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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1978
MR. WU WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORTED THE PROPOSITION STATED IN THE WHITE PAPER ON DEVELOPMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION THAT THE CONTENT AND QUALITY OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE SUCH AS WOULD PROMOTE GREATER ADAPTABILITY, PROFICIENCY IN A WIDE RANGE OF TECHNICAL SKILLS, BROAD PERSPECTIVES, AND THE CAPACITY TO THINK LOGICALLY AND TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.+
MR. WU SAID THESE AIMS, AND THE FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION SUMMARISED IN THE WHITE PAPER WHICH INCLUDED A SENSE OF MORAL AND SOCIAL VALUES+ AND AN APPRECIATION OF CULTURE, HAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BEEN ADVOCATED BY HIM IN THE COUNCIL.
HE POINTED OUT HOWEVER THAT HIS SUGGESTIONS A YEAR AGO FOR A POLICY ON SUBSIDIES FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND POSSIBLY AN ARTS COUNCIL TO PREVENT OVERLAPPING OF EFFORT, HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN UP.
+ THE NEED IS BECOMING URGENT. WE HAVE THE ARTS CENTRE AND WE HAVE THE HEAVILY SUBSIDISED AND PROMOTED PROGRAMMES OF THE URBAN COUNCIL.
+ IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH PERCEPTION TO SEE THAT THERE IS ALREADY SOME OVERLAPPING AND PERHAPS EVEN SOME WASTE, HE SAID.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY OF THE ARTS IS RECOGNISED AS A NECESSITY IN THE MOST ADVANCED SOCIETIES AND IS CERTAINLY REQUIRED IN HONG KONG WHERE SPACE FOR PERFORMANCE OR EXHIBITION IS SCARCE AND EXPENSIVE, AND WHERE THE COST OF BRINGING IN INTERNATIONAL PERFORMERS MAY BE PROHIBITIVE ON A COMMERCIAL BASIS.
WE MUST AVOID COMPETITION BETWEEN DIFFERENT BODIES WHO
EACH, IN SOME WAY, ENJOY A FORM OF PUBLIC SUBSIDY.
THAT WOULD BE CONTRARY TO OUR INTEREST AND WITH THE INCREASING PUBLIC FACILITIES BECOMING AVAILABLE, WE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO AVOID IT, AND TO MAXIMISE OUR RESOURCES IN THIS FIELD.
THE PROMOTION OF THE ARTS IS AN EXPENSIVE MATTER IN HONG KONG, +WE MUST BE SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING THE UTMOST VALUE FOR OUR MONEY IN TERMS OF QUALITY AS WELL AS QUANTITY, HE SAID.
MR. WU AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR THAT OUR ABILITY TO PLAN AHEAD AND TO REAL ISE OUR AMBITIONS DEPENDS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR ECONOMY.
HE ALSO WELCOMED THE GOVERNOR'S CONTINUED CONFIDENCE THAT ONE OF THE TWO DISQUIETING FACTORS IN OUR ECONOMY -- EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION CAN BE RESTORED TO A HEALTHY BALANCE WITH EARNINGS
BY NATURAL ECONOMIC FORCES.
+ I WOULD BE RELUCTANT, HE SAID, TO SEE US RESORT TO MORE DIRECT ATTEMPTS TO REGULATE BEHAVIOUR IN THE ECONOMIC FIELD.+
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE GOVERNOR'S REVIEW OF OUR DEVELOPMENT INTO THE 1980'S WAS BASED ON SENSIBLE COSTING AND ON PROGRAMMES WE ARE INITIATING NOW,
THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN OUR FORWARD PLANNING WAS A MATTER OF COPING WITH ONE CRISIS AFTER ANOTHER.
WE CAN NOW HOWEVER TAKE INITIATIVES ABOUT WHAT SORT OF A COMMUNITY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IN TEN YEARS TIME, MR. WU SAID.
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