shame of Hong Kong. But when he talked about Liberal Studies, he said that we could not blot out the value of Liberal Studies as it had the effect of encouraging students to think from various perspectives and think critically. Certainly, a review on this subject is necessary, but we need not batter it down.
Of course, as a teacher of Liberal Studies, I also think that all newly developed curriculums have room for improvement. Ms Starry LEE has said that everything can be improved and there is always room for further improvement. Making this kind of comments is no different from saying, "Mother is a woman and father is a man." Hence, I consider Ms Starry LEE's amendment superfluous.
As I teach Liberal Studies in university, I certainly know that when a subject is first taught, it may not always be smooth-running, but after it has been taught for a few years, things will get much better. We need not paint a rosy picture and say that the teaching materials, teacher training and examination questions for Liberal Studies are all perfect. Certainly, there is always room for improvement in every aspect. I hope that during the review, the authorities will give due respect to teachers, schools, as well as students who study this subject, and will make a professional judgment from these people's perspective. I hope that the authorities will not make a judgment from a political perspective, and target against Liberal Studies in the disguise of showing concern about the development of this subject. Several Members, Dr Priscilla LEUNG and Mrs Regina IP in particular, have repeatedly attempted to strike down this subject. May I ask them whether Liberal Studies is truly worthless?
Dr Priscilla LEUNG should have studied Liberal Studies in university. Her son is now studying in UCLA. Universities in the United States all recognize the value of Liberal Studies. If Dr Priscilla LEUNG does not recognize the value of Liberal Studies, she should not have sent her son to study in the United States. Mrs Regina IP has studied in Stanford University before and that university is very well-known for Liberal Studies.
As regards Liberal Studies, it is not like what the general public think, that is, that Liberal Studies requires students to know everything under the sun. It is of course not true because its purpose is not to disseminate hard facts. There are a number of very important objectives that we hope Liberal Studies can achieve. The first is to liberate a person's thinking so that he will not believe whatever LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8355 people tell him but rather through thinking from different perspectives, he can thoroughly understand and master the knowledge acquired covering various subjects. Therefore, Liberal Studies is inter-disciplinary. It trains students to think from various perspectives and develop their critical thinking skills so as to free them from the restriction imposed by the division of arts and science streams. Under the old academic structure, senior secondary students in the arts stream did not need to learn any knowledge about science and technology while those in the science stream had no knowledge of humanities whatsoever.
Liberal Studies is a very important core subject under the NSS curriculum and all senior secondary (Secondary Four, Five and Six) students are required to study Liberal Studies, which includes six modules covering the knowledge of both arts and science subjects. This can ensure that after graduating from senior secondary school, students will have the capability and experience of straddling the interface of various subjects, regardless of whether they are in the arts or science stream or they take any other elective subjects.
Hong Kong society is becoming increasingly politicized. We need more resources to enhance the teaching and learning of Liberal Studies. In my amendment, I mention that we must understand that the purpose of Liberal Studies is to emphasize "helping students develop multiple perspectives and critical thinking in respect of perennial and contemporary issues in different cultural, social, economic, political and technological contexts". We also hope that the authorities will take on board the viewpoints of teachers and students in the whole review and, from the standpoint of professional education, make relevant judgment on the development of the curriculum and provide it with the support required.
I would also like to take this chance to criticize the Secretary for Education. When Liberal Studies was first implemented, the Education Bureau provided a subsidy to schools, so that Liberal Studies teachers can hire teaching assistants to help in organizing the teaching materials and teaching, the subject can thus be taught more effectively. However, regrettably, this subsidy has been stopped. Instead, the authorities now allocate a great deal of resources to the "brainwashing" national education programmes, such as the exchange programmes with the Mainland and sister schools, which is contrary to the principle of Liberal Studies. Liberal Studies also embraces the idea of learning about society and understanding our country, but the emphasis is not on instilling the concept into students but helping them think from different perspectives. I 8356 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 think that the Government should allocate more resources to Liberal Studies and provide the subsidy again, so that schools can hire teaching assistants and continue to renew the teaching materials.
Deputy President, I oppose Mrs Regina IP's amendment. Although she has studied in Stanford University, she has no idea what Liberal Studies is. From the contents of her amendment, we can see that she is confused in her logic and thoughts, and the points raised are inconsistent. On the one hand, she says that Liberal Studies "has failed to facilitate amending the situation of dividing students into arts, science or commerce streams under the old secondary academic structure" and then she blames that Liberal Studies, as a core subject, has left students with less time and energy for studying other elective arts and science subjects. Does she wish to break the barrier between the arts and science stream or does she want students to specialize in arts or science? The logic is very confusing. Also, she blames the authorities for setting Liberal Studies as a core subject which leads to the decline in the number of students taking the elective subjects such as History and science subjects. There is, however, no evidence that the two have an inevitable causal relationship. I do not bother to go on, as the amendment is put forward out of her ignorance about Liberal Studies.
As regards Mr WONG Kwok-hing's amendment, since it makes no difference whether we support it or not, we will not support it. I have already talked about Ms Starry LEE's amendment earlier and concerning her proposal of "striking a balance among the six modules", this has already been done (The buzzer sounded) …
DEPUTY PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Dr WONG, your speaking time is up. Please sit down.
DR KENNETH CHAN (in Cantonese): Deputy President, presumably, nobody in this Chamber, including Honourable Members and public officials, has the experience in studying the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum or the subject of Liberal Studies. Hence we may have some difficulties in discussing the motion today.
Perhaps it is true that Dr Priscilla LEUNG, the mover of the original motion, has gone to great lengths to collect the 1 000-odd complaints. While I will of course listen to these complaints respectfully, I think we must do so with LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8357 an analytical mind. For instance, has the Member who handles the complaint ever considered whether there is an absolute relationship between these complaints and today's motion, that is, the coverage of teaching or assessment method of Liberal Studies, such that we can attribute all blame to the inadequacies, ineffectiveness or other shortcomings of Liberal Studies?
As we all know, no two people are the same. We have our similarities as well as differences. It is just natural that people have different views on various social issues or major world events. After all, we cannot ignore various factors related to individual students, such as their family circumstances, parental relationship, interaction with other people and social skills, and so on, and simply put all the blame on Liberal Studies.
If the question is whether the Government should regularly review our education system as well as the subjects taught, the answer is definitely in the affirmative. Regarding Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum, the Civic Party presented a submission to the Education Bureau last month, setting out our views on specific areas as well as the overall direction of review. In gist, we hold that there are two "dos", that is, two areas which should be strengthened, as well as two "don'ts", that is, two areas which should be left untouched. The first "do" is that the review on Liberal Studies should be conducted in a professional, serious and solemn manner, with the primary objectives of enhancing teaching results and alleviating teachers' burden.
The second "do" is about the direction of review, namely, Liberal Studies should be taught in a way that can enhance the understanding and awareness of the younger generation about civic society and universal values, so that they can support the future development of Hong Kong, in particular, the development of Hong Kong into a mature civic society in order to safeguard our core values.
There are also two scenarios which the Civic Party dreads to see as a result of the so-called review on Liberal Studies. Firstly, such review should not be hijacked by the "brain-washing" national education such that it is given a new life under Liberal Studies. Secondly, such review should not be used as an opportunity to infringe on the freedom of speech, freedom of expression or academic freedom enjoyed by teachers as well as writers or publishers of teaching materials.
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Deputy President, Liberal Studies was not taught as a subject when I studied in secondary school during the 1980s. At that time, studies were distinctly divided into the arts and science streams, and the subjects were taught in a spoon-fed manner. Fortunately I managed to survive the examination. With grade A in Chinese History and World History, and grade B in other subjects, I was admitted to university. But when I started my undergraduate study, I became aware of my ignorance, and there were many things I had to learn through the process of thinking, practicing and learning. For example, what should I do with my life? Should I spend my life studying, passing examinations, working, making a good fortune, starting a family, raising children, buying a car and my own flat, and then, kick the bucket? Is that all? Shouldn't we also think about how we relate to our surroundings, such as our family and friends, our neighbour, our society, our country or even the world? How should we interact with these aspects? What are my rights and obligations, roles and expectations? We cannot find the answer to these questions in books. Instead, we must explore through knowledge and practice.
In New Asia College of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, there is a building called "Chih Hsing Hall" (or "知行樓" in Chinese) which signifies the equal importance of knowledge and practice. Most importantly, a person should be aware of the danger of having half-baked knowledge, pretending to be knowledgeable or hiding one's ignorance. For example, when attending this morning's Question and Answer Session, the Chief Executive tried to show off his knowledge about the British political system. I have been teaching the subject for more than 20 years, and I cordially invite LEUNG Chun-ying, our kiddo Chief Executive, to sit in my classes. Of course, I would be most honoured if the Secretary for Education can also join us.
The crux is whether the system of democracy is genuine or fake, and whether freedom or manipulation prevails. Under this overriding principle, it is quite natural that systems designed by different countries would vary. So the Chief Executive should stop distorting the truth.
