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CS' speech at 40th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the School of Communication of Hong Kong Baptist University (English only) (with photo/video)
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     Following is the speech delivered by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, at the 40th Anniversary Gala Dinner of the School of Communication of Hong Kong Baptist University at The Mira Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, tonight (November 14):

Wilfred (Wong), Professor Ng (Ching-fai), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good evening. I'm delighted to be here to celebrate with you the 40th Anniversary of the School of Communication of the Baptist University.

     Let me begin by offering you a very warm congratulations. In preparing a few words for this evening, I checked to see what some famous people have said about good communication of the Baptist University.

     The general consensus seems to be that it is better to listen than to talk, so I will be brief.

     American entrepreneur and author Jim Rohn once said "effective communication is 20 per cent what you know and 80 per cent how you feel about what you know."

     This is very reassuring, as I know definitely less about the School of Communication than probably everyone of you sitting here. So, given your pioneering role and high profile as a leading fixture in our education system, I have a very positive feeling about the School.

     Perhaps this is also because I used to live nearby in Kowloon Tong and had seen the campus grow over the years.

     Some of you will remember the former Baptist College campus with a sandy oval-shaped soccer pitch and basketball courts. I have it on good authority that some students even practised their driving skills in the car park. What I am not so sure about is whether those students who practised diligently rather than doing their homework or reviewing their work actually passed their driving tests or not.

     School life seemed leisurely and quiet, interrupted intermittently by Civil Engineering students breaking things as part of their experiments.

     In the early days, the Baptist was run by the Baptist Church with very little in the way of financial resources. Still, it attracted some of the brightest secondary school leavers looking for something a little more exciting than pushing papers.

     With Broadcast Drive just around the corner there was, and still is, plenty of opportunity to get some hands-on experience, or the chance to make a few dollars freelancing at one of the studios or radio stations.

     Today, the Baptist University is a modern university with the latest equipment and some of the best lecturers in town. Communication alumni are the movers and shakers in the newsrooms of television, radio and the print media. Others have achieved success in public relations, film or other forms of media organisations. Take a look around you, and you should be very proud of your achievements.

     We all know how powerful the media, or the communication industry in general, is in getting messages across to the general public. And to a large extent you have also helped us form our impression and opinions about things that are happening around us. I am sure my fellow citizens, just as much as I do, will not want to see the freedom of the press being fettered in any way. But with that trust there is also the expectation that the industry will use the power sensibly and uphold the fine tradition of professionalism and journalism.

     This is a lighthearted occasion, so I will not be serious anymore. It just remains for me to wish you all an enjoyable evening and the School of Communication every success in the future.

     Ladies and Gentlemen, in preparing this talk I also came across a useful advice from the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt. He said, and I quote: "be sincere; be brief; be seated".

     I am sincere - I hope you would agree - I have been brief and now I'd like to be seated.

     Thank you.

Ends/Friday, November 14, 2008
Issued at HKT 22:20

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