Page 484 of 654
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
479
outbreak, the 'commander without soldiers' brings up the idea of taking back the authority of the two municipal services departments. Some people even associate the bird flu outbreak to the need for a reorganisation of district councils. There is nothing worse than having such a Central Government which is ignorant of democracy but tries to destroy a full-elected council by playing political tricks of finding a scapegoat.
The blame for causing such a ridiculous political farce should be put on the elected politicians and political parties again. This is because those who look for a change such as the Government and the general public do not serve on Councils while those in the Councils just want to preserve personal interests and oppose to changes although they publicly claim that they are the political parties serving the public. That is why we cannot arrive at any balanced and constructive proposals so far. What we have are just ridiculously irrelevant and incoherent views. Once again, the democratic system exposes its dark and ugly sides in front of public interest. This can be said to be a negative example in the development of political systems of Hong Kong.
In fact, 'nothing is impossible to a willing mind'. I hope that all colleagues and political parties will actively support the reorganisation of district councils so as to bring in a district council and system with real power and an improved image that is more democratic and can look after the overall public interest.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
MR. CHRISTOPHER CHUNG SHU-KUN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, on Monday, 12 January our Performing Companies Sub-Committee had a new item on the agenda. We will be holding a series of discussions on reforms for the 3 performing companies under the Urban Council. During the months ahead, the Sub-Committee will collect opinions on the future direction of the performing companies and analyse these opinions. We will then draw up a constructive proposal to the Council on their future development.
The performing companies under the Urban Council have, in fact, a rather long history. The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre has now become a flag-ship drama group in Hong Kong with a seating rate of over 90%. Apart from having such a high seating rate, the group has also made a great contribution towards promoting the dramatic art in Hong Kong. For example, some of our better scripts have already been used by commercial stage groups for their own productions. We also have many excellent actors and actresses who are in high demand among commercial groups and organisations. All these are our contribution to the society over the years.
Although the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra encountered some problems earlier on and there were some internal conflicts as well, the situation has greatly improved with the appointment of a new director. The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is one of the best in the world and is the largest Chinese national orchestra of its kind. Programs that are beyond the orchestras in
Page 484 of 654
Page 484 of 654