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Civic Responsibility The Harbour Protection issue has illustrated very clearly the value of civic responsibility and the need to show our community that they can influence events if they have a strong case and are willing to spend some time promoting it. From a relatively small start, with a handful of people, the facts and figures on the Harbour Reclamation started to emerge and - like a small typhoon - gathered speed and momentum to reach the ears of the media, and thereafter the ears of the general public. Although some of the information relating to the governments' plans for Harbour Development are still, regrettably, kept away from public view, it is surprising how much was already 'in the public domain' but so scattered and deeply buried in gazettes and reports that it was not immediately obvious. This is quite normal - not just in Hong Kong, but in many national governments. The difference in Hong Kong is that there are few civic action or community groups keeping an eye on what the government is doing. This may be changing, and every issue that raises public awareness that the government may not be making best use of public consultation and community input encourages the community to start working for its own best interests. Civic groups should not be seen as just battling crusaders, David's taking on the evil government. The government may be many things but it is not evil. Nor is it all-knowing and all wise, no government can be. It can make mistakes, and it can make decisions that are un-informed and not in line with the wishes of the community that will be effected. It is the responsibility of the public - on their own and through community groups - to work with the administration to provide the information that may be lacking, to give their opinions so that an accurate assessment can be made, and to give expertise where this is appropriate to broaden the knowledge base of the departments that are working to develop or protect our city and countryside. Recently several prominent civil servants have openly welcomed
an increase in public consultation. Hopefully this is a genuine
sentiment and not just a short-term reaction to public demonstrations.
It is up to the community groups to push their points forward and
to engage the administration in debate to see if their opinions
will, indeed, be listened to. The method, however, is important.
There is a place for rallies and marches - they are an important
tool for focusing attention and for getting heard, but they must
be accompanied by focused, positive debate, supported by research
and hard facts. The current Harbour issue illustrates this well.
Where the administration has left a scattered trail of inconsistent
facts and figures and has tried to downplay the core issues and
has accused the objectors of being ill-informed, manipulated or
a threat to Hong Kong's prosperity, it is up to those objectors
to stand up to these allegations, show them to be wrong and to present
cogent and realistic alternatives for the administration to explore.
It is unfortunate that community groups do sometimes need to challenge
the government in this way, but it is a civic responsibility that
the community should accept, and that the government should actually
welcome as a positive sign that Hong Kong is indeed a developed,
cosmopolitan city. |
