ENG-1989 — Page 301

Hong Kong Year Books 香港年報 All

PUBLIC ORDER

254

their employees and provided advice, written or verbal, on ethical business practices and points of law.

The department took part in a number of discussions and seminars with Chinese officials and business cadres, both in China and in Hong Kong. Case studies were used to demonstrate management weaknesses which could lead to corruption. These contacts in turn provided the department with some first-hand knowledge on business practices and corruption law in China, enabling it to better advise Hong Kong businessmen on corruption-related matters when doing business in China.

Community Relations

The Community Relations Department is responsible for educating the public on the evils of corruption, harnessing public support in the fight against corruption, and, in the long term, seeking to promote proper social values and a greater sense of civic responsibility in the community. The department operates through two divisions, the Liaison Division and the Media and Education Division.

A new strategy was adopted by the department to enhance the effectiveness of its liaison programme. The main features included placing greater emphasis on publicity-oriented programmes designed to reach the largest possible number of targets, setting up task force teams dedicated to plan and co-ordinate liaison efforts with the private sector, and encouraging the public to initiate and organise activities to spread anti-corruption messages among themselves or to the wider community.

= A total of 16 800 liaison activities and 204 special liaison programmes were conducted by the commission's 11 local offices in 1989, reaching some 432 300 people broadly categorised as civil servants, public and private sector employees, young people, and the general public. Against the background of a continual rise in corruption reports concerning the private sector in the past few years, the department maintained its momentum in liaising with those trades and industries with a high incidence of reported corruption. The task force teams made considerable headway in explaining the spirit and provisions of the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance and in appealing for positive action against corruption.

In order to enhance the involvement of different sectors of the community to actively promote the theme of anti-corruption, a Community Participation Programme was im- plemented. More than 40 organisations from business and social service sectors as well as local communities initiated anti-corruption publicity programmes with subsidies from the ICAC.

The Towards a Fuller Life territory-wide programme continued to be a popular major event. The programme promoted the positive aspects of life through a series of activities culminating in a musical show telecast at prime time to capture the maximum viewership. Music records and cassettes on songs with the theme of a fuller life were also produced for distribution to youth organisations, educational institutes and public libraries.

Encouraging young people to be fair and honest in their dealings with others is a good basis for anti-corruption education. Teaching materials produced by the department assist teachers to discuss moral issues with their students through lively and imaginative activities. These teaching materials had been in use for a number of years. To achieve a broader and more effective usage of ICAC material in schools, the department launched a new, three-year promotion strategy. This involved visits by ICAC officers to primary and secondary schools throughout the territory to introduce the range of available materials, their rationale, content and methodology. Other supportive measures included production

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