鄧永鏘（DavidTang）中國會、上海灘創辦人

Lastweek,IwenttoaconcertattheCityHall.IheardRachmaninoff'sPaganiniVariations.ItwasplayedbyCristinaOrtiz.IfirstheardherinLondon20yearsago.Shewasbrilliantthen,andshewasbrillianttheothernight.AswastheHongKongSinfonietta,withYipWingSieatthebaton.Thehallwaspackedandawonderfulculturalexperiencewashadbyall.Asabonus,ayoungChinesecomposer,AngelLam,just29andlookingasfreshasaschoolgirlonstage,hadapremiereofacommissionedworkbytheHongKongSinfonietta.ItwasallwhatIlovedtoseeandhearinHongKong.ItwasthebestofHongKong-apackedaudienceinatraditionalconcerthall,withoutanyglamorousstarssuchasPavarottiorBarbaraStreisand,yetwithourownculturaltalentcombinedwithanoutstandinginternationalsoloist,withanorchestratoencouragelocalmusic-makingbygivingcommissiontoayoungcomposer.Indeed,Ifeltforamomentthatifthissortofeventhappenedregularly,anditdoesonalimitedscale,thenWestKowloonasaprojectwillhaveachanceofsuccess.Butbecareful:Iamnottalkingaboutallthefancydevelopmentofbrickandmortar(thehardware);IamtalkingabouttheculturaldispositionofallofusinHongKong(thesoftware).

Butthen,whatappearedtomeasarelaxingeveningofcultureandentertainmentwithasenseofoptimismforWestKowloon,Ialsorealisedtherewasanunder-currentofunrest.WhenIfoundoutmore,IwasangrywiththeGovernment.Itshowedagainhowmoronicitspolicyandapproachandmindsetwere.Ifwedonotdosomethingaboutthis,ourWestKowloonprojectwillturnintoawhiteelephantafterall.ItwillendupbeingaDubaisquemonumentwithnosoulnorculturalheritage.Itwillbeawantonwasteoftimeandmoneythroughsheerignoranceandpigheadedness.WhatIamtalkingaboutit'sthelaboriouswayinwhichtheGovernmentdispensesitsgranttoasplendidculturalpearl-foritisapearlcultivatedbyateamofverydedicatedmusic-makers-suchastheHongKongSinfonietta.Forthelasttenyears,itsgranthasdecreasedfromHK$12milliontojustunderHK$11million.(TheHongKongPhilharmonicgetsabout60millionoddandtheChineseOrchestranearly50million.)DoestheGovernmenthaveanyideaofhowexpensiveitistorunanorchestra?(AndwhythehugediscrepancybeweentheHongKongSifoniettaandtheothertwoorchestras?)Moretothepoint,doestheGovernmentrealisehowdifficultithasbeenfortheHongKongSinfoniettatohaveachievedwhatithasachievedinHongKongDESPITEthemiserlygrantitreceives?ThehorroristhatifthisisthederogatorywayinwhichtheGovernmentregardstheHongKongSinfonietta,howonearthisitgoingtoexpectthe10or12concerthallsandtheatrestobefilledaftertheyarebuiltatWestKowloon?Whereistheencouragementoflocalculturalexcellence?WhereistheleadtheHongKongGovernmentissupposedtotakeinincreasingtheculturalawarenessofourcommunitywhich,historically,hashadanabysmalstandard?

HowmanymoretimesdowehavetoremindtheGovernmentnottoconcentrateonjustthe"hardware"ofWestKowloon,butrathertospendanequalamountoftime,ifnotmorethan,onthe"software"?HowmanymoredrumsdowehavetobeattowaketheGovernmentuptovaluinginstitutionssuchastheHongKongSinfoniettabeforetheyrealisethatiftheycarryonstranglingitsfunding,suchinstitutionswilldie?WhatdecibelsmustweallshoutatbeforetheGovernmentismadetoadoptafarmorecaringanddecisiveapproachtonurturingourownpeopleinHongKongtoaspiretoworldstandardsofculturalexcellence?AsIhavesaidbefore,allthemoneywehaveinHongKong(justlastyearagargantuanfiscalreserveofHK$400billion)isOURmoneyandwhatsenseistherethatsomethingliketheHongKongSinfoniettashouldgetjustamiserable11millionayear?Ifitisnotsickening,it'sabsurd.Wakeup,Government!YoushouldrushforwardandhaveameetingwiththelikesoftheHongKongSinfoniettaandaskthemwhattheywanttodoandseeifyoucanhelpachievetheirgoals.IndeedtheGovernmentshouldBEGtheHongKongSinfonietta.Becauseifyoudon'tandcontinuetositarrogantlyandignorantlyonahighpedestal,youwilllosededicatedandexcellenttalentswhicharevitalbloodlinesforthefutureofaHongKong,which,havingproveditselfimmenselysuccessfulatmakingmoneymust,forallofoursake,proveourselvestobeculturallynourishedasbefitsanygreatcommunityintheworld.IamnotonthewholeaskeensupporterofGovernmentsubsidiesfortheArts,butwhenwearetryingtobuildfromalowplatform,wedoneedmoneywithwhichtoacceleratethatprocess.Andwehaveallthemoneyintheworld.Thereisnobetterwayofspendingitthanonthosewhoenhanceourlivesbysuchmagicasmusic-making-andgoodmusic-making.EachandeverymemberoftheHongKongSinfoniettaoughttobeproudoftheGovernmentforprovidingthemeanswithwhichtheycangoondedicatingtheirvocationstomakingHongKongabetterplace-insteadofmutteringundertheirbreath,asIamsuretheyalldo,atthescrooge-likeapproachoftheirfundings.WakeupGovernment,andsmellthecoffee!

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