Denny Huang
Dr. Denny M. H. Huang | |
---|---|
黃夢花 | |
Urban Council of Hong Kong | |
In office 1 July 1967 – 31 March 1986 | |
Preceded by | Raymond Harry Shoon Lee |
Succeeded by | Kwan Lim-ho |
Personal details | |
Born | Shanghai | 24 July 1920
Died | 1 August 2007 Hong Kong | (aged 87)
Spouse | Esther Su-chang Liu |
Occupation | Doctor politician |
Dr. Denny Mong-hwa Huang
Early life
Dr. Huang was born in Shanghai on 24 July 1920. He travelled around China when he was young and spoke different dialects such as
Public career
Dr. Huang worked for the medical department in the
Dr. Huang was the President of the Chinese Christian Universities Alumni Association and also Yale Club of Hong Kong and became a council member of the
Urban Councillor
Constitutional reforms
Dr. Huang was an open critic of the colonial rule and government's policies during his service in the Urban Council. He had demanded the government to open elected seats in the Executive and Legislative Councils and expand the power of the Urban Council. In 1968, Elsie Elliott, Hilton Cheong-Leen and Dr. Huang threatened to resign from the Urban Council as a protest to the limited power of the Council.[2] On 4 June 1969, Urban Councillors Elsie Elliott, Henry Hu and Dr. Denny Huang jointly sent a letter to British newspapers in the United Kingdom, requesting a "wholly local, internal, self-governing administration" and stating that China would "surely tolerate a more sophisticated, egalitarian and enlightened ordering of that society devoted to the interests of the overwhelming Chinese majority of their own compatriots."[3]
In 1976 when
After the
Social policies
As a medical practitioner in profession, Dr. Huang frequently commented on government's health services and policies. He suggested founding a medical school at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in response to the shortage of doctors in Hong Kong. He also urged the government to set up a licentiate examination for the Non-Commonwealth trained medical practitioners.
Dr. Huang was the leading figure of the Chinese Language Movements in the 1960s and 70s. He was critical of the discriminatory language policy as English was the only official language in the colony but was not understood by majority of the Hong Kong Chinese residents. When he was the President of the Society for the Promotion of Chinese Education and Chairman of the All Hong Kong Working Party to promote Chinese as an Official Language, Dr. Huang took 330,000 signatures to No. 10 Downing Street for the recognition of Chinese as an official language in 1971.[6] His demand was finally adopted by the government in 1974. Together with civil organisations such as the Hong Kong Federation of Students, the Hong Kong Chinese Education Promotion Committee co-founded the Joint Committee for Chinese Language Movement in November 1978 to lead the second wave of Chinese Language Movement which aimed at a higher social status for Chinese language and Chinese as medium of instruction at school. Dr. Huang urged for mother-tongue teaching in school, Chinese translations of the Hong Kong laws and the training of the Chinese-English translators.[7]
Between 1971 and 1976, Dr. Huang was also the Chairman of the Environment Hygiene Select Committee and also
During his office in the Urban Council, he had proposed some very progressive ideas. He called for legalising prostitution by setting up a red light district miles away from the urban area, which was seen as radical in the conservative society in the 1960s. He believed that by regulating prostitution, it could prevent women in young age entering the industry, fight against the triad activities and also better control the sexually transmitted diseases.[9] He also called for further promotion of sex education to prevent sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases and contribute to eugenics and healthy marriage life.
