The governance of the 14 museums managed by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department will remain unchanged but their public missions will be strengthened, and their identity and focus sharpened, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing says.

He said today public museum service improvement should be pursued under the existing mode of governance with greater public participation.

Noting it is not appropriate to advocate one single mode of governance that is universally applicable to and suitable for all museums, he said different modes of governance can co-exist to suit the specific circumstances of the museums and the local environment.

Many missions

In Hong Kong museums fulfil a broad range of important public missions. These include developing cultural software and audience-building for Hong Kong, promoting art and culture to the younger generation, nurturing and promoting local artists, expanding the pool of museum expertise, and supporting the development of cultural and creative industries as one of the new economic pillars.

"Public museums under the department's management would be best placed to carry out the missions through close and effective co-ordination and collaboration with government and non-government agencies responsible for art education and promotion," Mr Tsang said.

"With a decision taken on the mode of governance of public museums, we will take proactive steps to strengthen their missions and ability to fulfil them, sharpen their respective focus and identity, and strengthen their educational role, with a view to reinforcing the development of Hong Kong's cultural software."

Public engagement

To increase professional and community involvement in the operation of public museums, a panel of museum advisors will be formed for each of the three types of museums, namely art, history and science.

These panels will comprise people of different backgrounds and expertise to advise the department on the strategies for the development, promotion and management of museums.

The department's museums will also further enhance operations by deepening and broadening the extent of public engagement and community involvement through closer dialogue and collaboration with various stakeholders.