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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Council's information any time. If someone needs to go to the toilet, for instance, he can find out immediately the location of the nearest public toilet. The public can also make use of these information kiosks to book recreational and sports venues in advance or purchase URBTIX tickets by using automatic teller machines. Illegal hawkers can also pay their fines by automatic teller machines at these information kiosks. Apart from these, we can also make use of the computer in many other ways. Members of the public can link up their computers at home with those of the Urban Council Libraries' for instant book reservations, and they can check on information relating to the museums too. Of course, they cannot see relics and works of art close-up through the computers, otherwise they do not have to visit our museums. In case some high-ranking officials would like to borrow exhibits from us, we can give them a set of computer terminals through which they can see more than ten thousand pieces of works of art. I think this is the best way to avoid a row.
In order to achieve these objectives or even if you don't want to achieve these objectives, the world is ever advancing. As Miss Ada WONG has mentioned just now, in fact, the Council's Information Technology Centre lags far behind the times. We need a completely new one which should be user-oriented and should not adopt the existing practice, i.e. writing a programme only upon request. It should provide technical assistance to the public, departmental staff and Members. Our computer system should also be able to keep certain data confidential as everybody has access to it. It should be safe and reliable, and should not have any disastrous breakdown which takes two or three days to recover. We need a system which can resume operation instantly. As I have knowledge on computers, I think I should contribute my professional knowledge to the computerization of the Council in the next two years.
Mr. Chairman, I cannot foretell who will be able to return to the Council after 1997, but I can predict that after 1997, the Urban Council will soon become a technologically advanced council.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Lai Hok-LIM (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, the past six months or so can be described as an important milestone in the development of Hong Kong's cultural and art policy because the Council has resolved to conduct an overall review of our cultural and art policy and to formulate a five-year plan. A colleague from the Democratic Party has just spoken on that issue and I will focus my speech on the subject of artistic freedom.
In formulating the Council's cultural and art policy, the safeguarding and protection of artistic freedom must be the most important principle. When we speak of artistic freedom now, people always think it is a principle acceptable to all and undisputed too. However, looking back into the history of Hong Kong, artistic freedom that we are enjoying today has not always been there. It is the fruit borne by people's increasing awareness of democracy and freedom in the course of social
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