On account of Mr LEUNG Chun-ying's popularity rating ― according to the result of an earlier opinion poll released two days ago, his popularity rating is in the region of negative 40% ― if we are talking about the British political scene, he would have been ousted by his party a long time ago for he had become a negative asset. Yet he is still as ambitious as ever and wants to seek another term of office with the blessings of coterie elections. Actually, students can LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8359 thoroughly discuss and debate these issues in the context of Liberal Studies, instead of just learning or studying within the boundaries set by people in power. That is not what we want to see.
Originally Liberal Studies is intended to strengthen the development of students and the younger generation of Hong Kong, so that they can become both analytical and critical, while having broad-based general knowledge and visionary perspectives. That is the real meaning of Liberal Studies.
What will Liberal Studies become if all these important notions are eliminated? The authorities must not use the review of Liberal Studies as an excuse to ban the teaching of controversial issues because they are too political and not suitable for Hong Kong. Should we return to the feudal or colonial periods and ask students to learn by rote? That is not we want for our next generation, right?
Deputy President, black clouds are now looming over Hong Kong's education system, with waves of attack coming from all sides. I was really upset on one occasion, and I reckon the Secretary could still recall the incident. That was during a meeting of the Panel on Education when I asked the Secretary directly whether he was still the Secretary for Education in the true sense of the title. Certainly he is the Secretary. That is an objective fact, and he receives $300,000 plus other allowances from taxpayers every month. He also replied that he was of course the Secretary.
Yet, according to CHEN Zuoer, the Secretary for Education in Hong Kong should be under the supervision of the Central Government and the relevant Mainland policy departments. Fanny LAW, a Member of the Executive Council, also spoke extensively about her ideas on education. For example, teachers should be mandatorily required to train for at least one semester in the Mainland, so that they have a clear understanding of the basic systems in the Mainland before they are qualified to teach in Hong Kong. Afterwards, Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying appointed Arthur LI to the Council of the University of Hong Kong. In my view, this is a catastrophic development because Prof Arthur LI also played a role in the controversy about meddling with the academic freedom of a tertiary institution. Perhaps Mr IP Kin-yuen who will speak afterwards also has the same feeling, and he can share with us some personal experience. The Civic Party and I are indeed worried about these waves of attacks on the education system.
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Through this so-called review on Liberal Studies, the pro-establishment or royalist camp is asking the Government to formalize or regularize an important area which epitomizes freedom through compression and suppression. If they succeed, Liberal Studies will exist in name only as students would be indoctrinated with ideologies championed by Communist China since its founding in 1949. In this regard, Communist China is second to none. I wonder if the Secretary has heard of slogans like "five stresses, four goods and three loves". Perhaps from now on we must all dance to these tunes until our next generation is fully assimilated, like the kiddo Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying's act of parroting and feigning knowledge. This is absolutely not we want to see.
Deputy President, the Civic Party agrees that there is a need for review, yet such a review should not lead to the formalization of Liberal Studies with textbooks and set texts so that students are forced to study contents against their wish.
I so submit.
MR IP KIN-YUEN (in Cantonese): Deputy President, the New Senior Secondary (NSS) academic structure has been implemented for five years. It is natural that Liberal Studies, as a new compulsory subject under the curriculum, has aroused much public concern. Nonetheless, some people have associated Liberal Studies with social movements in recent years. For example, they claim that young people are politically discontented and crave for genuine universal suffrage because they have studied Liberal Studies. Yet they turn a blind eye to the fact that young people are dissatisfied primarily because the Government has failed to respond to people's demand for democracy. Let me give another example. Once a school organized a current affairs seminar, and people with different views were invited to attend to share with students. But some organizations protested outside the school, alleging that the school incited students to break the law. Some Members have disregarded the professional judgment of teachers and accused that Liberal Studies is "unregulated". A moment ago, Dr Priscilla LEUNG cited an example about a mother complaining that her daughter became rebellious and told her to die after studying inheritance law under Liberal Studies. In my view, this case calls for independent thinking on the part of the Member who received the complaint. If Dr LEUNG accepts LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8361 the logic of this parent, should the Law Department of the City University of Hong Kong stop teaching inheritance law from now on? I think these cases must be considered critically.
Simply put, some people have deliberately launched such attacks for the purpose of demonizing Liberal Studies, so that it becomes the bane of our political disputes. They even say that Liberal Studies has a bad influence on young children. Deputy President, isn't that an over-statement and gross exaggeration? Liberal Studies has seemingly become the root of all evils, and students who concern about politics are regarded as scourges. In my view, such a discourse is neither conducive to the holding of rational discussion nor the education system per se.
Before going into formal discussion, I think we should elucidate on two points of fact. Firstly, there is always room for improvement for any subject. Like other subjects, Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum is bound to meet all kinds of challenges. There is room for improvement both in terms of the course structure and design. But other subjects are also subject to criticisms. For example, Chinese Language has been criticized as being too superficial, Chinese History being too voluminous, Business, Accounting and Financial Studies being ill-designed such that students can hardly cope with it, so on and so forth. Clearly there are different challenges for individual subjects. Hence, there is no need to focus on just one subject and exaggerate the problems indefinitely. Instead we should focus on how to improve various subjects.
Secondly, we must clarify the so-called politicization of Liberal Studies. In recent years, some people have criticized Liberal Studies for being politicized and packed with political contents. Hence they suggest that such topics should be curtailed or even removed from the subject. When we were brought up under the British colonial rule in Hong Kong, education had always been depoliticized by the Hong Kong-British Government, such that we were denied access to any political topics. The then education system had lost touch with society as a whole. Do we want our education system to continue developing along this path, or do we want a system that nurtures responsible and proactive citizens? Every citizen should be concerned about politics, and there is nothing to fear about. Moreover, we should encourage students to be broad-minded and more actively engaged in political discussion, so that they can acquire a sophisticate view in this regard and become mature citizens.
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Any person who has some understanding of Liberal Studies would know that the subject is primarily about thoroughly understanding and mastering the knowledge acquired, as well as analysing issues from different concepts and multiple perspectives. Hence, even topics presumably unrelated to politics such as public health and energy technology may involve discussion at the policy or political levels. If restriction is arbitrarily imposed on the so-called political topics, does it mean that Liberal Studies would be depoliticized? Of course, we are not saying that the teaching of politics is essential to Liberal Studies because there are other objectives as well. Politics is but one of the elements, and it should not be regarded as a great scourge. We should encourage critical thinking on the students' part so that they can acquire a positive outlook on politics. That is what I would call a normal and reasonable attitude.
Despite the problems with Liberal Studies, we should tackle them with an open mind. Previously the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (the Union) has conducted a number of surveys to ascertain the current problems with Liberal Studies so as to point the way for improvements. I would like to highlight a few points. First, there are criticisms that the coverage of Liberal Studies is too vague and general, and teachers often use newspaper clippings or media footages as teaching materials. I think such criticisms are unfair to the teachers. We must understand that unlike traditional subjects, Liberal Studies is taught with an issue-enquiry approach. Different kinds of teaching materials would be used to facilitate the study of and discussion by students on selective current affairs topics. As a matter of fact, great efforts have been made by the teachers to improve the quality of teaching, and different kinds of teaching materials would be prepared to meet the teaching needs.
According to the teacher surveys conducted by the Union, over the past five years, over 90% of the respondents have developed school-based teaching materials themselves, while 90% of the teachers have made use of textbooks. This shows that most teachers would teach the subject by combining the use of textbooks and school-based teaching materials (that is, teaching materials developed by the teachers themselves). They are taking the matter seriously. But this teaching mode has taken a toll on teachers because they can no longer just teach the subject with a textbook. Instead they must stay tuned to social development as well as the happenings in society and use them as examples in enquiry studies. Hence, in terms of teaching preparation, teachers of Liberal Studies must update the contents and teaching materials every year. If we want LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8363 to improve the teaching and studying of this subject, teachers must be provided with adequate support and resources. Hence, I hold that the authorities should respond expeditiously to the long-standing demands of the academia for increasing teaching resources, strengthening teacher training and upgrading teaching standards of the subject. In fact, we have all along suggested that long-term funding provision should be earmarked for Liberal Studies. This is also a strong demand from many teachers.
Separately, we must appreciate the pressures felt by students in learning the subject. There is also room for improvement in respect of the course contents. According to the surveys of the Union, almost 70% of the teachers opine that the coverage of Liberal Studies should be reduced. While most teachers note the merit of independent enquiry studies, they lament about the shortage of teacher resources. As each student in the class must conduct an independent enquiry study, the teacher must counsel several dozens of students independently. If the teacher teaches several classes, he would need to counsel about 100 students separately. This would create enormous pressures for both teachers and students. We should also explore other proposals, for example, whether the current arrangement of having six core modules in the Liberal Studies curriculum would create excessive burden on students, and whether the coverage of each module can be reduced. All these proposals merit further discussion. I raise this point because the toll of Liberal Studies is not only felt by teachers, but also students. Liberal Studies and other subjects have created an enormous pressure on students under the NSS academic structure. According to a recent survey conducted by the Social Service Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong, two in every three senior secondary students attend tutorial schools, and over 10% of these students attend over 40 hours of tutorial lessons per month. Of course, these figures cover Liberal Studies as well as other subjects. Hence we should bear in mind the capacity problem of students and provide them with suitable assistance to facilitate their learning.
