THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1991
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"RULE OF LAW, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY ARE INTANGIBLES, BUT THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION STONES ON WHICH THIS SOCIETY HAS BEEN BUILT," SIR DAVID SAID.
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RECOGNISING THAT HONG KONG HAD ITS CRITICS WHO INTENDED TO TALK OF CRASS COMMERCIALISM, OF AN ALL-CONSUMING PASSION FOR MAKING MONEY OF UNMITIGATED MATERIALISM, SIR DAVID SAID: "AND YES, WE ARE MATERIALISTIC. HARDLY SURPRISING FOR A LARGELY REFUGEE SOCIETY.
"BUT WE ARE ALSO A GENEROUS, OPENHEARTED COMMUNITY WHOSE DONATIONS ON FLAG-DAYS AND WALKS-FOR-A-MILLION HAVE MADE IT INTO RECORD BOOKS.
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"AND MATERIAL SUCCESS HAS PROVIDED THE WHEREWITHAL FOR THE PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE, THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TRADITIONS, HE SAID.
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SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG WAS NO LONGER THE CULTURAL DESERT OF THE '50S AND '60s.
"THE WORLD'S GREAT ORCHESTRAS AND SOLOISTS PERFORM HERE. EXHIBITIONS COME AND GO. IN TWO WONDERFUL ANNUAL FESTIVALS WE SPOIL OURSELVES ALTERNATELY WITH THE BEST THAT ASIA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER.
"OUR OWN YOUNG TALENT ARE AT LAST RECEIVING PROPER TRAINING. A NEW MUSEUM WILL SHORTLY DISPLAY OUR OWN COLLECTIONS OF ART FROM CHINA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION, HE SAID.
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SIR DAVID SAID IN EVERY FIELD OF THE ARTS SONG, DANCE, WRITING, MUSIC AND SCULPTURE HONG KONG WAS DEVELOPING A DISTINCTIVE CULTURE ALL OF ITS OWN AND THE TERRITORY WAS ADDING ITS OWN INGREDIENTS TO THE EVER-CHANGING CULTURAL MELANGE THAT WAS ASIA.
AND HONG KONG CONTRIBUTED IN OTHER WAYS TO THE SPREAD OF IDEAS THROUGHOUT THE REGION BY DEMONSTRATING TO ALL THE BENEFITS OF OPEN- NESS, EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
THERE WERE NO MORE POWERFUL INDUCEMENTS TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT AND THE FLOWERING OF CULTURE, SIR DAVID SAID.
SIR DAVID SAID THE INAUGURATION OF THE ASIA SOCIETY HONG KONG CENTRE HAD SET A SEAL ON THE WARM RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE SOCIETY.
"WE ARE TRULY DELIGHTED TO WELCOME THE ASIA SOCIETY TO HONG. KONG. WE WILL GIVE IT EVERY SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT AND WE WISH IT ALL POSSIBLE SUCCESS IN THE YEARS AHEAD,' SIR DAVID SAID.
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