WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1993
THE GOVERNMENT APPRECIATES AND RESPECTS THESE VIEWS, BUT WÊ DO NOT THINK THAT THERE IS A SUFFICIENTLY STRONG CASE FOR THE SETTING UP OF A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN ORDER TO PERFORM THESE FUNCTIONS. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT FULLY SUBSCRIBE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONG KONG. NOR ARE WE AFFECTED IN OUR THINKING BY NON-HONG KONG FACTORS AS ONE MEMBER SUGGESTED. OUR RECORD ON STANDING UP FOR HONG KONG AND WHAT IS RIGHT FOR HONG KONG HAS BEEN FULLY DEMONSTRATED SINCE OCTOBER LAST YEAR. INDEED SINCE THE ENACTMENT OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS ORDINANCE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED TO MEET THE DEMANDS ARISING FROM ITS APPLICATION THROUGH A NUMBER OF CHANNELS. IN SOME CASES, BECAUSE OF COMPETING PRIORITIES, WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROCEED AS FAST AS WE WOULD WISH. NEVERTHELESS, THE MACHINERY IS ALREADY THERE, AS MY FOLLOWING REMARKS ON EACH OF THE PROPOSED FUNCTIONS WILL SHOW.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
ON HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION, A HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION SUB- COMMITTEE WAS SET UP UNDER THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROMOTION OF CIVIC EDUCATION IN MAY 1992 TO PROMOTE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN RIGHTS. THIS IS ENTIRELY LOGICAL. HUMAN RIGHTS IS PART OF CIVIC EDUCATION AND I MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR PUTTING THIS UNDER THE AMBIT OF THE CIVIC RIGHTS EDUCATION.
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DESPITE DOUBTS CAST BY SOME MEMBERS ON ITS EFFECTIVENESS, I AM GLAD TO REPORT THAT IN THE FOURTEEN MONTHS OR SO SINCE ITS COMING INTO OPERATION, THE SUB-COMMITTEE HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE. IT HAS ORGANISED A NUMBER OF PROJECTS, VERY SUCCESSFUL ONES INCLUDING A COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION SCHEME, 'INFOLINE" MESSAGES, RADIO PROGRAMMES AND A LARGE-SCALE EXHIBITION ON HUMAN RIGHTS. IT ATTEMPTS TO EDUCATE AND TO INTEREST THE MEN-IN-THE-STREET ON THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS. I DON'T THINK THAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE THE TAIPANS OF HONG KONG, THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER. MORE ARE BEING PLANNED FOR THE COMING MONTHS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRODUCTION OF TEACHING KIT FOR EDUCATORS AND YOUNG PEOPLE, AS WELL AS SEMINARS FOR PROMOTING ITS USE. MEETINGS WITH SCHOOLHEADS TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL SETTING WILL ALSO BE HELD. I WOULD, MR PRESIDENT, LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THE GOVERNMENT'S SINCERE APPRECIATION TO THE COMMITTEE FOR ALL ITS HARD WORK. THOUGH NOT ALWAYS APPRECIATED.
IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT HAS PUBLISHED INTRODUCTORY BOOKLETS ON THE BILL OF RIGHTS TO HELP THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ORDINANCE.
/EVALUATION OF
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