XN000022-1994-10-10 — Page 9

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1994

QUESTION:

ARTS

THIS

I REPRESENT A NUMBER OF GOOD EVENING, MR PATTEN.

ORGANISATIONS ORGANISATIONS TODAY BECAUSE REPRESENTATIVES OF THESE WERE NOT SO FORTUNATE TO GET TICKETS IN TO COME AND TALK TO YOU EVENING, SO I'M POSING A QUESTION ON THEIR BEHALF.

A

WHEN YOU PROPOSED, TWO YEARS AGO, THAT YOU WERE ESTABLISHING

OVERJOYED. HONG KONG ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, THE ARTS COMMUNITY WAS

SAID THAT YOU'D BUT I MUST CONFESS THAT THIS TIME ROUND, WHEN YOU

OF ESTABLISHING THE HRADC, WE WERE A BIT ACHIEVED YOUR TARGET

THAT THE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE YOU SEEMED TO BE HAPPY WITH THE FACT

STATED BILL, WHICH IS NOW COMING UP BEFORE THE BILLS COMMITTEE, STILL

THE BILL THAT YOU WOULD BE APPOINTING ALL THE MEMBERS TO THIS HKADC.

THE IS NOW UP BEFORE THE BILLS COMMITTEE AND AT THE LAST TWO MEETINGS

ELEMENT OF DIRECT WAS IN FAVOUR OF INTRODUCING AN BILLS COMMITTEE

CULTURE, ELECTIONS BUT MR JAMES SO, YOUR SECRETARY FOR RECREATION AND WAS AGAINST THIS IDEA. WE HAVE SENT OUR VIEWS TO YOU BUT I UNDERSTAND

JAMES SO THAT YOU ARE TOO BUSY TO ANSWER THE VIEWS OF WHAT MR CALMLY DISMISSES AS "THE NOISY FEW".

SO

ELECTION CHRISTINE

SO I'M TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU WHETHER YOU IN FACT SUPPORT THE IDEA OF INTRODUCING AT LEAST AN ELEMENT OF DIRECT ELECTIONS INTO THE HKADC, OR WHETHER YOU SUPPORT MR JAMES SO IN SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE? AND IF YOU INDEED SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT IT IS NOT EVEN POSSIBLE TO INTRODUCE A SMALL ELEMENT OF DIRECT INTO THE HKADC, THEN YOU ARE IN FACT, I THINK, PROVING MISS LOH QUITE RIGHT WHEN SHE WRITES IN THE 'SOUTH CHINA ABOUT YOUR REFUSAL TO TIDY UP A FEW OF THESE LOOSE ENDS INTRODUCE DIRECT ELECTIONS INTO HONG KONG. COULD WE HAVE YOUR OPINION ON THIS, PLEASE?

GOVERNOR:

YES, CERTAINLY.

MORNING POST' WHICH WOULD

HOW

ARTS

WHO

ABOUT ABOUT

AND I THINK THAT IT'S INTERESTING

THESE MEETINGS THE DEBATE MOVES ON. AT, I THINK, THE VERY FIRST OF THAT I HAD, I WAS PRESSED VERY HARD ON WHETHER I WOULD SET UP AN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL FOR HONG KONG BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WERE DISSATISFIED WITH THE ARRANGEMENTS THEN. INDEED, I WAS CRITICISED AT, I THINK, MY VERY FIRST PUBLIC MEETING FOR NOT HAVING TALKED THE ARTS IN MY FIRST POLICY ADDRESS, AND I WAS PRESSED, AS WELL, THE INADEQUATE FUNDING OF THE ARTS IN HONG KONG. SO WE RESPONDED, WE PROPOSED SETTING UP AN ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. WE SET UP AN ARTS DEVELOPMENT BOARD WITH A BROAD MEMBERSHIP AND WE PROVIDED IT WITH FUNDS OF THE ARTS HERE IN HONG KONG. VISUAL, OUR PERFORMING ARTS, OUR MUSIC INCREASING SUCCESS AS A COMMUNITY,

AND

THE FIRST STAGE, AND COMPREHENSIVE IN ORDER TO 'PRIME THE PUMP'

ARTS

OUR I THINK DEVELOPING OUR

ALL THOSE ARE ASPECTS OF OUR

=

—

APPOINTED

THAT COUNCIL AN NOW IT IS ARGUED THAT IT'S ONLY IF WE MAKE ELECTED BODY THAT WE'LL HAVE ADEQUATELY RESPONDED TO PRESSURE FROM THE

WITH AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I DON'T AGREE

YOU ON ART'S COMMUNITY. THAT. I LOOK AROUND THE WORLD AND I SEE ARTS AGENCIES IN ALL SORTS OF OTHER DEVELOPED COMMUNITIES, FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO NORTH AMERICA, TO OTHER COUNTRIES IN EUROPE, AND THEY HAVE, BY AND LARGE,

CONTRIBUTION THEY BODIES - PEOPLE APPOINTED ON MERIT BECAUSE OF THE CAN MAKE TO THE ARTS. AND PROVIDED ONE HAS OVERALL DEMOCRATIC

I AND BALANCES I THINK WE'D HAVE WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

IF YOU DON'T MIND DON'T SEE THE ARGUMENT FOR CREATING ANOTHER SET OF

IN ORDER ME MAKING THE POINT FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES IN THE ARTS,

SO I'M NOT PERSUADED THAT JAMES TO ELECT AN ARTS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. SO IS WRONG. IN FACT I THINK HE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

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CHECKS

/I WANT