Letters to the Editor

Please send your comments to Managing Editor PDG Y K Cheng c/o Rotary Information Centre
14/F Capitol Commercial Building, 26 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
Phone: + (852) 2576 4343
Fax:? + (852) 2895 0237
E-mail: ykchkcpl@netvigator.com

Contents:
District 3450 and District 3830 signed pact
Governor's Monthly Letter - By DG John Wan
May Governor's Monthly Letter in Chinese
The Universal Declaration on Volunteering
Continuity Column - By DGE Johnson Chu
District News - Golf Tournament; Obituary; Mainland Visits
International News - Council on Legislation; Dr. Sethi to be honoured; District 3450 in the news
Obituary
Mainland Visits
Attendance Report - March 2001

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District 3450 and District 3830 signed pact
On 4 May 2001, District 3450 and District 3830 signed a matched district agreement in Hong Kong that seeks to promote friendship, cooperation, understanding and service opportunities between the membership of the two districts.

Governor Hugo T Perez Jr. who is better known as Governor Jun from District 3830 of Metro Manila, Philippines first met his classmate John Wan from District 3450 in Taipei in December 1999 when the two attended the 1999 Taipei Rotary Institute. They became very good friends. The two met again in February 2000 in Anaheim, USA for the International Assembly where all governors-elect had their training. In March 2001, Governor John Wan visited Manila to attend his classmate Governor Jun's District Conference. Noting that many clubs in the two districts were matched clubs, the two governors discussed the idea of the two districts becoming matched districts. They consulted Governor-elect Ernie Salas and Governor-nominee Romy Cruz during the District Conference and both leaders agreed to the idea.

On return to Hong Kong, Governor John Wan consulted Governor-elect Johnson Chu and Governor-nominee Gloria Chan before taking the proposal to the Joint Presidents' Meeting in April. The JPM endorsed the proposal and the stage was set for a formal agreement to be signed between the two districts during the District Installation on 6 July 2001 in Hong Kong.

District 3830 was happy with the development, except that they would also be having their Installation on the same day. Governor Jun then proposed a formal signing on 4 May 2001 when they would come over for the seventh anniversary of the Rotary Club of Kingspark, the home club of Governor John Wan; and the rest is history.

Governor Jun arrived Hong Kong on 3 May with a large delegation from his district, including Governor-nominee Romy Cruz and a number of presidents and past presidents, and many of their spouses. Governor-elect Ernie Salas had planned to be here, but cancelled the trip when he had a minor accident that would not allow him to fly. Meanwhile, more Rotarians, presidents and past presidents and their spouses were arriving Hong Kong for the anniversary celebration of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong Island East, which would take place on 5 May 2001.

The party organized by Kingspark at Great Eagle Hotel turned out to be a big one and very successful. It was well attended by members of District 3830 led by their DG Jun Perez. Also present at the party were about a dozen guests from the Mainland coming for the Professional Exchange Programme between Hong Kong and the Mainland on educational issues.

During the Signing Ceremony witnessed by Past Governor Raymond Wong in his capacity as District Convenor of the RI Presidential Task Force on Matched Clubs, both governors spoke of the many service opportunities and wonderful international fellowship that members of both districts could expect in the years to come. Governor John Wan, Governor-elect Johnson Chu and Governor-nominee Gloria Chan signed the pact for District 3450.

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Governor's Monthly Letter - May 2001
While our term may end, our responsibility towards our fellow human beings will never end.
By DG John Wan

My Dear Action Presidents, Club Secretaries and Rotary Leaders,

In the May issue of The Rotarian magazine, President Frank once again urged Rotarians to continue to bring in new members with fresh vision and energy. His forceful message should dispel the myth that life for a Rotary leader ends on 1 July and that because there are only a few weeks to the end of the current term, the current leadership should step aside and leave the work to the next crop of leaders.

