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assistance. We should have foresight and work towards the promotion of community-based visual art. Popularisation is the key. I have so spoken to ask the Council to step up promotion of popularisation of visual art and to actively consider subsidising local groups to promote at a district level. Thank you.
MR. LAM MAN-FAI (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):--There is an amendment to the motion. Will the mover of the amended motion speak please?
MR. LAI HOK-LIM moved an amendment under Standing Order 21(12A) as follows:--
RESOLVED that the Council should enhance the promotion of popularisation of visual arts as well as safeguard the freedom of arts, and actively consider subsidising local groups to promote relevant activities at the district level.*
He said (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, we fully support the spirit of the original motion moved by Mr. Kwok Bit-chun because we feel that visual art should be popularised more. We would like to promote it at district level 100.
However, I find that in the development of visual art, popularisation is only one part. What is more important is the question of artistic freedom. The greatest threat does not come from inadequate resources, but from the emphasis on artistic freedom.
Mr. Chairman, I spoke on artistic freedom in the past two annual debates. A point of great concern for us is how artistic freedom can be protected during this important transitional period. Only by continuing to protect artistic freedom can we develop further in art. We do not want to go back to the cultural desert we were in back in the sixties and seventies. Without the soul of artistic freedom, all our efforts in promotion of art will only become wild grass.
Mr. Chairman, preservation of artistic freedom is laid down in the Basic Law and the International Covenant on Civil Rights. However, from my experience in the past two years, there is no doubt that different views and approaches to this matter exist in this Council. From the incident of film censorship onwards, Members of this Council are seen holding different views on the protection and promotion of artistic freedom. A more apparent view is the objection to things concerning artistic freedom that may offend China. There are still a large number of colleagues who insist on supporting this freedom.
Mr. LAM Man-fai described the situation as change of employer. We do not agree with such an approach. We do not subscribe to the idea of change of
Page 143 of 654
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assistance. We should have foresight and work towards the promotion of community-based visual art. Popularisation is the key. I have so spoken to ask the Council to step up promotion of popularisation of visual art and to actively consider subsidising local groups to promote at a district level. Thank
you.
MR. LAM MAN-FAI (in Cantonese):--Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):-There is an amendment to the motion. Will the mover of the amended motion speak please?
MR. LAI HOK-LIM moved an amendment under Standing Order 21(12A) as follows:-
RESOLVED that the Council should enhance the promotion of popularisation of visual arts as well as safeguard the freedom of arts, and actively consider subsidising local groups to promote relevant activities at the district level.*
He said (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, we fully support the spirit of the original motion moved by Mr. Kwok Bit-chun because we feel that visual art should be popularised more. We would like to promote it at district level 100.
However, I find that in the development of visual art, popularisation is only of one part. What is more important is the question of artistic freedom. The greatest threat does not come from inadequate resources, but from the emphasis on artistic freedom.
Mr. Chairman, I spoke on artistic freedom in the past two annual debates. A point of great concern for us is how artistic freedom can be protected during this important transitional period. Only by continuing to protect artistic freedom can we develop further in art. We do not want to go back to the cultural desert we were in back in the sixties and seventies. Without the soul of artistic freedom, all our efforts in promotion of art will only become wild grass.
Mr. Chairman, preservation of artistic freedom is laid down in the Basic Law and the International Covenant on Civil Rights. However, from my experience in the past two years, there is no doubt that different views and approaches to this matter exist in this Council. From the incident of film censorship onwards, Members of this Council are seen holding different views on the protection and promotion of artistic freedom. A more apparent view is the objection to things concerning artistic freedom that may offend China. There are still a large number of colleagues who insist on supporting this
freedom.
Mr. LAM Man-fai described the situation as change of employer. We do not agree with such an approach. We do not subscribe to the idea of change of
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