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a sound structure no matter which department takes over the Council's cultural services. It is hoped that even if the incompetent take the helm in the future, excessive blunders could be avoided. We should also consider enlarging the scale of subsidy to local arts groups. If our initiative to increase our subsidy to local arts groups is proved to be well-received, the subsidy cannot be abolished no matter who takes over the job in the future because local arts groups will not give their consent. Another example is the promotion of culture. We should enhance the promotion of traditional Chinese culture in the coming year because it is worth doing so for the local community. Of course, it is necessary for us to promote cultural exchanges between Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As a Chinese community, this is a task we have to perform. Mr. Chairman, if each committee can, under its own jurisdiction and on its present foundation, make some more achievements that are good and practical, I am sure the public will certainly enjoy efficient municipal services of the best quality no matter what changes the Council will undergo in the future.
Mr. Chairman, with these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. MOK YING-FAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman,
Recently, I have been thinking what I am going to say at the Annual Conventional Debate. One night, I had thought so hard that I was utterly fatigued. Therefore, I turned on the TV to find some amusement to ease my mind. It so happened that an old Japanese horror film "*" was on show. It seems farcical to me as I look back at myself in the past. Those horrifying scenes can no longer scare me now. But why was I so terrified by the film when I was young? I even buried my head under the blanket! After pondering upon the matter for days, I finally decided to deliver my speech with the idea of the film under the title of "The Anomalies of the Urban Council”.
The first anomaly is "making up stories out of nothing". Members probably remember the Urban Council discussed earlier whether we should conduct composite overseas study visits. However, someone compared these study visits to sightseeing and made an issue of it. Since I joined the Urban Council in 1989, I have altogether taken part in two composite overseas study visits. My personal experience tells me that these visits were indeed no piece of cake. We had to get up at six in the morning and did not return to the hotel until late in the evening. We were also required to visit many places on the same day. Apart from making observations and raising questions, we had to draw reference from what we observed. How can this be treated as sightseeing? If I had wanted to tour around, I would have rather bought a ticket out of my pocket and enjoyed the trip leisurely. Why did I have to drive myself so hard? We simply wanted to borrow experience from other countries with a view to enhancing our services. Unfortunately, we were unjustly accused of enjoying sightseeing by those who had never participated in the study visits themselves. This is most bewildering.
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