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A quest for local power

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The government is expected to publish its proposals on expanding the function and power of district councils next month, following the pledge by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen in his October policy address.

The plans will disappoint the public if they are, as the secretary for constitutional affairs has hinted, confined to giving district councils a say in the management of local public facilities.

That is an important step, but it is far from enough. If the district councils were limited to providing general comments in the government's so-called 'consultation' exercises - and overseeing the management of local swimming pools and libraries - the system would be a vast facade, an irresponsible waste of the public's time and money.

Perhaps it is time for someone to find out exactly what district councillors do with their time. It appears that many hours are spent on trivial exercises, with little benefit to the district as a whole.

But, in sharp contrast, there are many young district councillors who put great effort into serious local issues. In Wan Chai, district councillors helped locals in their fight against the wholesale demolition of 'Wedding Card Street'. They organised residents to propose an alternative plan for the renewal and development of the area. They worked hard to organise meetings for residents to put their views to officials and developers.

Such local efforts are no less legitimately part of district councillors' jobs than deciding the opening hours of local swimming pools. Demolition and development, the building and design of facilities, and urban renewal affect the lives of local residents profoundly.

Yet it is also in these matters that conscientious and imaginative district councillors experience the greatest frustration. Rather than getting due recognition, their efforts are dismissed as 'confrontational politics'.

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