While our term may end, our responsibility towards our fellow human beings or mankind will never end. Economic growth and technological advancement have improved the livelihood of many in affluent economies including ours, but we would not be fulfilling our responsibilities to humankind if we continue to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of the millions in yet to be developed economies. Past President James Lacy introduced the Children Opportunities Grant when he was president. He spoke passionately of the millions of children who roamed the streets every night looking for food and shelter. Now we also learn that many of these children might never taste clean water in their lives, might never wear shoes or clean clothes and might never have any chance to be educated.

Some sociologists and social activists are quick to attribute the seemingly inequitable wealth distribution to corruption in governments and even in relief agencies, to technology and to globalization. While Rotarians are non-political and would endeavour to distance ourselves from these issues, we ought not distance ourselves from the people who are caught in these issues. These are the people who need us most. It was against this background that I have been asking each and every member in the District to make it a habit to contribute to the Rotary Foundation, and specifically to contribute US$100 per year per member. I am glad that the Council on Legislation, which just ended, has passed a resolution that would encourage clubs to move towards this direction. It is worth repeating that without contributions on a continuing basis, the Rotary Foundation would find it hard to continue with its many educational and humanitarian projects.

Talking of humanitarian projects, at the International Convention in June in San Antonio, President Frank would present RI's highest honour, the Rotary Award for World Understanding and Peace to Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi, a retired orthopedic surgeon from Jaipur, India. Dr. Sethi developed the "Jaipur Foot," an artificial limb that has transformed the lives of millions of landmine and polio victims in India and other developing countries. In announcing the award, President Frank talked of the great admiration of the members of Rotary, as fellow humanitarian activists, for Dr. Sethi's dedication to helping the poorest of the poor. Noting that Dr. Sethi had abandoned a practice that caters to the rich, President Frank went on to say, "To him, ethical and humane services have been the basis of the medical profession. He has consistently practiced and advocated values that keep the patient, particularly the poor, at the center of medical concern."

Not all of us have the brains and adroitness of Dr. Sethi, but it is possible for the average service-minded Rotarian to emulate his spirit or to contribute to the Rotary Foundation which has funded many matching grants in support of the preparation and distribution of artificial limbs to victims, including of course the "Jaipur Foot," particularly if we consider the vast disparity in National Income between Hong Kong and India.

There is actually plenty of scope for developed economies to help developing and less developed countries. It also makes a lot of economic sense. The agenda for the 21st Century may now appear to be heavily biased towards information technology, innovation and technology or biotechnology, hence the pre-occupation on the digital divide and the perceived urgency to narrow the gap. However, the single most important item on the agenda would perhaps be the creation of awareness that all human beings, all nations and all economies are interdependent. The sooner we are able to develop action plans to create such awareness; the better it would be for the human race and mankind as a whole. I therefore see a big role for volunteer organizations and service organizations such as Rotary to take the lead to create awareness and take action to create a better world for everyone - a world with a new order where people are encouraged to understand each other and treasure peace. Service-minded Rotarians with their professional knowledge and business experience in particular can help the poorer nations to grow out of poverty and savour economic prosperity. With this objective in mind, the motivation to recruit more service-minded people can never be greater.

Talking of volunteers, earlier this year, President Frank spoke at the 16th IAVE World Volunteer Conference held in Amsterdam in January. The United Nations had proclaimed the year 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers and the conference was the first in a series of international events. President Frank stressed that Rotarians were all volunteers and that Rotarians work in partnership with both public and private organizations to serve their communities better. President Frank went on to say that volunteers were the backbone of all non-governmental organizations and that in this International Year of Volunteers, "let us create awareness of the contribution of our volunteers and take action to celebrate, stimulate, and demonstrate solidarity with the dynamic volunteer movement."

In Hong Kong, the Agency for Volunteer Service organized an International Year of Volunteers Steering Committee involving professional bodies, business sector and welfare agencies. Our District is also represented on the Committee. Which sent a delegation of 16 volunteers and volunteer administrators to the January Conference. The delegation reported on their visit last month during which the Steering Committee also unveiled the revised Universal Declaration on Volunteering. (See page 4 for full text.)