Furthermore, Dr. Huang agreed legalisation of abortion and homosexuality. In January 1980, a young Scottish Inspector with the
On 30 January 1977, Dr. Huang organised a public assembly at the
1967 Leftist riots
During the
1977 ICAC amnesty
In 1977, the investigations of the newly established
Running for chairman and retirement
In 1981, Dr. Huang contested the Chairmanship of the Urban Council against Hilton Cheong-Leen after the former chairman A. de O. Sales decided not to run for re-election. Dr. Huang failed to win the seat with 7 to 14 votes.[18]
After almost 20 years in the Urban Council, Dr. Huang decided not to seek for re-election in the coming Urban Council election in 1986, stating that he was disappointed to the limited power of the Urban Council. He complained that the district-based constituencies which replaced the single territory-wide constituency in the 1983 Urban Council election produced "small councillors" who only cared about their own districts but the interest of whole Hong Kong.[19]
For his longtime services, he was made
Transfer of sovereignty
Huang was one of the earliest leaders in Hong Kong to support the
In November 1982 when Huang met with Liao again in Beijing, he proposed making Hong Kong a "free city" with high autonomy for a period of forty years. Furthermore, he proposed the suggestions for the future of Hong Kong including the current laws and industrial and commercial regulations remained unchanged; full elected Executive, Legislative and Urban Councils and District Boards; Chinese Army would not station in Hong Kong and maintain order with only police force; Beijing would not interfere into Hong Kong internal affairs except for defence and diplomacy; Hong Kong legal system remained unchanged and
On 27 September 1983 when he met with Ji Pengfei, Liao's successor as the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Huang proposed a constitution for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to build confidence of the Hong Kong people and asked for its guarantee of the residents who disagreed with socialism could still have the right to stay, work and the manage Hong Kong affairs.[21] Huang believed that the upholding of rule of law would ease the anxiety of the Hong Kong people. By that he urged the Hong Kong Government to raise the democratic consciousness and increase elected seats in the government.[22]
Huang was subsequently co-opted by Beijing to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as a Hong Kong member in March 1986 and served until 1998.
Death and family
He died on 1 August 2007. He married Esther So-chang Liu with 5 children and had lived at No. 24 Somerset Road, Kowloon Tong.
References
- ^ a b c "醫學博士黃夢花競選市政局議員". Kung Sheung Daily News. 28 March 1967. p. 6.
- ^ "因爭取多權力無效 市局民選議員可能集體辭職". Kung Sheung Daily News. 15 December 1968. p. 5.
- ^ Moss, Peter (2006). No Babylon: A Hong Kong Scrapbook. iUniverse. p. 247.
- ^ "黃夢花指摘當局加強殖民地統治". Kung Sheung Daily News. 4 October 1976. p. 8.
- ^ "黃夢花議員認為本港區議會組織應採倫敦市模式". Kung Sheung Daily News. 8 May 1982. p. 6.
- ^ Wilson, Dick (1990). Hong Kong! Hong Kong!. Unwin Hyman.
- ^ "黃夢花認為 如果爭取母語教育 必須發展中文中學". Kung Sheung Daily News. 1 September 1980. p. 7.
- ^ Ortmann, Stephan (2009). Politics and Change in Singapore and Hong Kong: Containing Contention. Routledge. p. 89.
- ^ "每週論壇討論香港娼妓問題". Wah Kiu Yat Po. 16 December 1968. p. 10.
- ^ "同性戀一旦合法 可導致道德敗壞 華人社會領袖同聲反對 祗有黃夢花支持葉錫恩論調". Kung Sheung Daily News. 22 March 1980. p. 8.
- ^ "數千人維園集會要求重估租值". Kung Sheung Daily News. 31 January 1977. p. 8.
- ^ "當局舉例說明寬減差餉辦法". Kung Sheung Daily News. 23 March 1977. p. 8.
- ^ "黃夢花議員呼籲市民 欲求和平安居樂業 必須合力克服困難". Kung Sheung Daily News. 17 July 1967. p. 6.
- ^ "對炸彈罪犯處死刑問題 黃夢花議員來函辯正". Kung Sheung Daily News. 2 September 1967. p. 5.
- ^ "張有興主對暴徒施行公開絞刑". Kung Sheung Daily News. 27 August 1967. p. 4.
- ^ "Storming the ICAC". ICAC.
- ^ "黃夢花葉錫恩炮轟港督 指摘處理廉警事件失當 廉署應向高層貪官開刀". Kung Sheung Daily News. 14 December 1977. p. 8.
- ^ "張有興任席局主席". Kung Sheung Daily News. 2 April 1981. p. 7.
- ^ "有人辭官歸有人趕科塲 黃夢花譚惠珠鍾世傑相繼表示不再競選". Tai Kung Pao. 12 February 1986. p. 5.
- ^ "黃夢花訪北平後返港 曾向廖承志建議 香港列為自由市". Kung Sheung Daily News. 1 November 1982. p. 8.
- ^ "黄夢花引述姬鵬飛說話 中共收回香港 自由經濟政策不變". Kung Sheung Daily News. 15 October 1983. p. 8.
- ^ "黃夢花强調須堅持法治 港人憂慮自可迎刃而解". Tai Kung Pao. 22 February 1984. p. 2.