Bulletin Number One 1982

An Interview with Sir Yuet-keung Kan H isExcellency the Chancellor ， Sir Murray MacLehose, appointed Sir Yuet-keung Kan, Chairman o f the University Council, to be the first Pro-Chancellor o f the University from 12th February, 1982. I t is hoped that through this interview our readers may get to know Sir Y.K. better —what kind o f a person he is, what his ways and achievements are. In Hong Kong, unless you happen to be someone who never reads the newspapers, otherwise you must have seen the picture o f Sir Yuet-keung Kan — o f him addressing the press on some public issue, or presiding at some ceremony, or leaving Hong Kong to attend some international conference... . I believe that many, like me, would like to know what makes this gracious personage so extraordinary, apart from the many titles following his name. On 12th July, 1982 I was granted an interview w ith Sir Yuet-keung. I arrived at Sir Y.K.'s office at the appointed time. It did not take me many minutes to realize that Sir Y.K. is easy-going ， unassuming and unpretentious. His frankness and sincerity augured well for a successful interview. The ice was broken in no time and very soon Sir Y.K. was chattering away, explaining the role o f the Trade Development Council. Pride was written all over his face as he counted the ever-increasing number o f TDC branches all over the world, and as he showed me the diversified Hong Kong products from catalogues o f his Council. Anyone w ith less than absolute devotion to Hong Kong could not have been so elated from just talking about its achievements. Sir Y.K.'s devotion is so deep that he expects all the people o f Hong Kong to have a strong sense o f belonging to the place. However, he understands very well that there can be a sense o f belonging only if the government cares about the welfare o f its people and formulates policies accordingly. Sir Y.K. was an Unofficial Member o f the Legislative Council for eleven years and Executive Council for fourteen years, and became the Senior Unofficial Member o f both these Councils. His relations w ith successive governors o f Hong Kong have always been excellent and his advice has often in fluenced their decision. He was so well-known as a trouble-shooter that the governors never spared him whenever a difficult problem came up. The problems he had helped to solve are multifarious, ranging from transportation to corruption, from consumers' interests to salaries o f civil servants. Sir Y.K. said jokingly that all his life he had been slaving away merrily, impervious to criticism in his conviction that all that matters is that one must be fair and impartial and always have a clear conscience. In this respect, Sir Y.K. has fu ll confidence in himself because as a lawyer, he has been trained to be objective ， to look at issues from different angles and consider both the pros and cons. Sir Y.K. also believes that to be really worthy o f the trust o f both the government and the people, one must have an intimate knowledge o f the local society as well as the life, likes and dislikes, and the sufferings o f its people. He never hides it from anyone that he has always wanted to redress the wrongs and injustices o f society. His founding o f the Reform Club w ith Mr. B.A. Bernacchi to study social problems testifies to his claim. But where does the root o f his radical ideas lie? It is generally believed that it was at the London School o f Economics, the hotbed o f socialism, that they began to take shape. While 2