Talk to you soon.

Your Governor John Wan

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April GML in Chinese
[now available]

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The Universal Declaration on Volunteering
From The International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE)

Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of humankind - the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety, and justice for all people.

In this era of globalization and continuous change, the world is becoming smaller, more interdependent, and more complex. Volunteering - either through individual or group action - is a way in which:

· human values of community, caring, and serving can be sustained and strengthened;
· individuals can exercise their rights and responsibilities as members of communities, while learning and growing throughout their lives, realizing their full human potential; and,
· connections can be made across differences that push us apart so that we can live together in healthy, sustainable communities, working together to provide innovative solutions to our shared challenges and to shape our collective destinies.

At the dawn of the new millennium, volunteering is an essential element of all societies. It turns into practical, effective action the declaration of the United Nations that "We, the Peoples" have the power to change the world.

*****

This Declaration supports the right of every woman, man and child to associate freely and to volunteer regardless of their cultural and ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, and physical, social or economic condition. All people in the world should have the right to freely offer their time, talent, and energy to others and to their communities through individual and collective action, without expectation of financial reward.

We seek the development of volunteering that:

· elicits the involvement of the entire community in identifying and addressing its problems;
· encourages and enables youth to make leadership through service a continuing part of their lives;
· provides a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves;
· enables others to participate as volunteers;
· complements but does not substitute for responsible action by other sectors and the efforts of paid workers;
· enables people to acquire new knowledge and skills and to fully develop their personal potential, self-reliance and creativity;
· promotes family, community, national and global solidarity.

We believe that volunteers and the organizations and communities that they serve have a shared responsibility to:

· create environments in which volunteers have meaningful work that helps to achieve agreed upon results;
· define the criteria for volunteer participation, including the conditions under which the organization and the volunteer may end their commitment, and develop policies to guide volunteer activity;
· provide appropriate protections against risks for volunteers and those they serve:
· provide volunteers with appropriate training, regular evaluation, and recognition;
· ensure access for all by removing physical, economic, social, and cultural barriers to their participation.

*****

Taking into account basic human rights as expressed in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the principles of volunteering and the responsibilities of volunteers and the organizations in which they are involved, we call on:

All volunteers to proclaim their belief in volunteer action as a creative and mediating force that:

· builds healthy, sustainable communities that respect the dignity of all people;
· empowers people to exercise their rights as human beings and, thus, to improve their lives;
· helps solve social, cultural, economic and environmental problems; and,
· builds a more humane and just society through worldwide cooperation.

The leaders of:

· all sectors to join together to create strong, visible, and effective local and national "volunteer centers" as the primary leadership organizations for volunteering;
· government to ensure the rights of all people to volunteer, to remove any legal barriers to participation, to engage volunteers in its work, and to provide resources to NGOs to promote and support the effective mobilization and management of volunteers;
· business to encourage and facilitate the involvement of its workers in the community as volunteers and to commit human and financial resources to develop the infrastructure needed to support volunteering;
· the media to tell the stories of volunteers and to provide information that encourages and assists people to volunteer;
· education to encourage and assist people of all ages to volunteer, creating opportunities for them to reflect on and learn from their service;
· religion to affirm volunteering as an appropriate response to the spiritual call to all people to serve;
· NGOs to create organizational environments that are friendly to volunteers and to commit the human and financial resources that are required to effectively engage volunteers.

The United Nations to:

· declare this to be the "Decade of Volunteers and Civil Society"in recognition of the need to strengthen the institutions of free societies; and,
· recognize the "red V"as the universal symbol for volunteering.

IAVE challenges volunteers and leaders of all sectors throughout the world to unite as partners to promote and support effective volunteering, accessible to all, as a symbol of solidarity among all peoples and nations. IAVE invites the global volunteer community to study, discuss, endorse and bring into being this Universal Declaration on Volunteering.

Adopted by the international board of directors of IAVE - The International Association for Volunteer Effort at its 16th World Volunteer Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 2001, the International Year of Volunteers.

