Governance of subvented arts groups

IN the latest Audit Report, which came out lastweek, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO)is criticised for its poor management. Forexample, its managers upgraded their travel andaccommodation arrangements when the orchestra wason tour; some of its musicians have worked fewerhours than they ought to have under their contracts;and part of its box office income has actually comefrom its own purse because it has bought tickets,which it has given away.

An HKCO musician should work at least 703hours a year. The Audit Commission examined therecords of twenty of its musicians. It found that onaverage they each worked only 533 hours a year (or24% fewer than required). Chan Wing-wah, a memberof the HKCO Council, has offered an explanation.

According to him, contractually, an HKCO musician'sworking hours include only those in which he performsor rehearses with all other HKCO musicians. However,he must spend more than a dozen or several dozenhours in self-practice or small group rehearsals everyweek and, if those hours are included, one may say hemeets the working hours requirement.

True, whether an orchestra is successful is notnecessarily to do with its musicians' working hours.However, as an HKCO musician's contract says hisworking hours include only those in which he performsor rehearses with all other HKCO musicians, he fails tomeet the requirement if he does not meet it. Whyshould the hours he spends practising on his owncount as his working hours?

There are clear guidelines about which grade ofHKCO people may have what class of services.

Clearly, an HKCO manager will breach thoseguidelines if he upgrades the services he may receivewhen he is on tour with the orchestra. Nevertheless,vice chairman of the HKCO Council Edmund K HLeung has committed wrong on wrong. When hereplied to press enquiries, he offered a desperatedefence - that comforts are needed when theorchestra is on tour because its musicians must stay intop form. The fact that its people breach guidelines asif they did not exist amply shows the HKCO is poorlymanaged.

Being a government subvented arts organisation,HKCO must abide by rules. If working hours need notbe kept, expenses need not be vouchered and the costof its complimentary tickets counts as its box officeincome, HKCO will eventually become a financialblack hole. If this is the case, how can taxpayersjudge whether public money has been squandered?

The West Kowloon Cultural District project is tobegin very soon. A major task the government is tocarry out is to develop local arts groups, which have animportant mission - to advance cultural development inHong Kong. The Audit Commission has discoveredthat some local arts organisations are at sixes andsevens. What has emerged may well be the tip of theiceberg. How Hong Kong's many other governmentsubvented arts organisations are run is therefore aconcern. All other government subvented artsorganisations should draw a lesson from what hashappened to HKCO. They must review theirgovernance and improve it as soon as possible lestthey should have to face censure when the AuditCommission reveal their blunders.

明報社評2010.04.26

演藝團體公帑資助講藝術也要講管理

審計署上周公布的最新一份審計報告，批評香港中樂團管理混亂，包括私下提升管理層外訪時機位及住宿規格待遇、樂師平均工作時數不達標、部分門票收入原來是樂團自費購入作免費派發之用等等。

報告指出，中樂團規定樂師每年最少工作703 小時，審計署抽查其中20 名樂師，發現他們每年平均工作時數只有533 小時（即比規定少了24%）。香港中樂團理事陳永華解釋，合約上的工時只計算樂團演出、整個樂團一起綵排的時間，但樂師必須付出10 多至數十小時作個人或小組練習，若計算在內，樂師每周工時已達標。一個樂團成功與否，的確與樂師的工作時數沒有必然關係，但問題是，既然合約已列明樂團演出及整個樂團一起綵排的時間才算「工作時間」，樂師不達標就是不達標，怎能把私下練習的時間也計算在內？

樂團哪一階層的人員可以享受哪一級別的待遇，早有清晰指引，樂團私下提高出訪的規格待遇，明顯地違反指引，錯上加錯的是，被審計署揭發後樂團副理事長梁廣灝回應查詢，還「死撐」是要在外訪演出時保持最佳狀態，因此有需要較舒適的安排云云，視規定如無物，充分說明樂團管理混亂。

藝團接受公帑資助，就必須接受一定的規範，如果工作時數毋須計算，申報費用毋須單據，外訪又可任意提升規格待遇，免費派票又可變成門票收入，長久下去，樂團的開支就會變成無底洞，納稅人又如何衡量公帑有否被濫用？

西九文娛藝術區即將上馬，香港的演藝團體發展是未來重點，肩負着推動香港文化發展的重要使命，這次審計署發現藝團的內部運作原來甚為混亂，問題可能只是冰山一角，香港其餘大大小小接受公帑資助的藝團，其管理水平如何，值得關注。各接受公帑資助的藝團應借鑑這次香港中樂團的教訓，盡快自我檢討，完善內部管理，否則將來被審計署揭發時，勢將面對嚴厲責難。

G lossary

black holeIf an organisation is a financial black hole, itspends a lot of money without producing realresults.

at sixes and sevensin confusion, not well organised.censure /'sen ʃ (r)/strong criticism.