WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1976.
UPSURGE IN DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE PREDICTED
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THE HON, HILTON CHEONG-LEEN TODAY CALLED FOR +AN IN-DEPTH AND LONG-RANGE APPRECIATION OF GOVERNMENT'S EVOLVING POLICY TOWARDS SUPPORTING CULTURAL GROWTH IN HONG KONG+.
HE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT TOGETHER WITH THE URBAN COUNCIL'S CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, THE GOVERNMENT'S FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TOWARDS THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE MIGHT NOT BE IN SUM TOTAL ALL THAT INSIGNIFICANT.
IT WOULD THEREFORE SEEM DESIRABLE, MR. CHEONG LEEN SAID, THAT A SEPAREATE CULTURAL SERVICES DESK BE NOW SET UP IN THE HOME AFFAIRS AND INFORMATION BRANCH FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLARIFYING, EXPEDITING AND CO-ORDINATING THE PRIORITIES IN GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS
TO FOSTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE IN HONG KONG.
HE SAID THAT AT PRESENT, ALL THIS WORK WAS IN THE HANDS OF A PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY WHO WAS ALREADY BURDENED WITH OTHER
IMPORTANT TASKS.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE JOB SHOULD BE GIVEN TO A +CULTURE-ORIENTED+ PERSON.
+ IT APPEARS THAT HONG KONG CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A CULTURAL UPSURGE WHICH AUGURS WELL FOR A LOCAL CULTURAL IDENTITY TO EMERGE IF THERE IS CLOSE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, THE URBAN COUNCIL, AND SUCH INSITUTIONS AS THE UNIVERSITIES, THE ARTS CENTRE, AND THE PRIVATE CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS,+ HE SAID,
SPEAKING ON THE SAME SUBJECT, THE HON. ALEX WU SAID HONG KONG, WHICH HAD MOUNTED SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS OF THE ARTS, WAS NOT A CULTURAL DESERT.
HOWEVER, HE ADDED THAT IT WAS A CULTURALLY UNDER-DEVELOPED AREA WHICH SIMPLY NEEDED AN +IRRIGATION PLAN+,
MR. WU STRESSED THAT THE EXPENDITURE OF EFFORT AND MONEY ON CULTURE SHOULD NOT BE PLACED FAR DOWN THE LIST AFTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
+HOWEVER COMMITTED WE ARE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOWEVER HARD WORKING OUR COMMUNITY, WE DO HAVE LEISURE TIME AND WE ARE ALREADY EXPOSED, COMMERCIALLY, TO A VAST AMOUNT OF ENTERTAINMENT,+ HE SAID.
REFERRING TO HONG KONG'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE CULTURAL FIELD, MR. WU SAID THEY WERE STILL OF A KIND AND A RANGE WHICH REACHED ONLY AN ELITE FEW.
+THE NEXT STEP MUST LIE WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND IT MUST INVOLVE A STATED GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT AND AN ELEMENT OF CONSTRUCTIVE PLANNING, HE SAID.
/HE ASKED