Wednesday, December 20th, 2006...12:00 am

學界支持保留天星碼頭 Scholars in support of the preservation of Star Ferry Pier

曾特首，你聽到嗎？
Can you hear us, Donald?

 

曾特首，你聽到嗎？
Can you hear us, Donald?

 

學界支持保留天星碼頭

保衛天星碼頭的民間聲音，從來沒有間斷，連月來，參與者由部份熱心市民、專業人士及文化團體，已擴展至廣大學生、學者以至全香港市民，現已發展成全民運動，近日一群學生與市民更發起絕食抗議，要求停拆天星碼頭。

這場運動說明香港人對文化並不冷漠，他們關懷自己的歷史，渴求民主參與規劃公共空間；可是，政府官員好像完全沒有聽到市民的聲音，不單沒有考慮專業團體提出的另類方案，就連市民要求暫停清拆天星，再作商議研究，亦得不到官員的答允。

一直以來，整個天星碼頭及附近地區的規劃過程，問題重重。一方面，政府在多年前考慮公眾對填海工程意見時，所謂諮詢只局限於土地用途，並沒有就著清拆天星碼頭的決定作全面而廣泛的諮詢；另一方面，古物及古蹟諮詢委員會曾表達支持保留天星，但政府卻完全視而不見。而官員近日對反對聲音的回應，更暴露了政府對文化涵義、社會記憶和歷史保存，皆一竅不通。

保衛天星運動的參與者作出了連番行動，甚至多次以公民抗命方式，試圖阻止清拆工程進行，但是，政府的回應方式竟然是派出大量警察拘捕示威者，在工地外架起重重鐵馬，而且，還繞過正常程序，加速清拆行動！這完全違背特首曾蔭權強調的「以民為本」原則，亦不應是一個負責任政府的做法。

作為香港高等教育界中人，我們當然期望市民關心和尊重我們的文化和歷史，好讓香港這個城市能有更開放的氛圍，以孕育和釋放這一代人、下一代人的本土創意及文化主體。 但目睹香港的文化被政府如此扭曲，追求保存歷史的公民力量遭到如此藐視，我們不得不站出來，盡知識分子的社會責任，向特首 曾蔭權先生呼籲：

á  請立即停止清拆中環舊天星碼頭，原地保留原有建築；

á  請貫徹「以民為本」的施政原則，與市民直接對話；

á  請警方撤消對保衛天星公民抗命示威者的起訴。

發起人:
張超雄 陳清僑 熊永達 何芝君 司徒薇
許寶強 葉蔭聰 曾德平 陳家洛 黃英琦
莊陳有 楊陽

2006年12月17日

*聯署者請用真實姓名

Can you hear us, Donald?

 

Scholars in support of the preservation of Star Ferry Pier

The people of Hong Kong have spoken and their demand for the preservation of the Star Ferry Pier has not stopped during the last few months. Initially, the movement was started by some dedicated citizens, professionals and local community groups, but it has since evolved into city-wide movement that includes university students, academics and ordinary Hong Kong citizens. More recently, a group of students and local citizens had embarked on their own hunger strike to signal their demand for the government to stop the demolition of the Star Ferry Pier.

These actions show that Hong Kong people are not indifferent to culture. They care about their own history and wish to participate in the planning of public space. Unfortunately, their voices have fallen on deaf ears. The government officials not only refused to consider the alternative proposals put forward by the professional groups, they also refused public demand to put the demolition on hold and discuss further over the fate of the Star Ferry Pier.

It is obvious that serious mistakes have been made in the planning process on the issue of re-development of the Star Ferry Pier and its surrounding area. On the one hand, the public consultation conducted by the government only focused on zoning regulation of the area; the public was never been properly informed or consulted on demolition of the iconic Star Ferry Pier. On the other hand, the Antiquities Advisory Board has expressed views in favour of preserving the Star Ferry Pier, but their opinions were brushed aside by the government. If anything the recent response from our officials had exposed the governmentp's utter inability to comprehend the meaning and essence of culture, social memory and the preservation of heritage.

The participants of the Save the Star Ferry Pier movement tried various methods, including acts of civil disobedience, in an attempt to put the demolition on hold. However, the government chose to react to the situation by sending out large police forces to the scene, arresting protesters and cordoned off the site. To add insult to injury, the government bypassed normal procedure to obtain a special permit to speed up demolition. This completely contradicts Mr. Donald Tsang's promise in his policy address that he would put "people first". This is also not an action that would be undertaken by any responsible government.

As a part of the post-secondary education sector, we would of course like to see the citizens of Hong Kong respect and care for our culture and history, so that Hong Kong as a city can have an open milieu conducive to the nurturing of creativity, and the cultural awareness of this generation of Hong Kong people and of the next will be enhanced and activated. But seeing how the government had trampled over Hong Kong culture and how the voice of those whose wished to preserve their history were brutally ignored, we have little choice but to raise our views as intellectuals. We thereby urge our Chief Executive Donald Tsang:

Initial signatories:

Cheung Chiu-hung Fernando Chan Ching-kiu Stephen Hung Wing-tat Ho Chi-kwan Szeto May Mirana
Hui Po-keung Ip Iam-chong Tsang Tak-ping Kith Chan Ka-lok Kenneth Wong Ying-kay Ada
Chong Chan-yau Yeung Yeung

17 December 2006