Last but not least, I hope that the authorities will review Liberal Studies according to the established mechanism so that the whole process would adhere to the principle of professionalism in education, with the objectives of improving the teaching and learning of the subject. The review must be premised on professionalism and students. I also call on Honourable colleagues to stop the smearing attacks. Please try to improve the policy with a positive attitude. Our 8364 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 role is to get the job done, so that Liberal Studies teachers can do a better job in teaching the subject, which can in turn nurture more proactive citizens in the future.
I so submit.
MR WONG KWOK-HING (in Cantonese): Deputy President, as the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum is too extensive in contents, with some of the learning contents even overlapping with those of the subject of Chinese History, thus making it difficult for teachers and students to master them in teaching and learning, I have thus proposed an amendment to the original motion, urging the Government to comprehensively review Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum, so as to "streamline the curriculum contents and consolidate the overlapping learning contents in the subjects of Liberal Studies and Chinese History, so that the curriculum contents of the subject of Liberal Studies become clearer and more comprehensible, and the subject of Chinese History can be included as a core subject after consolidation".
Deputy President, at present, the curriculum structure of Liberal Studies comprises six modules, namely, (1) Personal Development and Interpersonal Relationships; (2) Hong Kong Today; (3) Modern China; (4) Globalization; (5) Public Health, and (6) Energy Technology and the Environment. With such extensive coverage, Liberal Studies has both its advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is that students can learn all these subjects as part of the course contents is an extension of the subjects taught in junior secondary level. This can help reinforce students' knowledge about the world, society and history, as well as widen their vision and develop a multi-perspective outlook. Nonetheless, its advantage is also its disadvantage as the subject is too extensive in contents, thus making it difficult for students to master. Moreover, some of the contents even overlap with those of other NSS subjects, particularly Chinese History.
Some of the contents in the modules of Modern China and Hong Kong Today under Liberal Studies are identical to those covered under the area of modern or contemporary Chinese History. In practice, this has led to a waste of LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8365 teaching hours and resources, adversely affecting the effectiveness of teaching and learning of both subjects. In this regard, the impact on the subject of Chinese History has rapidly emerged. Over a short span of two years, the number of students sitting for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination on the subject of Chinese History has dropped sharply from 8 099 (or 5.34%) in 2012 to 6 464 (or 4.94%) in 2014. Has the Education Bureau conducted any comprehensive study and review on the reasons for this phenomenon as well as the drastic decrease in the number of students taking the elective subject?
(THE PRESIDENT resumed the Chair)
President, students of Liberal Studies are required to have knowledge of different disciplines, a broad vision, inter-disciplinary learning skills and critical thinking. But given the numerous areas of study and concepts covered under the subject, it is very difficult for students to gain an in-depth and multiple-perspective knowledge about the subject. According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Liberal Studies Association in 2012, that is, three years after the implementation of Liberal Studies, almost 80% of Liberal Studies teachers who responded to the survey considered that the curriculum guidelines were vague and incomprehensible, while the teaching hours of Liberal Studies were seriously inadequate, leading to the arrangement of extra classes by many schools. By the Association's estimation, the curriculum contents of Liberal Studies should at least be slashed by half before teachers can cope with the teaching within the specified teaching hours.
In 2015, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers conducted a questionnaire survey on senior secondary teachers' view on the medium-term review of the NSS curriculum. According to the findings, over 30% (32%) of the teachers considered that the number of modules under Liberal Studies should be reduced; 20% of the teachers opined that some of the modules should become elective modules; 60% of the teachers agreed or very much agreed that the course contents of all modules should be reduced to help alleviate the pressures on both teachers and students. Given the extensive course contents, inadequate teaching hours and pressures of public examinations, it has become empty talk for students 8366 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 to broaden and deepen their knowledge base, develop independent thinking or increase their understanding about society, the country and the world. It is clear that Liberal Studies is a hurdle for teachers and students alike. It is an impossible mission to achieve the Government's ideals of teaching Liberal Studies as a subject within a limited time under an examination-oriented approach. Hence many schools opt for a leapfrog mode of teaching and require students to undertake self-learning after school in order to raise their awareness of social affairs. As a result, many students rely on tutorial schools, and reports from particular media organizations have become a source of knowledge. Instead of learning from multiple perspectives, students are prone to overgeneralizations and may even develop a biased outlook.
President, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose for Hong Kong students to study Chinese History. In the learning process, they can learn about the long history and culture of China, while developing the skill of learning from history or the experience of our predecessors. It is natural, necessary and worthy for Chinese people to understand the history of their Motherland. Regrettably, the relevant contents are incorporated into Liberal Studies. As a result, the subject is like a hodgepodge, with something about everything and nothing about anything. Hence I consider that a proper review is required. As the subject of Liberal Studies is too broad and extensive in contents, students can hardly master the knowledge being taught. Moreover, as Liberal Studies is a core humanities subject, it also indirectly affects the students' interest in taking other humanities subjects, for instance, students attach less importance to Chinese History and hence, fewer students are taking the subject.
While two modules under Liberal Studies, namely, "Modern China" and "Hong Kong Today", account for one third of the curriculum, students can hardly gain a thorough understanding of the social development in China and Hong Kong. Take for example the module of "Modern China". The module only consists of two themes, namely, "China's reform and opening-up" and "Chinese culture and modern life", with the main focus on controversial issues arising from China's reform and opening-up, such as the rural-urban gap, problems associated with migrant workers, one-child policy, conversation and the environment, and so on. As far as the country's systems are concerned, the course only gives a brief introduction on the functions and roles of various state organizations since China's opening-up and reform in 1978. Little is said about the earlier historical LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8367 background, such as the reasons for China's opening-up and reform, the emergence of state enterprises as well as the institutional reform of China. How can we fully grasp China's development without a clear perspective of its historical development?
Chinese culture and heritage are developed over time as a result of many factors, yet Liberal Studies does not touch on any of these historical backgrounds. Instead, it only focuses on questions such as the challenges brought by modern life to traditional values, and how such differences can be reconciled. As a result, students can hardly grasp the relationship between the development of our traditional culture and its inheritance. Under the circumstances, it is very difficult for students to develop an interest in Chinese culture. Instead, they would only see traditional values as the bane of problems in modern China, and it is very difficult for them to get the full picture.
As for the two themes "Quality of Life" and "Socio-political participation" under the module of "Hong Kong Today", topics about the early history of Hong Kong, such as the historical events leading to Hong Kong becoming a British colony after the Opium War, are left uncovered because the module is about "Hong Kong Today". How can students fully grasp the current development of Hong Kong under "one country, two systems" without a clear perspective of its historical development? This is just one of the examples.
For the sake of improving Liberal Studies, I have proposed an amendment to Dr Priscilla LEUNG's motion. Apart from stating support for the authorities to comprehensively review the subject of Liberal Studies, I also urge the Government to streamline the curriculum contents and consolidate the overlapping learning contents in the subjects of Liberal Studies and Chinese History, so that the curriculum contents of the subject of Liberal Studies become clearer and more comprehensible, and the subject of Chinese History can be included as a core subject after consolidation, in this way, both subjects can fully achieve their teaching objectives, leading to a better quality of learning for students.
Last but not least, the subject of Chinese History has been an elective subject for many years. Under the New Academic Structure, the number of students taking the subject has been dropping sharply. Some teachers of the subject even describe the situation as the downfall of Chinese History. It is 8368 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 natural for people in a country to study its own history, which is a universal value as well as the norm for all countries. In Europe and the United States, or even Asia, as well as our neighbouring countries and places, national history is a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary education, just like students in Germany must learn about and understand the causes of the Holocaust (The buzzer sounded) …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr WONG, your speaking time is up.
MS CYD HO (in Cantonese): President, I recall that the democratic camp was extremely worried when the subject of Liberal Studies was first introduced, fearing that the marking of examination papers would also be based on the prevailing system of model answers, and students might not dare to think independently. We feared that students would resort to memorizing what they had been taught and writing down all the keywords in a piecemeal manner so as to cater for the marking system under which marks would only be given for the keywords. We were greatly worried at that time.
