XN000022-1994-10-10 — Page 10

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1994

IN

I WANT TO SEE THE ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL DISPERSING FUNDS AS EFFECTIVE A WAY AS POSSIBLE. I WANT TO SEE THE ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ESTABLISHING A REPUTATION FOR INDEPENDENCE AND WISE JUDGEMENT. I DON'T THINK THAT THE ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL IS THE SAME AS A DISTRICT BOARD OR THE URBAN COUNCIL OR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SO I'M VERY MUCH IN FAVOUR OF A STRONG, WELL-RESOURCED, WELL-FUNDED, BROADLY BALANCED, WELL-SERVED ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. BUT I DON'T SEE IT AS A SURROGATE FOR DEMOCRACY. SO WHEREAS I HOPE WE'LL AGREE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS, I'M AFRAID I DON'T AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH THE ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED.

QUESTION:

MR PATTEN, YOU'VE JUST SAID THAT IN THE 218T CENTURY THE TWO LANGUAGES OF THE CENTURY WILL BE ENGLISH AND CHINESE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ABOUT IS, DURING THE LAST 150 YEARS, THERE'S THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE INTRODUCED HERE AND THERE IS NO DOUBT AN EFFORT TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

-

AND

I DO HOPE VERY MUCH THAT OBVIOUSLY BY 1997, THERE WILL BE WAYS AND MEANS THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WILL DO TO IMPROVE OUR CHINESE PUTONGHUA. I DO HOPE THAT BEFORE 30TH JUNE 1997, YOU AND YOUR GOVERNMENT WILL DO AN EASY JOB

THE AN EASY JOB OF REVISING MOST OF ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS, WHICH ARE TERRIBLE IN HONG KONG. I BROUGHT THIS QUESTION UP TWO YEARS AGO. IT'S SUCH A SIMPLE SUBJECT, I THINK, TO YOUR ABILITY AND TO THE ABILITY OF YOUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. I'M VERY SURPRISED THAT IN THE PAST TWO YEARS VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE ON THIS SUBJECT.

I DO NOTICE THAT YOU HAVE PAID ATTENTION, AND YOUR GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS QUESTION BY TAKING SOME ACTION. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE CASES WAS THAT AFTER I BROUGHT UP THIS QUESTION TWO YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A CASE WHERE THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION BROUGHT UP THE CASE AGAINST A PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, AND AS A RESULT OF THAT HE WAS CONVICTED. THOUGHT, AT ONE TIME,

THE GOVERNMENT WAS POINTING AT THE RIGHT DIRECTION BUT THEN IT STOPPED. IS THAT THE END OF THE STORY OF THAT CASE, OR DO YOU THINK THAT'S ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG?

I

THEN YOU ANSWERED ME, TWO YEARS AGO, THAT YOU INTEND TO BRING UP THIS SUBJECT TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR BUSINESS COUNCIL. WELL UNFORTUNATELY, I'VE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF HEARING ANYTHING ABOUT IT IN PUBLIC. MAYBE YOU COULD TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? AND I THINK THIS IS SUCH AN EASY THING THAT I'M SURE YOU CAN

DO, IF YOU ARE DETERMINED TO DO IT RIGHT.

GOVERNOR:

—

AS A RESULT OF YOUR ELOQUENCE ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, AND THAT OF OTHERS, INCLUDING SOME MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, INCLUDING SOME OF OUR UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNICS GRANTS COMMITTEE WHO FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THIS, AND AS A RESULT OF THE VIEWS OF MANY TEACHERS, WE DID, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, SET UP THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FUND WITH $300 MILLION IN IT, LAST YEAR, AND THAT HAS STARTED TO DISPERSE MONEY. AND I'M SURE THAT ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH IT CAN USEFULLY SPEND MONEY IS ON FURTHER DEVELOPING AND REFINING CLASSROOM AIDS, INCLUDING OF COURSE, TEXTBOOKS. BUT I WILL BE HAPPY TO LOOK, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEND THEM TO ME, AT EXAMPLES OF INADEQUATE TEXTBOOKS, AND AT ANY IDEAS YOU HAVE FOR IMPROVING FURTHER THE QUALITY OF OUR TEXTBOOKS.

/I GO

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