FROM
THE PRESIDENT
A few of us from your board of governors had lunch the other
day with Antony Leung, Hong Kong's new Financial Secretary (new
since May.)
We were surprised and pleased by how active, open and engaged
"Antony" (as he urged us call him) was in every aspect
of the welfare of this city. Beyond his obvious concern for the
SAR's economy, the former banker, noting his other previous portfolios,
displayed his long and vested interest in education.
Only through long-term educational reform, cautioned Mr. Leung,
can Hong Kong continue to be economically prosperous.
We mourned the apparent decline of English language education.
Leung, while concurring, thought the key was to abandon education
"by rote" and instill an atmosphere of creativity, essential
in the era of IT.
The economic slowdown was obviously foremost on the minds of
all of us at the table.
While we agreed that this was an informal lunch, free from the
kind of quotations that would sway financial markets, it became
clear that none of us around the table saw a revival in the fortunes
of the global economy until well into next year.
All of which turned our attention to our health here at home
- at the venerable Foreign Correspondent's Club.
In hopes that the winning ways of the Financial Secretary would
rub off on us, Gilbert Cheng, our alert and always efficient General
Manager, quickly retrieved Mr. Leung's expired FCC membership
card. With immediate reinstatement, we welcomed Antony once again
to our ranks. Antony promised to return again to address all the
club on the health of the economy.
The health of the Club, meanwhile, seems to be holding. We are
continuing to pack members and their friends in - as our Club
becomes a more active venue for speakers and celebrities. When
we announced that international financier George Soros would come
to the Club, our switchboard lit up and more than 100 reservations
were made within an hour.
Board member Tom Crampton is pulling out all the stops to organize
an array of events: from Chinese film nights to evenings with
noted authors and Cambodian opposition politicians.
Our biggest challenge, however, in the months ahead will be to
negotiate with the Hong Kong government a new lease on this old
building which has been our home since the early 1980s.
The trick will be to guarantee our future and keep costs down
in keeping with our non-profit status as a Correspondent's association.
With the goodwill of all our current and newly re-instated members,
we're confident of success.
