XN000022-1987-03-25 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987-

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CALL FOR FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE WIDER USE OF CHINESE

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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION IS NECESSARY TO PROMOTE THE WIDER USE OF CHINESE IN SOCIETY, THE HON LEE YU-TAI SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING DURING AN ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE TOPIC IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR LEE URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO RECONSIDER ITS EARLIER DECISION ON THE SETTING UP OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION.

HE NOTED THAT A WORKING PARTY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOUNDATION SUBMITTED ITS REPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT IN FEBRUARY 1982 BUT IT TOOK THE GOVERNMENT MORE THAN FOUR YEARS TO ANNOUNCE THAT IT WOULD NOT SET UP SUCH A FOUNDATION.

HE SAID THIS MIGHT GIVE THE PUBLIC THE IMPRESSION THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN DELAYING THE ISSUE DELIBERATELY.

HE ADDED THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD PROPOSED THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE SHOULD ALLOCATE SOME $40 MILLION FOR RECRUITING EXPATRIATE TEACHERS.

HE SAID HE FEARED THAT IF NO REVIEW WAS MADE ON THE DECISION TO SHELVE THE FOUNDATION, THE PUBLIC MIGHT MISUNDERSTAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS GIVING FAVOURED TREATMENT TO ONE LANGUAGE OVER THE OTHER.

MR LEE POINTED OUT THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WOULD ACHIEVE FOUR PURPOSES.

+FIRSTLY, AS THE CHINESE TEXTBOOKS COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY BEGUN ITS WORK, CONSIDERATION MIGHT BE GIVEN IN FUTURE TO GIVE SOME APPROPRIATE FORM OF ASSISTANCE TO PUBLISH SOME CHINESE TEXTBOOKS, HE SAID.

+ IF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COMES FROM PUBLIC REVENUE, THE PUBLIC MIGHT THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS ALSO INVOLVED AND MIGHT DOUBT WHETHER THESE BOOKS WERE OBJECTIVE ENOUGH.

+BUT IF THESE BOOKS WERE FINANCED BY THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WHICH IS INDEPENDENT THE IR OBJECTIVITY WOULD BE BEYOND DOUBT,+ HE STRESSED.

SECONDLY, MR LEE POINTED OUT THAT ENGLISH WAS GENERALLY USED AS THE MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION AMONG HONG KONG'S PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND IN VIEW OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS AND THE NEED OF LOCAL ISATION, ACTIVE MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROFESSIONAL ISE CHINESE TRANSLATION.

HE SAID THIS COULD BE PROMOTED BY THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION BY SETTING UP AN AD HOC COMMITTEE UNDER IT TO LIAISE WITH VARIOUS PROFESSIONS TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE WORK AND TO ALLOCATE SOME OF ITS RESOURCES TO FINANCE RESEARCH AND TRANSLATION WORK.

/MR LEE