Contents

Editorial (And what about Article 23) - By John Wan
Letters to Editor
More on leadership - By Harry

editorial

And what about Article 23

A feature editor of a prominent local English newspaper recently spoke to the Club on Article 23. She began with an introduction of what the issue was all about. Even as she was speaking, I could not help wondering where she was and what she was doing when the Basic Law was being drafted, adopted and promulgated. Probably nowhere near Hong Kong, one suspects; but that is not a problem.

Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China reads as follows, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies."

I have no idea whether the speaker has since been invited to talk to other clubs or whether any other clubs have invited any other speakers in the past two months since the issue became live to address what could be the single most significant and potentially controversial issue.

It would be easy to dismiss discussions on Article 23 in Rotary as inappropriate on grounds that Rotary is not a political organization, but that would be tantamount to burying one's heads in the sand. On the contrary, there is every reason and motivation for every Rotarian and club in the District to take an interst in the matter if we are to live up to what we profess, that we are business and professional leaders united in service to help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Already, many politicians, academics, business groups and activitists everywhere have spoken in response to the consultation paper issued by the Government calling for submissions by Christmas. Are we likely to hear any views from Rotarians of the District?

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Letters to Editor

You are welcome to write to Club Webmaster John Wan on any topic, particularly in response to articles published in Kingspark News. We would publish all contributions as long as the authors identify themselves, the contents are not offensive or abusive, and would not offend common decency or common sense. You need not be a Rotarian to write to us and you have a choice to withhold your name in the published version. Where the contents make reference to statements or policies of individuals or organizations, we would try to obtain a response fro the latter for publication in the same issue if possible.

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More on Leadership
By Harry

I find your last week's editiorial a perfect corollary to the issues discussed in recent weeks. I particularly enjoyed the deconstruction of the organization, and the highlighting of every individual's efforts, in order to achieve the goals for the whole group. That led me to thinking how very often we find our way to where we ought to be.

The hierarchy exists not for status as much as efficiency and nomenclature. On comparitive advantage, essentially the more valued skills are employed as such and while leaders possess the bare capabilities to execute those functions and duties of the lower ranks, their skills are better suited for the leadership roles. As collective as the group may be, there still needs to be a voice and active representation. And while all the headlines may focus on that individual, clearly the individual only exists through the group. And often, through the years, as leadership evolves and changes, inevitably, it is frequently the individuals who have been with the organization for some time and who have learned the nuances, travails and the experiences of the group, thereby positioning themselves to be leaders.

While many leadership characteristics are innate, there is likely equally as much to be learned from the experiences of the organization itself. The individual who possesses the historical background of having been with the organization for some time, working in the trenches and 'paying his/her dues' earns widespread respect, becoming an individual the populace can 'relate' to, and as such, eventually garners the support to become elected, etc. There is a deeper connection between that individual, the people that form the crux of the group, and the ideals of the organization through an individual that has bled, sweat and cried. While such experiences are not mandatory for leadership, they are incredibly vital and undeniable. Yet in the end, everyone contributes which in turn allows the organization to prosper. On the periphery, it may appear that the grunt workers are imminently replaceable or that the higher-ups are but suits imitating fat cats, but within each of their respective worlds, ideally and fundamentally, their objectives are the same and pure.

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