Bulletin Number One 1982

Chairman. A t first the Council was ridiculed as 'too th less' because it was not empowered to impose any penalty on the profiteers. I was more optimis tic, knowing very well that it would very soon have to whole-hearted support o f the four m illion citizens who were indignant w ith the profiteers. The very first thing we had to deal w ith was the price o f rice and the panic purchasing o f this staple food. My solution was to make the rice merchants empty their stock onto the market so that the affluent supply would automatically force the price down. As fo r other foodstuffs, we had other tactics. Everyday, we sent our staff early in the morning to the markets to check on the price o f pork, beef, lamb and poultry, etc. and to the big supermarkets to check on other important foodstuffs. A t ten o'clock we would send the list o f prices directly from our office to Radio Hong Kong for broadcasting. A ll o f us on the Council were admittedly inexperienced and what we did then was like fire extinguishing, hosing down the fire once it was discovered. After a year or so, the price o f goods returned to normal and I was allowed to quit. But my most trying experience was to come. In 1978-79 the Government was faced w ith the urgent task o f pacifying the dissatisfied civil servants (including postmen, butchers, nurses, teachers, policemen and surveyors) who staged strikes or go-slow demonstrations one after the other. In a bid to settle the industrial disputes in the civil service, the Governor asked me to head the newly set up Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions o f Service. I handled the situation in the usual manner: holding open-minded talks and discussions w ith represen tatives o f various staff associations and trade unions to gain a better understanding o f their working conditions, views and expectations. A fter much effort, these problems were solved one by one. In the course of my work, I have made many new friends, who even now would drop in from time to time to have a chat. To some people this kind o f socializing may seem a waste o f time but I firm ly believe that human relationships are worth cultivating. There is another thing which you may wish to know. There used to be an Anti-corruption Branch in the Police Department but corruption was not confined to the Police Deprtment in the '60s. A special committee was set up in 1963 by the Government (again headed by me) to study what loopholes there were in the working pro­ cedures o f various government departments that left room for corruption. The first thing I did was to provide citizens w ith a P.O. Box (i.e. P.O. Box 1000) to which they could send their complaints. I opened all the letters myself and investigations were initiated w ithout delay when ever deemed necessary. Subsequently a report was submitted to the Government, identifying the departments w ith loopholes in their working procedures. This, I believe,heralded the establish ment o f the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Q. Have you anything to do with the establishment o f thelCAC? A. Let me tell you what happened. In 1974 I was attending the International Universities Con ference in Edinburgh w ith your former Vice- Chancellor, Dr. Choh-Ming Li. Co-incidentally, the Governor was spending his holiday at home in Scotland, Sir Murray invited us to his home. It was there that he asked me privately whether corruption was really very serious in Hong Kong and whether it was necessary to set up a special unit to tackle the problem. I believe he made up his mind then to set up the ICAC. Things just have a way o f happening! Q. I hope you will forgive me fo r asking you a personal question. From what you have said’ I cannot help feeling you are somewhat under the influence o f Buddhism. A. I have indeed thought o f studying the Buddhist philosophy. But I am actually aChristian. Talking about religion, I have often been telling this joke to my friends: The thing I dread most after my death is to go to heaven because I would have to be alone there w ith St. Peter for eternity. You can imagine how dull that would be! But i f I am to go to hell I would have the company o f many friends, (ha, ha, ha...) Q. You really do have a good sense o f humour. 7