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Continuity Column
By DGE Johnson Chu

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

When I was at the International Assembly in Anaheim, Rotary International Director Gary Huang hosted a reception party for the Governors-elect from Asia. During a session between Governors-elect of Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and myself, a Japanese lady came up to the Governor-elect from Indonesia and listened to our conversation. In fact, she was standing so close to the Indonesia Governor-elect that her arm touched his.

About two minutes later, she screamed shyly because she discovered that the man beside her was not her husband. She laughed and left. She then came back with her husband and introduced her husband to the mistaken husband. Thereafter, several Japanese ladies came to our group to find out what the Indonesian Governor-elect looked like.

Only one annual ball was held between the middle of December 2000 and the middle of March 2001. However, there will be more than ten balls from 20 April to the end of this Rotary Year. Occasionally, two balls are held on the same day. This really creates a hard job for the Governor.

When I attended a ball two weeks ago, a European Rotarian came up to me during cocktail reception time. He said, "I presume you come as a Rotarian." I replied, "Yes. Did you attend the District Conference at the beginning of April?" His answer was no. I then asked if he attended last year's conference. He gave the same answer. I then asked him whether he was at the District Assembly last May. He gave the same answer again. I further asked if he would come to the Assembly to be held on 12 May. He said he would not. I had intended to ask him how long he had been a Rotarian, but I did not.

Between 29 April and 1 May, a District delegation of eleven Rotarians, seven Rotaractors and one Rylarian went to Chongqing, China to start off officially a district project in China, Protect our Mother Rivers. The highlight was a tree planting ceremony, or a bamboo planting ceremony. It was sunny on the day we arrived. It was also sunny the day we left. However, it rained heavily on the second day when the ceremony was to take place. Our hosts had planned to have 800-1000 youths, mostly young children, attending the ceremony. The heavy rain meant that it would not be practical to involve these children or to hold the ceremony outdoor. Eventually, the ceremony was held indoor.

On the first day, our hosts held a dinner in honour of the District 3450 delegates. The Men's Team final of the World Cup Table Tennis competition took place at dinnertime. The game was broadcast live on television, so both hosts and guests watched the game on television, at least part of the time. We were glad to see the Chinese team beat the Belgium team 3-0 and China became the World Champion again!

On the second evening, we returned hospitality to our hosts. Our hosts arranged a cruise after dinner, around 7p.m. But the dinner went longer than expected and we were more than half an hour late for the cruise. They held the boat for us, and we were sorry that the other passengers had to wait for us. Everybody enjoyed karaoke and dancing on board.

The third day was 1 May, which was Labour Day. China was on holiday for one whole week. All citizens were enjoying themselves. The streets were packed with people.

Before landing in Chongqing at about 12:30p.m. on Sunday, the plane approached the runway rather faster than usual. When the plane was still taxiing, some passengers already stood up, opened the cabin above the head and tried to take out their luggage. A flight attendant made a second announcement that passengers should remain seated until the plane came to a complete stop. But, nobody followed her instruction. We were greeted by a group led by Mr. Xu Qiang, Chairman of the Chongqing Youth Federation.

Please be reminded again that the District Installation will take place as follows:

Date: 6 July 2001 (Friday)

Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Time: 6:30pm (Reception)

Thank you.

DGE Johnson Chu

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District News

Golf Tournament

GPC Member and District Golf Convenor PP Ronald Lu has urged members from the District interested in participating in the 2nd International Amateur Golf Tournament for Rotarians from 13 to 19 October 2001, to take advantage of the 5% discount for early registration, before 31 May 2001.

The tournament is being organized by A K Kharbanda of RC of Noida Central, New Delhi, India. Members interested can contact him or the RC of Noida Central, or Ronald Lu.

