Letters | Forget Taylor Swift, Hong Kong needs more East-meets-West talent

Readers discuss the recent winner of a TVB show as an example of the kind of talent Hong Kong needs, and the lack of people from ethnic minority communities in the civil service

Hong Kong society

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 6 Apr 2024

Why you can trust SCMP

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification

German Ku Cheuk-man, also known by his Portuguese name Germano Guilherme, was crowned winner of the recently concluded TVB talent show Midlife, Sing & Shine! 2, thanks to his vocals, looks and onstage allure. Born and raised in Macau, he is of Portuguese and Chinese descent, and sings in Cantonese, Mandarin and English like a native. Some believe he has the potential to become an international star.

In his 2022 policy address, Hong Kong’s chief executive announced the establishment of the Culture Commission to provide clear direction for Hong Kong’s development as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. While this commission is to come up with a blueprint, the chief executive announced in his 2023 policy address that the government will, among other measures, increase the annual recurrent allocation for cultural exchanges by 40 per cent, from HK$50 million to HK$70 million, to support more arts groups and artists in going global.

Last month, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority signed memorandums of understanding with 21 leading arts and cultural institutions from around the world, underlining Hong Kong’s development as a hub for international cultural exchange. The installation of Chubby Hearts, costing taxpayers HK$7.8 million and drawing mixed reviews, was another attempt to signal the international nature of Hong Kong’s cultural landscape.

Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo are jockeying for position in the race to be Asia’s leading cultural destination, on par with London and New York.

We are disappointed that Taylor Swift chose Singapore but not Hong Kong. But let’s not forget that the mere import of big names from the West will not make Hong Kong an international cultural magnet. London and New York thrive because of their cultural diversity and the fact that talent from different backgrounds are given opportunities to shine.

As the government continues to seek global talent, we should develop Hong Kong as a launch pad for talented individuals in the Greater Bay Area who have global ambitions. We need more like Germano Guilherme in different industries, talent with a cultural understanding of East and West and the potential to shine on the global stage.

Rachel Chan, North Point

Offer ethnic minority youth opportunities in government

I was happy to note that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is planning to set up more centres to serve the non-ethnic Chinese members of our community (“The art of caring”, March 31). But what about giving youth from our ethnic minority communities more opportunities to serve Hong Kong, which is as much their home as that of the rest of us?

At the moment, there are few members of these young people in uniform, serving as members of our disciplined services. There aren’t many of them in government jobs either, though there are some, perhaps many, who would like to join the civil service. They usually face one difficulty – the Chinese language proficiency requirement.

There might be compelling reasons for this requirement. However, if we are short of candidates, why not ease this obstacle or find some means by which non-Chinese candidates might be empowered to join government?

With little hope of upward social mobility for our ethnic minority youth, we could lose them to other cities or worse give criminal elements more opportunities for recruitment.

James A. Elms, Wan Chai