In the 2008-2012 session of the Legislative Council, the democratic camp subscribed to Dr Priscilla LEUNG's view that students should learn Liberal Studies, but no assessment should be made for we feared that students would be adversely affected as teachers did not have a fair understanding of the subject. Regrettably, when the curriculum was introduced, Liberal Studies was a core subject and students had to be assessed. Should there be anything wrong with the system, students might possibly fail to gain admission to universities. We were thus very worried at that time. However, the Government insisted on introducing the Liberal Studies curriculum and fortunately, teachers have made their best efforts to monitor the marking system of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. We had also discussed with the authorities on the charges of over $900 for rechecking and remarking, fearing that many students might apply for rechecking and remarking in the first or second year of the examination. Since students from grass-roots family simply cannot afford the charges, their whole future would be ruined in case their answer sheets are wrongly marked.
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However, circumstances have changed with the passage of time. Members who supported the implementation of Liberal Studies have now asked the Government to conduct a review. It is certainly right to conduct a review, particularly in respect of teacher qualification, as we do not wish to see Music teachers being "dragooned" into teaching Liberal Studies just because of the limited sessions of Music lessons at school. It is just as ridiculous as asking any mature woman to be a caretaker in kindergartens. For this reason, we very much agree to what Dr Priscilla LEUNG has said, teachers of Liberal Studies should be well-qualified and have the necessary expertise, and that the subject cannot be taught by anybody. What then are our fears? What we fear most is that the voices of tightening Liberal Studies actually appear after the anti-national education incident. Is it because some people, in seeing some secondary students having the courage and knowledge to criticize the current situation and challenge the authority, consider that Liberal Studies has empowered students to be outspoken and know how to challenge the system? Hence, some people have the ill-intention of controlling the thoughts of young people in the name of conducting a review.
President, according to Article 6(2) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to which Hong Kong is a State Party, "States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child." Articles 23 and 29 also provide that children shall develop their respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms so that they can have active participation in the community. Article 28(3) even states that, "… encourage international co-operation in matters relating to education, in particular with a view to contributing to the elimination of ignorance and illiteracy throughout the world." The phrase "elimination of ignorance" is indeed subject to different interpretations in Hong Kong today. It is obvious that the Government now adopts the policy of keeping people in ignorance and responds to Hong Kong people's call for democracy by slogan-style advertisements. Such advertisements convey messages such as having a vote is better than having no votes, or voting at polling station is definitely better than watching others vote on television. Nonetheless, can we really cast a vote to monitor the Government and force it to respond to public aspirations? The Government has not spelled this out clearly.
The Government does not mind Hong Kong people being ignorant; it even wishes that people are more ignorant. For this reason, it is all the more important to cultivate students' critical thinking skills in teaching Liberal Studies, 8370 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 and this is also one of the six curriculum aims laid down by the Education Bureau for the implementation of Liberal Studies, namely to develop a range of skills for life-long learning, including critical thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving skills, and so on. In other words, students can, in the absence of assistance from schools and teachers, still be able to learn after graduation, thereby realizing the objective of life-long learning. However, what is the issue under discussion now? It is about amending the teaching materials for Liberal Studies. In 2009, Dr Priscilla LEUNG said that the subject should not be provided with teaching materials and that students should broaden their learning mode to cover non-classroom learning experiences. This had been put on record in the minutes of meeting of the Education Panel held on 11 July 2009. Her previous viewpoints were also recorded in the minutes of meeting of the Education Panel held on 12 July 2010.
Dr LEUNG's viewpoints then were quite similar to ours today, but she has slightly changed her attitude now. In her recent article, Dr LEUNG expresses the need to design teaching materials for Liberal Studies, rather than allowing teachers to prepare their own teaching materials indiscriminately. I do not know the reasons for her change, is it attributed to the fact that some secondary school students had taken part in the anti-national education incidents and dared challenge the authority, thus triggering Dr LEUNG to finally reveal her YE Gong's nature? YE Gong liked to draw dragons and had collected all carvings related to dragons; yet when he actually saw a fire-spitting dragon, he thought a disaster was imminent and immediately went into hiding.
President, we support the implementation of Liberal Studies, and we still think that this subject should be taught at school, but it should not be a core subject with assessment. Many students have to study Liberal Studies as part of their basic courses in the first year of their undergraduate programme, so that they can learn to think independently. We have no objection to this and also consider it necessary to conduct a review. However, one should never take advantage of a review to control thoughts.
I have to respond to the remarks made by Dr Priscilla LEUNG as her speech has actually digressed from the topic. She described Liberal Studies as the source of all evils and even put the blame on Liberal Studies for students speaking foul language. In fact, the subject of Liberal Studies has only been introduced in recent years. Many elderly persons are very fluent in speaking foul language, so much so that if they do not include foul language in their LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8371 conversations, they can hardly speak fluent Cantonese. However, none of them have studied Liberal Studies when they were young. What explanation can Dr LEUNG offer for that? As in the case of opposing equal rights for people of different sexual orientations, Dr Priscilla LEUNG should not blame people with different sexual orientations for extra-marital affairs, promiscuity, bestiality and paedophiles. On these two specific issues, her attitude is actually very similar. As a matter of fact, even if Liberal Studies is abolished, young people will still be rebellious. Their relationship with parents or elders should be built on good communication between family members, rather than the teaching of Liberal Studies. Dr Priscilla LEUNG has a wrong interpretation of the causal relationship, which really perplexes me.
Besides, I also wish to respond to Mrs Regina IP's comments. I like hearing people quote ancient Chinese prose. She said it was imperative to "solve at root the unhealthy trend of keeping books without reading and making arguments without grounds". Upon hearing such words, I hold her in high respect. Regrettably, the clause that follows is "empty talks will do harm to a nation", which is commonly said by government officials when facing divergent views and criticisms, in a bid to give those who criticize the government a slap. As such, I would rather Mrs Regina IP say in a dignified bureaucratic tone that it is absolutely wrong to criticize the Government.
As for her remarks that "learning without thought means labour lost; thought without learning is perilous"3, I consider this saying all the more worthy of our discussion. If she considers that keeping books without reading will result in labour lost, I can, however, tell her that learning without consideration, discussion, communication and interaction will make one easily get deceived, not to mention building his own personal knowledge.
President, I will not support Dr Priscilla LEUNG's motion and Mrs Regina IP's amendment.
MS STARRY LEE (in Cantonese): President, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) academic structure is now in its fourth year since its introduction in 2012.
3
Candidates should sit for four core subjects, that is, Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies. Since the implementation of the NSS academic structure, Liberal Studies has aroused widespread concern and discussions in society as well as among the academic sector in respect of its curriculum contents, teacher training, teaching materials, and so on.
President, the Government was well-intentioned in introducing Liberal Studies, aiming at broadening the knowledge base of students through enquiring into a wide range of issues, so as to enhance students' awareness of society, nation, the world and the environment, thereby helping them develop positive values and multiple perspectives on different issues. Liberal Studies should also be a subject incorporating both arts and science elements which enables inter-disciplinary learning, so that students are no longer bound by the streaming of arts and science subject.
However, there is inevitably a gap between ideals and realities. From the experience of implementing Liberal Studies over the past few years, we have learnt that … according to my observation on the curriculum contents of Liberal Studies, I can hardly agree that it is a subject incorporating both arts and science elements, and neither can I see how the situation of dividing students into arts and science streams can be reversed. It is believed that many people in Hong Kong regard Liberal Studies as a typical arts subject; hence it seems that the intended objectives of the curriculum have not been met.
As the public has expressed a lot of opinions on Liberal Studies in the course of its implementation, some of which are quite valuable and worthy of our follow-up actions, I hope the SAR Government will review the subject as appropriate. I have also received different views on the implementation of Liberal Studies. Perhaps let me summarize such views as follows.
The criticisms of teacher of Liberal Studies mainly involve a few areas. First of all, some teachers have described teaching Liberal Studies as swimming in the ocean, as they could hardly find the shore. Why? It is because the curriculum contents covered in the six modules are very extensive, and this point has been discussed by a number of Members earlier. If we look at the curriculum carefully, the areas of study covered in the curriculum are actually so broad that even a single module can be taught as an independent subject. Take Module 3: Modern China as an example. In the university curriculum, this is actually an independent elective subject. The coverage is so broad that on the theme of China's reform and opening-up, the basic knowledge may include modern Chinese history, early reform and opening-up measures, changes in LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8373 people's living standard, development of China's participation in international affairs, social policies, and so on. However, it should be noted that the above topics only cover one sixth of the curriculum contents, not to mention the contents covered in the remaining five modules. As a result, many teachers have indicated that it is virtually impossible to teach the entire curriculum covered in the six modules within a span of three years as the teaching time is really far from adequate.
President, since the curriculum contents are so extensive and the teaching materials and basic information are theoretically prepared by schools and teachers on their own, teachers will, to put it nicely, exercise their own discretion and judgment in preparing for the lessons and selecting teaching materials. In actual operation, I believe teachers of every school are "crossing the river by groping the stones" and teaching as much as they know. Therefore, since the introduction of Liberal Studies, although the Education Bureau said that only six modules are included, it actually has no idea how much basic information and concepts have teachers and students mastered.
