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if the Council want to amend its hiring conditions or if a pre-censorship system will be enforced in future (if not now). I hope people do not have that sort of impression.
The New Year Holidays will come up in a few more days and I did not have the chance to lobby individual Members, so I call upon you now to face discussion on this topic squarely. We should not overlook or ignore the concern of the cultural, performing and arts circles. I hope we do not shift the emphasis and I hope to reaffirm the role of the Urban Council. The Urban Council's role is that of provider of venues, not one of vetting or censorship. I just want to reaffirm this.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I want to give my own views on indecency or obscenity. I think Ms. CHOW is concerned about the effects of obscene culture on juveniles. I myself feel as much concern for this, but I feel that we have to handle this matter of trend as a whole rather than as individual cases. Today's social trends are not desirable. In fact, today's young people have more channels to contact the obscene culture, for example through comic books, sub-sections of newspapers and even concert performances. The above mentioned channels are obvious and they easily become the targets of our criticism. If we go to busy arcades and look at the CD-Roms, videotapes or obscene material on Internet, we realize that they are much more easily available to young people.
I feel that any type of prohibition, censorship or grading tackles the surface rather than the root of the problem. I believe education is the most vital when we seek to tackle this problem. We should also review our education system to see if we are teaching our students to differentiate between the good and bad and if we are directing them to respect the sexes. I think the Urban Council should urge relevant branches of central government to review this whole system. I think our sex education is very backward. I think we should not just tackle the problem by banning concerts which are found to have an obscene element.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to call on Members to support my motion. I urge Members to take today's opportunity to reaffirm to outsiders the role of the Urban Council in providing venues. We lease out and manage venues, we do not have the role as a censor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. TIM S. Manuel Chan (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I support the original motion by Ms. Ada WONG.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese): We have a proposer and a seconder for the original motion. Mr. PAO Ping-wing has moved an amendment in accordance with Standing Order 21(12A). Mr. PAO, please.
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Page 451
age 450 of 498
494
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
if the Council want to amend its hiring conditions or if a pre-censorship system will be enforced in future (if not now). I hope people do not have that sort of impression.
The New Year Holidays will come up in a few more days and I did not have the chance to lobby individual Members, so I call upon you now to face discussion on this topic squarely. We should not overlook or ignore the concern of the cultural, performing and arts circles. I hope we do not shift the emphasis and I hope to reaffirm the role of the Urban Council. The Urban Council's role is that of provider of venues, not one of vetting or censorship. I just want to reaffirm this.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I want to give my own views on indecency or obscenity. I think Ms. CHOW is concerned about the effects of obscene culture on juveniles. I myself feel as much concern for this, but I feel that we have to handle this matter of trend as a whole rather than as individual cases. Today's social trends are not desirable. In fact. today's young people have more channels to contact the obscene culture, for example through comic books. sub-sections of newspapers and even concert performances. The above mentioned channels are obvious and they easily become the targets of our criticism. If we go to busy arcades and look at the CD-Roms, videotapes or obscene material on Internet, we realize that they are much more easily available to young people.
I feel that any type of prohibition, censorship or grading tackles the surface rather than the root of the problem. I believe education is the most vital when we seek to tackle this problem. We should also review our education system to see if we are teaching our students to differentiate between the good and bad and if we are directing them to respect the sexes. I think the Urban Council should urge relevant branches of central government to review this whole system. I think our sex education is very backward. I think we should not just tackle the problem by banning concerts which are found to have an obscene element.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to call on Members to support my motion. I urge Members to take today's opportunity to reaffirm to outsiders the role of the Urban Council in providing venues. We lease out and manage venues, we do not have the role as a censor. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
MR. TIM S. Manuel Chan (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I support the original motion by Ms. Ada WONG.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):-We have a proposer and a seconder for the original motion. Mr. PAO Ping-wing has moved an amendment in accordance with Standing Order 21(12A). Mr. PAO, please.
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