The tournament will take place at ITC Golf Resort, Manesar and features four itineraries options. Prices varies for the various options, ranging from US$990 to US$1,690 and include staying at five star hotels, all meals, guided excursions and sightseeing, special gala evenings with cultural programmes and transportation. Attractive prizes include silk carpets, silver salvers and handicraft from India. Participants are limited to 80 international golfers, on a first come first served basis, plus 40 prominent amateur golfers from India.

The organizers offer 5% discount for registrations before 31 May 2001.

More details can be found from the club website at http://www.rotarynoidacentral.org or the Club President's email address at president@rotarynoidacentral.org . IPP A K Kharbanda promised immediate responses.

Separately, members may recall that PP Ronald Lu organized a District Charity Golf Tournament last November to raise funds towards the District Project "Protect our Mother Rivers."

As part and parcel of the project, a raffle will be held at District Installation scheduled for 6 July 2001 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Convention Hall. Ronald Lu guarantees attractive prizes. All proceeds will go towards the "Protect our Mother River" project. For details, please contact Ronald Lu: ronaldlu@rlphk.com .

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Obituary

Past RI Director Tan Sri Dato James Peter Chin of Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, passed away on 1 May 2001. He had been a Rotarian since 1967. He was named to the RI Board in 1997 and served a two-year term. At the time of his death, he was chairman, Public Relations and Rotary's Image Task Force and Asia World Affairs Committee, and member, Districting Committee and Nominating Committee for President of RI in 2002-03.

On learning the sad news, District 3450 caused the following message to be issued and passed on to Datin Mei -

"Rotarians in RI District 3450 are saddened by the passing away of our very dear friend Past RI Director James Peter Chin.

We convey our deepest condolence to Datin Mei and members of the family I their bereavement.

James Peter Chin was a tower of strength in the development of Rotary, especially I this part of the world. He will be fondly remembered by all of us for his warm friendship, his dedication to and knowledge of Rotary, his cheerfulness and his larger than life personality.

He had been a teacher and mentor to many of our District leaders and we count ourselves privileged to have had the opportunity of sharing Rotary wit him. As we mourn his untimely death, we do give thanks for all he had done for us. He will be extremely sorely missed.

We owe it to his memory to continue his work for the good of Rotary and humanity, to build on the foundations that he had laid, to follow the course he had set out, and to fulfill his vision of a world of understanding and peace."

Funeral services were held on 5 May in Malaysia.

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Mainland Visits

The District Committees have been working overtime on projects in and related to Mainland China.

From 29 April to 1 May 2001, Governor John Wan led a delegation of 19 to Chongqing to kick off the District Project "Protect our Mother Rivers." The delegation comprises, in addition to 11 Rotarians, seven Rotaractors, including Patrick Yung, the District Rotaract Representative, and one Rylarian.

During the visit, Governor John signed an Agreement on behalf of District 3450 with Chongqing City Youth Federation Chairman Xu Qiang, witnessed by All China Youth Federation Deputy Secretary General Lu Hong, on behalf of the Federation Headquarters in Beijing. The delegation also met top officials at city, provincial and central levels and discussed a wide range of issues and service opportunities. It was a highly successful visit.

Under the Agreement, the second half of the payment of RMB 500,000 will be made in November 2001. It is highly likely that the District will pay another visit to the area to ascertain progress.

The annual District Visit to Beijing ministries will take place from 6 to 9 June 2001. The delegation will be led by Governor John Wan, DGE Johnson Chu and DGN Gloria Chan, with PDG Moses Cheng, PDG Y K Cheng and PP Stanley Mok as advisors.

The delegation will meet senior officials in various ministries, including Health, Education and Civil Affairs, the All China Youth Federation, the United Front Works Department, Hong Kong and Macau Office and other departments. Details are being finalized.

Meanwhile, under the Professional Exchange Programme, Chairman Stanley Mok has organized a group of Professors from the Mainland to visit Hong Kong in early May and, towards the end of May, a reciprocal visit to China of their counterparts in various universities in Hong Kong.

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International News

Council on Legislation

The RI Council on Legislation which met in April in Chicago, Illinois, USA, has approved 98 of a record 631 proposed enactments and resolutions. Many of the decisions will affect every Rotary club.