The subject contents and way of teaching of Liberal Studies varies among schools. While teachers have a hard time in teaching, students are also extremely upset as they really do not know how much information they should grasp in order to cope with the examination. It is precisely for this reason that Mrs Regina IP said just now that many students dare not study other elective subjects because they all want to attain good results for Liberal Studies.
President, the other criticism is about the implementation of enquiry learning at schools. As we all know, enquiry learning is like writing theses in universities, which is a good learning process during which students are required to enquire, communicate, broaden their horizon, respect and accommodate different views. On the other hand, students should also learn or equip themselves with the basic knowledge in the process. However, due to limited time and coupled with the extensive curriculum contents, the teaching process is often very "condensed" with the learning focus being placed on the latest current affairs. For most of the time, teachers try to find topics for homework from news commentary in newspapers or on television and engage students in the discussion. Frankly speaking, given the extensive contents covered in the curriculum, I really do not believe teachers and students can fully grasp the basic concepts and information. This being the case, the discussion will mostly be superficial.
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For instance, if students have to enquire into the topic on how the Chief Executive of Hong Kong will be selected by universal suffrage in 2017, the basic information that teachers and students have to grasp is enormous. Apart from the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law, they have to learn about the democratic development in Hong Kong, various theories on democracy, development of different schools of thoughts, as well as the pros and cons of the proposals under discussion, a comparison of electoral systems in different places, and so on. Generally speaking, even for issues that appear to be simple, students still have to equip themselves with a lot of basic knowledge. You can imagine that if the Education Bureau does not provide the basic teaching kit for this topic, students or even teachers can only rely on newspapers or even the basic information provided by certain media organizations, or produce their own teaching materials with editorials in newspapers. This mode of teaching can in no way guarantee that teachers and students can have a good understanding of the different concepts of a topic. If so, to be frank, how can students conduct enquiry learning?
President, another problem is that the examination questions of Liberal Studies are heavily focused on political issues, which is inconsistent with the proportion of other curriculum contents. Examination questions involving political issues are mainly set under the themes "Rule of law and socio-political participation" and "Identity" of the module "Hong Kong Today". In the Curriculum and Assessment Guide, there are a total of seven key questions for enquiry, accounting for 13.7% out of the 51 key questions for enquiry in the six modules. Yet, over the past three years, examination questions involving political issues have accounted for about 20.5% to 37% of the total number of questions in the examination paper. These figures have illustrated that too much focus has been placed on political issues and such questions are usually compulsory questions. Besides, some pictures on the examination paper often direct students to give their answers on a particular stance. The above are the general criticisms made by people in the community.
President, in view of the above observations, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) has proposed an amendment to the original motion moved by Dr Priscilla LEUNG. We urge the authorities concerned to strike a balance among the six modules in setting the examination questions and marking criteria, instead of placing too much emphasis on a particular module. Besides, the information provided in the examination LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8375 questions should be able to lead students to consider an issue from multiple perspectives, enabling them to arrive at their own viewpoints and arguments, rather than encouraging any single point of view or one single position.
President, earlier, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers has released the findings of a survey on the NSS curriculum. Among the 219 Liberal Studies teachers who were interviewed, 88% hoped that the Government would provide more professional support, while 60% supported the deletion of curriculum contents in each module. All these comments in fact merit the Government's consideration. We propose that the Government should provide more professional support to schools and teachers to establish clear guidelines on and teaching materials for the teaching and learning of Liberal Studies.
In addition, it is our hope that the Education Bureau will consider providing reading materials on basic concepts for various themes of enquiry, thus helping teachers and students enhance their understanding of the general viewpoints of different schools of thought.
President, as regards the amendments of other Members, the DAB will support the ones proposed by Mrs Regina IP and Mr WONG Kwok-hing. For the amendments proposed by Dr Kenneth CHAN and Dr Helena WONG, the speech delivered by Dr Helena WONG earlier actually showed that she was unaware of the controversies and the widespread concern over Liberal Studies. For this reason, I do not agree to her deletion of certain contents in the original motion. With regard to the amendment proposed by Ms Cyd HO, I think Ms HO should not belittle Hong Kong students. How can she regard the provision of teaching materials as a tactic to control people's thoughts? Even if teaching materials are designed, how can they (The buzzer sounded) … control the thoughts of students?
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Ms LEE, your speaking time is up.
SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION (in Cantonese): President, I thank Dr Priscilla LEUNG for proposing this motion, as well as the seven Members for proposing their amendments.
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As far as the comprehensive review on the subject of Liberal Studies is concerned, the Education Bureau, the Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) have jointly launched a comprehensive review on the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum and assessment since August 2012. Short-term fine-tuning measures were announced in April 2013, and the first batch of medium-term recommendations as well as the fine-tuning measures on the implementation of curriculum and assessment were announced in April 2014. The second stage of the New Academic Structure Medium-term Review is now in progress, including students' learning experiences in the whole-school curriculum, the impact of the New Academic Structure on students' further studies, the implementation of curriculum and assessment at the school level, and the implementation of curriculum and assessment of individual subjects. The proposed recommendations would be discussed and made according to student-centered and professional principles.
The Liberal Studies curriculum and assessment review is an integral part of the New Academic Structure Review. We will make reference to views submitted by different sectors of the community, update the curriculum to cater for the needs of changing social environment, consolidate the experience gained from the implementation of the curriculum, as well as give regard to the actual teaching and learning situations, and the developmental stages of students, in order to achieve the curriculum aims. Separately, it is clear that Liberal Studies is supported by the education profession. In the past few months, many school principals, teachers and education professional organizations have expressed their views through the media, with due recognition given to the important role played by Liberal Studies under the NSS curriculum. For example, the Chairman and Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Liberal Studies Association, as well as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Liberal Studies Teachers' Association all stressed that Liberal Studies must remain as a core subject, and that any proposal to make it an elective subject would deal a heavy blow to the whole education reform as well as the morale of 3 000 to 4 000 Liberal Studies teachers. Hence the review of Liberal Studies has all along been conducted on the basis of maintaining it as a core subject.
As a matter of fact, schools have accumulated a wealth of experience and results regarding Liberal Studies during the first few years of its implementation, so that they now have a better understanding of the subject. Their confidence LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8377 has also been built up over the years. It is noteworthy that the efforts made by the education profession on Liberal Studies as well as the positive outcome they achieved deserve our recognition. According to the progress report on the New Academic Structure Review released in 2013, most teachers and students agreed that the curriculum aims and learning outcomes of Liberal Studies had been achieved. Most teachers also agreed that the independent enquiry study was able to nurture students' problem-solving and independent thinking ability, and had a positive impact on building up students' confidence in learning.
A number of Honourable Members are concerned about the absence of a knowledge base and a syllabus for the subject of Liberal Studies. The Education Bureau has all along provided one-stop-shop support for teachers through the Web-based Resource Platform for Liberal Studies. Many resources are available on this platform, and I hope Members can take a look. Let me give Members a brief introduction. The resource platform offers 1 042 items of learning and teaching materials, 241 items of related concepts just mentioned, 47 articles of sharing by teachers, 221 assessment items as well as 700-odd miscellaneous items. It is clear that we have no shortage of relevant materials. In view of teachers' workload in this regard, we have provided the relevant materials, and they will be updated regularly. I sincerely invite Members to visit this online resource platform. I have discussed the matter with the heads of several professional bodies, and they would gladly arrange Members to attend classes if they are interested. The resource platform offers a variety of teaching materials that can be freely downloaded by teachers. Moreover, the resources and materials are updated regularly in order to lighten teachers' workload. Students can also benefit from the resource platform through the sharing of topics. Furthermore, the Education Bureau and the HKEAA jointly published in June 2013 the Liberal Studies Curriculum and Assessment Resource Package (the Resource Package), which describes in greater detail the learning focuses of each module, in order to give teachers a better understanding of the breath and depth of the curriculum. A moment ago, some Members suggested that more reference materials should be provided to encourage the integration of knowledge under the subject through a cross-modular curriculum design that encourages multiple-perspective thinking. The entire curriculum design is premised on a cross-modular mode, instead of teaching individual modules. This is not the original intent of Liberal Studies. Having grasped the assessment requirements of public examinations, teachers generally consider the Resource Package useful in planning the curriculum and accelerating the progress of teaching.
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In the Medium-term Review, we will continue to adopt an open and pragmatic attitude and carefully review the many concerns raised by the education profession and other stakeholders over the implementation of the curriculum, including teachers' workload, balanced breadth and depth of the overall curriculum contents, explanation on the key learning points of individual modules, balanced curriculum contents and perspectives, students' knowledge foundation in the junior secondary level, impartiality of public assessment, backwash effects on the teaching and learning of the curriculum, and so on.
As far as examination and assessment of Liberal Studies are concerned, specific measures to streamline the process of conducting and assessing the Independent Enquiry Studies have been proposed under the first batch of recommendations under the Medium-term Review. The related modification had been implemented at Secondary Four in this school year.
