Three of Hong Kong's top performing groups should be concerned in the wake of news that Urban Councillors are reviving plans to hive them off.
Some members of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRT) and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) must have heard about such a plan seven years ago when the Urban Council decided that hiving off the two companies was in the long-term interest of the groups.
And given civil servants' sensitivity about privatisation or corporatisation, it would have been a relief for many of the members of the two companies when the municipal body apparently changed tack and put the plan on hold.
Why should such a big change be implemented when public servants' morale is so badly affected by the shadow of the sovereignty change next June? Questions like this must have been asked by those who are likely to be affected by any plan to hive off the companies. But if we look at some of the statistics related to the arts groups, many will agree that perhaps privatisation is not such a bad thing.
Judging from the number of shows the three groups have given in the last five financial years and the size of audiences they have attracted, it is not difficult to conclude that with the exception of the HKRT, the other two groups' performance is unsatisfactory.
Between 1991 and this year, the HKRT gave an average of about 100 local performances every year and their attendance rate stayed at an impressive 85 per cent or more.
Over the same period, the HKCO gave about 40 shows a year, and the average attendance was less impressive at between 60 and 76 per cent.