The Council voted to reduce club membership to two categories - active and honorary - and decided that the same classification could be held by up to five members - or 10 percent of members, if the club has 50 or more. Another decision precludes clubs from limiting membership on the basis of gender.

The Council also voted to allow the RI Board to implement a pilot project chartering up to 200 Rotary clubs based on new models that may deviate from the standard club constitution for up to five years. Additionally, the delegates adopted a resolution asking the Board to consider the possibility of clubs convening in cyberspace.

In another key decision, the Council ended the concept of a club's "territorial limits," allowing clubs to be established in the same locality as existing clubs. Rotary clubs will no longer be required to agree to share or relinquish territory.

Among the resolutions that the Council approved for review by the RI Board, one endorsed the goal of 1.5 million Rotarians by 2005 and another, the goal of a US$100 annual contribution to The Rotary Foundation from every Rotarian.

PDG Arthur Au who represents District 3450 to attend the Council gave a presentation at the District Assembly. A book of adopted legislation will be sent to every club within two months. Barring opposition from 10 percent of the votes entitled to be cast by clubs, Council actions take effect on 1 July. A new Manual of Procedure incorporating the changes will be published later this year.

Dr. Sethi to be honoured

RI will present its highest honor, the Rotary Award for World Understanding and Peace, to Dr. Pramod Karan Sethi of Jaipur, India, for his leading role in developing the "Jaipur Foot," an artificial limb that has transformed the lives of millions of land mine amputees and polio victims in India and other developing countries. The 73-year-old retired orthopedic surgeon will receive the award at the 2000-01 RI Convention in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on 26 June.

Dr. Sethi is a recipient of several medical and scientific honors. He has worked for many years at Jaipur Sawai Man Singh Hospital, where his medical team collaborated with local craftsmen and designed new prostheses that are made from locally available materials such as rubber, wood, and aluminum. The lightweight artificial limbs have great mobility and enable those who wear them to run, climb trees, and pedal bicycles. Unlike those prostheses in the West that can cost several thousand dollars, the Jaipur Foot costs US$28 and is truly affordable for mass distribution to the physically disabled in rural India and other developing countries.

The Jaipur Foot has never been patented and over the past decades, Dr. Sethi has set up training centers to help produce and distribute the prostheses to countries where the largest population of war-affected amputees and polio survivors live.

The Award promotes and recognizes the Rotary ideal of promoting community service, as well as international understanding, goodwill, and peace. It comes with a US$100,000 grant for contribution to a charitable project, chosen by the recipient, that promotes Rotary's mission of world understanding and peace.

District 3450 in the news

A recent issue of the Rotary News Basket highlighted District 3450's Work Shadowing Scheme being operated in conjunction with Hong Kong University, with the South China Morning as a sponsor.

It described the Scheme as one that aimed at helping university students develop a better understanding of the occupations they aspire to, and reported factually the involvement of the Career Education and Placement Centre (CEPC) at the university and of District Governor John Wan.

"This scheme differs from most mentoring programs," said Louisa Li Wan-tung (CEPC Director) in a recent South China Morning Post article. "[It] focuses on on-site observation rather than talks between Rotarians and students." The scheme also contrasts sharply with most internship programs because it offers students an opportunity to experience the work of senior management.

At the end of the month, both guide and shadow will report on the project through a structured evaluation form to be reviewed by a steering committee consisting of representatives from the Career Education and Placement Centre, District 3450, and the South China Morning Post. If deemed a success by the committee, the scheme will form the basis for a longer project.

"I think this is a great project as it is very much hands-on. It also directly benefits the community, especially the new generation," said District Governor Wan. "At the same time it offers the Rotarians a very rare chance to look into what they are doing through the shadows who function as a mirror. It also enhances the image of Rotary in the district."

CEPC Director Louisa Li now wants us to provide more work guides.

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Attendance Report - February 2001

Go to District Web site for the February Attendance Report

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