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FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1982
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT
AND VOLUNTARY SECTOR BASICALLY SOUND*
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR MIGHT BE DESCRIBED AS A MARRIAGE BETWEEN TWO STRONG-WILLED PARTNERS HOLDING BELIEFS AND CONVICTIONS WHICH MAY NOT ALWAYS COINCIDE,+ THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID THIS (FRIDAY) EVENING,
SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AGENCY FOR VOLUNTEER SERVICE AT THE FURAMA HOTEL, MRS CHAN SAID SHE BELIEVED THAT THIS MARRIAGE WAS +BASICALLY SOUND BECAUSE EACH NEEDS THE OTHER, WE SHARE A COMMON AIM OF RELIEVING HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, THERE IS A DETERMINATION TO WORK AT ITS SUCCESS.+
SHE SAID THAT IF ONE BELIEVED SOME OF THE MORE SENSATIONAL UTTERANCES THAT HIT THE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES, ONE WOULD THINK THAT THIS MARRIAGE HAD LONG SINCE GONE ON THE ROCKS. + BUT THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE, SHE STRESSED.
+A GREAT DEAL, SHE SAID, +HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY THOSE WHO WORK QUIETLY BEHIND THE SCENE AND THIS WILL CONTINUE. I HAVE GREAT FAITH IN THIS PARTICULAR MARRIAGE SURVIVING THE TEST OF TIME, ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT PERHAPS QUITE COME OF AGE YET.+
REFERRING TO PUBLIC FUNDING, MRS CHAN SAID THAT THERE WAS NEVER ENOUGH TO GO ROUND BUT LIKE A PRÚDENT FAMILY, THE GOVERNMENT MUST KEEP TO A BUDGET AND MUST HAVE SOME SAVINGS IN HAND FOR THE RAINY DAY.
*THIS, SHE SAID, +MEANS MAKING SOME QUITE DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL CHOICES BETWEEN THE MULTIPLICITY OF COMMUNITY NEEDS, ALL OF WHICH MEAN A LOT TO THE RELEVANT TARGET GROUPS.+
COMMENTING ON THE CATEGOR IDATION OF SERVICES UNDER THE NEW SUBVENTION SCHEME, MRS CHAN DESCRIBED AS INVIDIOUS AND UNHELPFUL+ COMPARISONS OF THE RELATIVE VALUE AND WORTH OF CATEGORY I AND II SERVICES.
SERVICES PLACED IN CATEGORY II, SHE SAID, WERE JUST AS MUCH NEEDED AND VALUED BY THEIR RECIPIENTS AS THOSE IN CATEGORY I.
THE INITIAL CATEGORISATION OF SERVICES CAN CHANGE WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME AS CAN THE PERCENTAGE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT GIVEN TO SERVICES PLACED IN CATEGORY 11.
MRS CHAN SAID THAT APART FROM DETERMINING A FUNDING PRIORITY, THE NEW SUBVENTION SCHEME WAS ALSO INTENDED TO INDICATE CLEARLY TO VOLUNTARY AGENCIES THE EXTENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR A PARTICULAR SERVICE SO THAT THEY COULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
+WE BELIEVE, SHE SAID, THAT TO RETAIN AND FOSTER THE VOLUNTARY SPIRIT, A DEGREE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED, AND JUDGING BY FUND-RAISING RESULTS THERE CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE NO LACK OF PUBLIC SUPPORT IN THE WELFARE FIELD.
/HOWEVER, THE