Under the revision proposal of the second stage Medium-term Review, the curriculum structure of Liberal Studies will remain unchanged, with recommendations made to streamline and revise some of the course contents so that the subject will become more specific and focused. Some course contents and examples will also be updated to keep abreast with the development of knowledge and society. The consultation has commenced since November 2014. According to the initial findings of questionnaire survey, schools generally agree to maintain the current curriculum structure and accept the revisions recommended by the relevant committee regarding the six modules. Teachers also support the continued enhancement of various support measures.
To further strengthen the knowledge base of students in studying Liberal Studies, the Education Bureau will publish the Liberal Studies Curriculum Resources Booklet Series this year to provide more suitable teaching and learning resources for teachers and students under the six modules of Liberal Studies. This series of resource booklets can also help lighten teachers' workload. We will distribute one sample booklet to schools by the end of this month in order to collect the feedback of teachers. The resource booklets will be developed and distributed to schools by phases in 2015.
To improve various recommendations for the subject of Liberal Studies, we will issue another survey questionnaire by the end of March in order to consult further views on the area of public assessment which many Members have spoken about a moment ago.
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Meanwhile, we will conduct the review on the basis of our long-established mechanism of being professionally-based, as well as through the careful deliberation of views by various committees and working groups, and the analysis of feedback and data collected. We will also listen and give overall consideration to views from all sides in order to devise refinement recommendations that dovetail with the implementation and long-term development of Liberal Studies. It is expected that the medium-term recommendations and the long-term development direction of Liberal Studies will be announced by July 2015.
With these remarks, President, I will give a further reply after listening to the views expressed by Honourable Members. Thank you, President.
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I believe that many Honourable Members would like to speak on this motion, so I intend to suspend the meeting at around 8 pm tonight and resume the debate at 9 am sharp tomorrow morning. But only four Members are now waiting for their turn to speak, and they would finish speaking half an hour later at most. If no other Member indicates a wish to speak, the debate would come to a close. Therefore I call upon all Members who intend to speak in this debate, including those not in the Chamber now, to press the "Request to speak" button as soon as possible and wait for their turn to speak.
I now call upon Ms Claudia MO to speak.
MS CLAUDIA MO (in Cantonese): President, I am holding a classical novel, 1984 by George ORWELL. The book primarily premises on the theme that if a person wants to control a society, he must control language first. This calls to mind a hip phrase in Hong Kong: "hypocritical rhetoric". A person can control language through education. Hence, the role of education is critical. Of course, this book also brings out another important message, that is, the ruler will use brainwashing tactics to brainwash the people. That is the plot of the story. Ultimately, the line between right and wrong is blurred, peace means war, freedom means slavery, ignorance means power; ignorance is regarded as a virtue, a weapon of wisdom.
I do not know whether this English novel would be too difficult for senior secondary students. But I am sure that it has been translated into Chinese, and this book is very useful for Liberal Studies education. Some people are 8380 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 perfectly right in saying that, "Today's China, Today's Hong Kong". I used to worry about how far brainwashing education would go in Hong Kong, but I am getting even more worried today, especially because this morning in this Chamber, a Member of the Legislative Council stood up and asked the question of why there were cases of "the Court releasing people arrested by the Police" after the Umbrella Movement? The Member who asked this question wants to bring out the message that people arrested by the Police must be put behind bars by the Court. This is actually a good topic for study under Liberal Studies. As a Member of the Legislative Council, how can she ask such a question in this Council? I almost fell off my chair when I heard the question. Some bizarre statements have also been made by the Chief Executive, for example, the electoral system practiced by a country or a society is universal suffrage or genuine universal suffrage or genuinely democratic as long as it is implemented according to the local constitution. This is also a good topic for study under Liberal Studies. Actually, genuine Liberal Studies education is urgently required in Hong Kong.
I have become quite worried now because the following scenario may happen one day. A teacher who teaches the 1911 Revolution under the module of Modern China in Liberal Studies and the French Revolution under the module of Globalization might easily be criticized as inciting students to revolt in the classroom. Once legislation is enacted to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, isn't this scenario highly likely? Given that confounding right and wrong has become rampant in Hong Kong, how can we educate our future generation properly?
I think teachers deserve a fairer treatment. Humans are humane, and teachers have received professional training. I agree that there are too many modules under Liberal Studies, and their coverage is too extensive. Some teachers might have difficulty mastering the subject. But teachers are also humane creatures. A teacher who is genuinely passionate about educating the next generation will do what is in the best interest of the students because he is duty-bound to do so. He wants to build a good foundation for the children … Pardon me, I should say young people because we are talking about senior secondary students. With a sound foundation, these young people can think independently. Why can't Liberal Studies have extensive contents? By the same token, "lemon tea" was once an essay topic for the subject of Chinese Language under the former Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. Could the candidates say that they did not know how to write an essay under the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8381 topic because they were not used to having no model answer? After all, the purpose of tertiary education is to allow young people the freedom of self-expression so that they can develop their own ideas.
In recent years, there is a famous model of interview originated from the University of Cambridge. The interviewers would ask the candidate an out-of-the-blue question such as "Tell me about a banana". Young people having no training in Liberal Studies education or without the power of critical thinking may really have a hard time. How come such a question was asked? They reckon that given the high standards of the University of Cambridge, very difficult questions would be asked, say, questions on atomic physics or some intricate legal questions or the works of Shakespeare. But no, no, no, they only want to ask the candidate to describe a banana or its shape, or just say something about it. Anything will do. That is what Liberal Studies education is truly about. Nonetheless, we have a strange situation in Hong Kong. It seems that Liberal Studies has been blamed for all problems related to our young people, and teachers are criticized for imparting wrong education to young people. Obviously, what this actually means is that … It is like a naughty boy who is always creating trouble. His mother is so fed-up that she asks the boy, "Why are you so naughty?" The boy would answer, "I was taught by the teacher." On the one hand, some parents do not trust their young children, but they want to uphold their paternal authority. On the other hand, they believe their children's story and put the blame on teachers. This social phenomenon is deplorable because family is completely segregated from education, while teachers and schools must follow the instructions from bureaucrats. The authorities are now conducting a so-called comprehensive review, and the report will be available in summer this year. I will hold them accountable when the time comes. Thank you.
MR CHEUNG KWOK-CHE (in Cantonese): President, the subject of Liberal Studies has been implemented for six years. While many surveys have pointed out that the subject has room for improvement, Liberal Studies is undoubtedly the right way forward for it helps students develop the skills of critical and independent thinking as well as integrating multiple-disciplinary knowledge. Moreover, students are more concerned about society and the country. Hence, due recognition should be given to Liberal Studies. At present, there are many criticisms in society that Liberal Studies is the culprit of students' participation in 8382 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 social movements. Coincidentally, these criticisms appear around the time of the Occupy movement. One cannot help but query whether such criticisms are politically motivated. I personally have serious doubts in this regard.
There are views that there are too many modules under Liberal Studies, and that the curriculum is too broad. The extensive course contents have exerted enormous pressures on students and teachers alike. Students may find it difficult to master the subject. According to the Government, it will review whether the curriculum can be streamlined in response to the relevant demands. But we hold that while considering streamlining the Liberal Studies curriculum, the contents and proportion of "Rule of law and socio-political participation" under the module of Hong Kong Today should be maintained because political discussion and manipulation of power are invariably involved in social policies. The inclusion of socio-political contents in the curriculum would increase students' awareness in current affairs and social issues. This is absolutely desirable. Meanwhile, the review of Liberal Studies should not be used as a pretext to smear the education about "socio-political participation", let alone a tool to apply political pressures on Liberal Studies teachers.
Dr Priscilla LEUNG once wrote an article to express her worries (and I quote): "Some teachers are advocating and participating in political movements such as Occupy Central. Their distinct political stand might create potential role conflicts as they are also markers …" She also pointed out that, "Should we turn a blind eye to the problem until the day when students are threatened and forced to state their position on Occupy Central in front of markers from the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union?" (End of quote) I would like to take the opportunity to set the record straight for teachers. When marking Liberal Studies examination papers, scores should be given on the sole basis of the students' assertion and regardless of their stands. The assumption that teachers are prejudiced because of their own stands is a totally unjust accusation against the teachers' professionalism. Dr Priscilla LEUNG also stated in the article that (and I quote), "A handful of Liberal Studies teachers are using the teaching platform of Liberal Studies to advocate the Occupy Central movement." (End of quote). Hence, she demanded that the political contents of the subject be reduced, and that questions on politics should not be made compulsory. In this regard, I would like to cite a report from Ming Pao instant news as follows. "Jasper TSANG considered the proposal to reduce the political contents of Liberal Studies 'extremely stupid'. He also doubted how many students had LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8383 taken part in the Occupy movement due to Liberal Studies. Instead, he held that by reviewing the subject of Liberal Studies, students could learn to think from a well-rounded perspective." (End of quote)
As the saying goes, "What the superior loves, his inferiors will be found to love exceedingly." The topic of today's motion more or less reflects the Government's view on this matter. At present, there are rumours that the Government wants to blame Liberal Studies for young people's participation in social movements, claiming that there are too many political contents in the subject. But at present, out of the 12 themes under the six modules of Liberal Studies, there is only political topic, namely, "Rule of law and socio-political participation" under the module of "Hong Kong Today". That can hardly count as a major portion of the entire curriculum. Moreover, given the interdisciplinary mode of assessment for Liberal Studies, it may easily give people an impression of tilting towards individual modules. There are some reports this week that the Education Bureau would include an elective question on top of the compulsory questions under Paper 1 of Liberal Studies. Seemingly, the intention is to "dilute" the political contents of the subject in order to avert anti-Government thoughts. In my view, the Government should give up the idea of using Liberal Studies as the scapegoat. Instead, it should tackle the problem at root and seek to improve governance proactively in response to public demands made on various occasions of confrontations to bring about democracy and justice in society. By then, the Government can ensure smooth governance. Suppressing the freedom of thought will only create greater social unrest.
