Audrey Eu
4 Feb , 2001
Re: http://www.rthk.org.hk/elearning/betterenglish/speech_text_textonly4.htm

Many professionals do not believe in direct election. The businessmen even less so. They think it favours the grassroots. They prefer the functional constituencies. But so long as that remains an alternative, we are never going to progress towards direct election of all seats in Legco, the ultimate goal as set by the Basic Law. It is important that we have more people willing to run in direct elections. Of course, I confess that when the proposition was first put to me, my first reaction was not to run but to run away. And that was my second and my third reaction as well. But in the end, I have to be true to myself. I could not say, direct election is a good thing, but no, not for me. Put to the test, I could not say no. What tickled the media during my campaign was the number of professionals who rallied to the cause. They came in large numbers, to the housing estates visits, to the streets, to the rallies, to the tea houses, in their 3 piece suits, some in their bow ties and many with their briefcases. They were a bit awkward, and slightly embarrassed when distributing leaflets and addressing the passers-by through the microphones but they all did that in the best spirit. I was pleasantly surprised when some very senior doctors, who are the most conservative when it comes to politics or advertising, agreed to lend their names to a large newspaper advertisement to endorse my candidacy. Many who voted this time confessed that they have never voted before. For the good of Hong Kong, we must encourage more people that Legco is an institution worth bothering about.

Legco has presented a new dimension to my legal training. Take the Bills Committee. In the past, I look at a finished piece of legislation arguing with the judge as to what it is supposed to mean. Now I look at it during its making as to what it should mean. But I enjoy best the work that goes on outside Legco. This is the district work, or what I would rather call the community work. A lawyer can only offer legal remedies but these are often costly and time consuming. It is hardly the answer for the man in the street who now turns up in my Legco office. However, I may be able to bring about a solution after discussion with the relevant government department. This can be far more efficient than any number of judicial review applications. In a way, Legco provides a platform to co-operate with the administration to improve, to become more transparent, more equitable and more efficient. I am also tapping onto the support shown by professionals during the campaign. In time, with their help, I hope to build up a professional aid centre for consumers. We are still at a very early stage of developing the One Country Two Systems concept. Whether the two systems will thrive under the one country and what degree of high autonomy we are going to have depend not just on what Beijing is prepared to give but also on what we in Hong Kong are prepared to fight and stand up for. Thus there is every reason for each and every one of us to be bothered, whether in taking up public office, casting our vote, expressing our opinion, or even just taking an interest in the affairs of Hong Kong. We should all take part, be it a small part, in shaping our destiny and our future.