Tung Pledges to Reinforce Functions of District CouncilsTung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Saturday expressed his wish that the partnership between the District Councils and the government will be enhanced and work with concerted efforts for a better Hong Kong.The remark came when Tung spoke at a lunch reception to celebrate the first District Council Day. Tung said the District Councils have in particular played a more active role in encouraging members of the community to take part in district affairs to foster a sense of belonging and a spirit of mutual help, after Hong Kong's return to China. The councils have hence become a major bridge of communication between the public and the government, he said, while "expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the contribution made by all District Councils." Tung reviewed his Policy Addresses delivered in 1998 and 1999, in which he pledged to reinforce the functions of the District Councils. "To do a better job, I pledged in my last Policy Address to enhance the roles played by the District Councils in district affairs and consider ways to give the Councils better support," he said. |
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