Furthermore, some misconceptions must be rectified. Dr Priscilla LEUNG once expressed the concern that students might be deprived of the opportunity to study in universities if they do not get good grades in Liberal Studies. Hence, Liberal Studies should not be set as a core subject, so that score in this subject will not be counted mandatorily for the purpose of university admission. Given the advantages of Liberal Studies in training students to develop a multiple-perspective vision and critical thinking skills, it is set as a core subject in order to provide basic training to students. Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics are also core subjects, having an impact on the chance of students in receiving tertiary education. Why can't these three subjects become elective subjects? When it comes to the problem of insufficient subsidized tertiary education places for eligible students, Liberal Studies is not a factor at all. Instead, the problem lies with the Government's refusal to allocate 8384 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 additional resources to provide more subsidized tertiary education places. Hence, I demand that more resources be allocated by the Government towards local tertiary education.
In fact, do young people become dissatisfied with the Government because of Liberal Studies or because of the Government's maladministration and disregard of public opinion? The answer is perfectly clear. If the Government's governance accords with public's aspiration, I believe that young people will also sing praises for our leaders in the Government. That is the outcome when young people can develop a multiple-perspective vision from Liberal Studies education.
President, Liberal Studies has been implemented for six years. Due to the silent efforts made by the education profession, we have more or less tide over the transitional period. Although there are still many problems with the subject, I hope the Government can review Liberal Studies without any political considerations in order to bring benefits to the students and the society of Hong Kong.
President, I so submit.
MR LEUNG KWOK-HUNG (in Cantonese): President, discussing the subject of Liberal Studies in this Council is a waste of time. The speeches of some Members are like the food prepared in advance and left overnight; they paid no heed to what other Members have said and left the Chamber after reading out their speeches. If these people take the examination on Liberal Studies, they would certainly fail, right? The Earth will not revolve around these people, will it? A debate in the Legislative Council will not revolve around the speech of a certain Member, will it?
Prof Priscilla LEUNG, I am telling you, the invention of telescope answered a question in cosmology. You would not think that a more precise telescope would lead people astray, would you? That was the stance of the Holy See. You have made the observation, why do you speak it out? GALILEO had made the observations, why did he speak it out? That was a decision made by the Holy See.
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Today we are discussing Liberal Studies, but is it such a big deal? As students are too lazy to pay attention to things around them, the subject is introduced to ask students to take note of things around them and do not merely study one particular subject. It is just that simple. Frankly speaking, I do not think it is such a big deal. Do you think students will stop thinking if Liberal Studies is abolished? Certainly not. We often ask others "What are you thinking?" Education helps to develop one's potentials, right? What is the meaning of life? Each one of us has his own definition. If you want to find out the meaning of life, go and explore it. Will your life become more meaningful because you have taken a number of subjects? In fact, the study of Liberal Studies prompts students to pay attention to things around them. It is a kind of training in aesthetics and it encourages students to find out the meaning of life.
President, LEUNG Chun-ying himself provides the teaching material for Liberal Studies because he says something every day. How can you blame teachers of Liberal Studies for using news in politics as teaching materials? You see, LEUNG Chun-ying says something wrong every day. Today, when he spoke about the British constitutional system at the Legislative Council, he made a mistake again, didn't he? I can prove that he was wrong. Despite all changes, the power to nominate cannot be changed. In other words, universal suffrage which is a fair and basic right cannot be changed. We do not accept that one person can stand for election while another person cannot. Even if a requirement has to be met, it has to be reasonable. It is just that simple. We have been arguing with him over a long period of time. When he does not know how to respond to our arguments, he speaks nonsense.
President, instead of talking about things of the Western world, let me say, "Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy." These are platitudes. The Great Learning is the teaching material for Liberal Studies in the Confucian school. Those are the eight modules for students to think about. "Things being investigated, knowledge became complete". Prof Priscilla LEUNG's speech was really less than clear today, as if she was having a rock in her mouth, and it was a large rock which almost killed me. When Prof Priscilla LEUNG received the complaint from the parents, she sided with them, but has 8386 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 she considered the position of the students? Is it because she cannot get the votes of young people that she considers the votes of parents more important and hence she has to talk about the stance of parents?
President, an election is held to let voters vote and not to let a particular candidate win. Education is for the benefit of those receiving it and not those providing it. You can ask young people how they would like to learn. Our education system is a screened system and that is the crux of the problem. Since kindergarten, students know that if they cannot defeat other students, they will not have the chance to advance and receive a better education. If a student only focuses on defeating others, how will he enjoy learning? That is the problem.
Let us consider an example. If students take General Education in the first year of university, they can certainly read a wide variety of books. President, do you agree? But when you were studying at the University of Hong Kong, it was a different system. The British wanted to save money and so they created "Form 7" which was a freak. President, when you studied at The University of Hong Kong, you did not have much time. Unlike students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, they can take whatever courses they like in the first year without affecting their academic performance in the second year. Buddy, that is the best way to learn.
Prof Priscilla LEUNG, you are also a past student of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Have you not enjoyed learning under the general education model? With the progress of the times, young people can now enjoy learning under this model in secondary schools. Why do you think they should not learn under this model and even want to restrict what they think? Do you know what young people are thinking? Can you restrict what they think? If a young man tells his teacher he wants to do certain thing, can the teacher restrict him? That is the question. Teaching benefits both teachers and students and most teachers will try to answer questions from students.
Yet, you people are taking the effect as the cause now. You created a subject; the function of the telescope is enhanced so that people can see for themselves that the universe is not what you have told them. When someone tells you that the universe is not what you said, you ask them to throw the telescope away. That is because the telescope runs contrary to your dogma and doctrines, as well as the feudal ethical codes of the Chinese imperial court.
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Regarding this issue, I think this Council has really not discussed about what young people think. President, a housewife once accused me of misleading her son. She approached me and said, "'Long Hair', you have misled my son". I responded, "Madam, cast away your television, don't let your son go online and don't let him read newspapers, then he will not see me". Her son will not be misled by "Long Hair" anymore, but he will become an ignorant person. The existence of "Long Hair" makes him think. If I speak nonsense today, the young man can give me credit or otherwise, and he can vote for me or otherwise.
Dr Priscilla LEUNG's approach is like refraining from eating to avoid being choked; it is tantamount to trimming the toes to fit the shoes. She thinks that since the subject of Liberal Studies makes young people think, we should abolish it and prescribe a mode of thinking for them, so that they will not bring us any harm.
President, I so submit.
MR DENNIS KWOK (in Cantonese): President, the motion on reviewing the subject of Liberal Studies under the New Senior Secondary curriculum proposed by Dr Priscilla LEUNG seems to be neutral, but if Members have paid attention to the views expressed and the speeches made by Dr LEUNG on the subject of Liberal Studies in the past, as well as the speech delivered by her earlier, they will know that the motion definitely expresses a certain inclination.
President, we must certainly not gainsay a person's good words just because we do not like the person. However, if we know the background of the speaker, we can surely understand the motives and intentions of the speech better. Dr LEUNG said that she became concerned about the subject of Liberal Studies as early as 2009. I have looked up newspaper reports from 2009 until now and found that Dr LEUNG has published some 40 articles on Liberal Studies. From 2009 to 2012, that is, before the national education crisis, she published only seven articles on Liberal Studies in four years. Yet, since the national education crisis, Dr LEUNG published a total of 30 articles on the subject. This showed that she suddenly became concerned about Liberal Studies. Certainly, after the great controversies on national education, we cannot blame anyone for being concerned about the subject. In fact, every Member of the Legislative Council should be concerned about the subject. But, if Dr LEUNG not only showed 8388 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 concern about the subject, but also expressed some unfair views intending to smear others, people may think that instead of suddenly becoming concerned about the subject, Dr LEUNG actually has some ulterior motives.
