Secretary Ao Ieong reiterates ‘good customs’ as key to cultural grant seekers

Good customs” must not be violated in projects submitted by local creators for grants from the Cultural Development Fund, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong has stated.

Each funded project of the Cultural Development Fund, she stressed, has a charter for the concerned project, specifying the purpose of funding, among other details. There are also common requirements for each project, such as not endangering national security, not affecting public order, and not violating good customs.

“If the project violates the relevant requirements and regulations, the government can cancel the grant of funding,” she said. “Since the establishment of the Cultural Development Fund, up to now, no project has been canceled for funding approval due to the violation of regulations.”

On the other hand, she added that it is necessary for funded projects to have a positive impact on society. “If the project will [have a] negative impact, the government will definitely not approve it,” she said.

According to the senior official, the Cultural Development Fund has a tracking and monitoring mechanism for approved projects, including retaining the last phase of funding for the project. The remaining funds will not be released until the final review process confirms that the relevant project complies with all regulations; if the details stated in the application are not met, the return of the received funding will be ordered.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Development Fund has issued a statement over the weekend to defend itself amid social media allegations of poor management and grants. It emphasized that part of the data that went viral on social media “had been altered, contained errors and were untrue.” It calls on the public to rely on government sources and data for truthful information.

Echoing Ao Ieong’s comments, the fund highlighted that it would keep an eye on the social impact of projects receiving its grants, while inviting members of the public to supervise its work.

The series of incidents commenced when a former manager at the local Manner Culture Enterprises Ltd. committed suicide following accusations of alleged acts of bullying from the company’s management.