President, a number of criticisms against Liberal Studies actually targeted at teachers. The first criticism is that teachers do not know how to teach Liberal Studies and they need to receive further training. In fact, we should consider the circumstances under which Liberal Studies was introduced. When the Education Bureau introduced Liberal Studies back then, the education sector had many reservations because teachers might not be able to handle this new and rather vague subject. However, the authorities did not pay any attention to the opposing views and introduced Liberal Studies arbitrarily and teachers had to rescue themselves.
Over the years, teachers have done a lot of research and compiled teaching materials to prepare for the lessons. Some teachers of specialized subjects have switched to teach Liberal Studies. Many graduates of specialized subjects who aspire to join the education sector have taken up Postgraduate Diploma in Education programmes in Liberal Studies to enhance the quality of teaching of the subject. Six years after Liberal Studies was introduced under the New Senior Secondary curriculum, teachers have now acquired an understanding of how to teach the subject and we can see the results achieved by the students. In terms of academic results, the passing rate of Liberal Studies in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination in each of the past three years was over 85%. In terms of personal development, the main objectives of Liberal Studies as stated in a paper of the Education Bureau are: To help students to become an informed and responsible citizen with a sense of global identity, to understand contemporary issues that may impact on their daily life at personal, community, national and global levels, to respect pluralism of cultures and views, and be a critical, reflective and independent thinker. Look at our young people today, they are more concerned about social issues and public policies, and they think more critically. It can be said that they are attaining the objectives of Liberal Studies. However, if some Members say that these achievements are bad consequences, they are distorting the truth and being unfair to teachers and students.
Earlier, I heard Ms Starry LEE say that Liberal Studies is really no good and teachers only compile teaching materials from reports, editorials and commentaries in newspapers. I remember when I was studying in secondary LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8389 school in the United Kingdom, although Liberal Studies was not taught as a subject, the components of Liberal Studies were actually incorporated in many subjects. I remember that during English lessons, the teacher would compare commentaries of the same incident in a number of newspapers, including the left-wing, right-wing and the centrist newspapers. The teacher would also teach us how to analyse the reports and explain why different commenting approaches were adopted. We learnt the reasons for adopting different approaches, the views and intentions of the writers and the underlying political connotations and positions. In retrospect, if I had not been taught how to read newspapers and analyse current affairs by these good teachers, I would not have the essential foundation in analysing incidents as a legislator now. That is what Liberal Studies is all about. If people think that Liberal Studies has been poorly taught because teachers teach students how to read newspapers and reform is needed, they are just foolish and ignorant.
The second criticism is that teachers often give students biased views and frequently instil certain political beliefs in them. If this argument of Dr LEUNG is established, she should actually criticize herself. If she listens to her own speech again, is she also advocating her political beliefs as a teacher? Being a teacher herself, what rights does she have to boldly advocate her political beliefs as a teacher? If I criticized her like that, she would think I was insulting her, but has she put herself in others' shoes? When she said that teachers often instilled their political beliefs in students, she was being disrespectful to them and was insulting them too.
President, after a policy has been put into effect for some time, it should be reviewed and reformed. However, if Dr LEUNG's arguments were accepted, I am afraid that Liberal Studies would become a brainwashing subject. With these remarks, I oppose the original motion. Thank you, President.
MR ALBERT HO (in Cantonese): President, as far as the aim and meaning of Liberal Studies education are concerned, I think Members of the Legislative Council from both the pro-establishment and pro-democracy camps will not have too much of a difference ideologically or as matter of principle.
If we simply consider Liberal Studies as a matter of principle, it can bring many benefits for students, such as broadening their horizon, increasing their interest and passion for learning, developing the skill to enquire matters from 8390 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 multiple perspectives, strengthening and reinforcing their independent thinking and analytical skills, building up of a whole-person development and healthy outlook, showing more concern about the world and society, and so on and so forth. Students can acquire specialized as well as general knowledge about both arts and science subjects across the boundaries of time and space. They can thoroughly understand and master the knowledge acquired. Other objectives also include promoting diversified development, enquiring matters around the world from multiple perspectives and promoting diversified development in life. All these are macroscopic issues.
Over the years, Liberal Studies education has been implemented in Hong Kong on the basis of these objectives, and it is natural that a review should be conducted as improvements in many areas are needed. Originally I thought Dr Priscilla LEUNG's original motion is just about some common problems. But some of the proposed amendments seek to add in various technical details. Originally I had no intention to speak in this debate, but I want to listen carefully to the views expressed by the mover of the original motion. Having heard her speech, I must say that there are many hidden agendas behind the wording of the motion.
In Dr LEUNG's view, Liberal Studies education has gone haywire and become another political tool. Hence, the rationale of her motion is that current problems with Liberal Studies education should be fixed through a review; if the problems cannot be fixed, the subject should be abolished. How come the problems have become so serious? A moment ago, she sounded as if the situation had become very serious. Unlike Mr Dennis KWOK who has read all her articles, pardon me, I have little interest in the subject. But having heard her speech, I wonder whether her speech just now can truly reflect the views she expressed previously.
Firstly, regarding the many phenomena she cited, she has yet to ascertain their causal relationship. For example, she talked about many people using foul language or being disrespectful to parents, and she put the blame on Liberal Studies. I do not know why she came to such a view. Many people use foul language. For some, the use of profanities may be more or less a culture, and they do not necessarily have an ill intention. Perhaps we can learn a lot if foul language is studied from the perspective of Liberal Studies. While some profanities can be just another form of greeting or are meant to be friendly LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015 8391 gestures, many have evil intentions. Their meanings can only be ascertained if they are put in context. Yet Dr Priscilla LEUNG put the blame on Liberal Studies for setting a bad example for young children.
Another example cited by Dr LEUNG is about a child learning inheritance law in school. After she went home, she had a quarrel with her mother. In a fit of anger, she told her mother that she would one day inherit all her mother's possession. Seemingly Dr LEUNG's logic is that knowledge is a curse because young people could become rebellious. By her logic, ignorance is a blessing for a child who follows every whim of his parents, for example, even an arranged marriage.
I am most dissatisfied that … While I support Occupy Central, it does not necessarily mean I support Benny TAI. Nonetheless, I think he deserves some fair treatment. He has written more articles about civil disobedience than those written by Dr Priscilla LEUNG about Liberal Studies education. He has published a number of books. In the past one or two years, we have been invited to attend talks and seminars in universities together. I have also heard many public statements he made on television. In the newspaper articles he wrote, he has made it painstakingly clear that civil disobedience is only a last resort or the final step to take without other alternatives. That is different from the story as recounted by Dr Priscilla LEUNG. According to Dr LEUNG, people would resort to civil disobedience if there is injustice. Yet there are several intervening steps.
She also told us to read some books. Many people who study Liberal Studies would have read the open letter written by Martin Luther KING when he was in prison. He taught us to stand firm over matters of cardinal importance; if no improvement can be made through all legitimate means, we should review the whole process with calm contemplation. Moreover, we should learn to have discipline, and force should not be used to achieve our objectives. Last but not least, civil disobedience should only be used as a last resort without other recourse. If the decision is taken to engage in civil disobedience, this ideology should be commended selectively, with all due respect to the legal system.
I implore Dr Priscilla LEUNG to stop her willful criticisms against other people for not knowing how to compromise or for engaging in struggles with the Government right away. That is totally untrue. Hence, I think she should stop making those unfair criticisms.
8392 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ─ 26 March 2015
Lastly, regarding the point raised by Dr Priscilla LEUNG about young people today being anti-Government, radical, anti-establishment and anti-tradition, I would like to tell her that these attitudes can only be changed over by obscurant education. Ignorance is a blessing, and people should shy away from knowledge, read fewer books, learn fewer vocabularies or know less about the world around us … As Mr LEUNG Kwok-hung said, people who do not watch television is most obedient for they know nothing about the world and hence, they would readily accept the ideas instilled by other people.
Times are changing constantly. In the past, GALILEO was arrested immediately after suggesting that the Earth was not the centre of the universe. DARWIN was also expelled after advancing his theory of evolution, and he was no longer allowed to teach students. Hence, tradition is always challenged by knowledge. It is the same with the May Fourth Movement. There is no confrontation without new ideas. Education ushers in new thoughts and extensive dissemination of messages. The world is also shaken by the Internet. Anyone still wants to pull the wool over the public's eye? I do not think so.
Last but not least, we should develop independent thinking and analytical power. We should know that the ultimate goal of Liberal Studies education is not to impart knowledge, but create students' interest in seeking knowledge. Liberal Studies education is a process of self-endowment and learning (The buzzer sounded) … a lifelong learning process. That is the reason why we will not …
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): Mr HO, your speaking time is up.
MR ALBERT HO (in Cantonese): … lose track of our basic ideals.
SUSPENSION OF MEETING
PRESIDENT (in Cantonese): I now suspend the meeting until 9 am tomorrow.
Suspended accordingly at 7.43 pm.