GAUC 1976
MILLCREY 5289. Eling Kong
THE RETURN OF THE GOVERNOR
bren leview 21-27 fel 1976
The return of the Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, from Britain last Saturday drew editorial comment from five papers, all welcoming the reported extension of Sir Murray's term of office.
The papers also commented on the expansion of the Legislative Council, a subject believed to have been discussed between the Governor and Whitehall during his stay in London. They hoped that the new appointees would be chosen from a wider cross-section of the community so as to make the Council a more representative body.
THE EXPRESS (July 25) supported the extension of Sir Murray's term of office and said that as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Government, he should not be restricted by the retirement age of British officials.
The paper hoped the British Government would respect public opinion in Hong Kong and consider extending Sir Murray's term of office.
"The recent Kaifong mission to Britain to petition for an extension of Sir Murray's term has well illustrated the trust that the majority of people here have in the Governor," the paper said.
THE EXPRESS believed that Sir Murray, as an experienced diplomat, would help. maintain the delicate relations between Hong Kong and its neighbours.
"British economic and commercial interests in Asia and the Far East will be advanced if the position of Hong Kong is secure," the paper added.
THE EXPRESS said that Sir Murray had laid down long-term development plans such as free secondary education and the ten-year housing programme and that he should stay on to see the plans through.
In a second editorial, THE EXPRESS (July 26) hoped the Governor would adopt "iron-fist" policies to deal with the crime situation as he had done in the fight against corruption.
"We firmly believe that if the Government really makes up its mind to do something about crime, the problem will be overcome one day,” the paper said.
fel_1976
TIN TIN YAT PO (July 26) and SING TAO JIH PAO (July 26) said that one of Sir Murray's major achievements as Governor of Hong Kong was his crackdown on corruption.
TIN TIN said: "His anti-corruption policy was unprecedented in the last 100 years.
SING TAO added that the ICAC's relentless pursuit of the corrupt would not have been possible in an age of colonialism that had now passed.
Commenting on recent reports on proposals to change the names of certain Government posts to further remove the last vestiges of colonialism in Hong Kong, SING TAO urged the authorities "to strive to strengthen the democratic features of our form of government rather than concentrating on superficial changes."
The paper also urged the Government to heed public opinion on such issues as the restoration of the death penalty, rather than blindly following Britain's lead.
Commenting on speculation about additional seats in the Legislative Council, TIN TIN, SING TAO and HONG KONG DAILY NEWS (July 26) hoped the new seats would be filled by people representing the lower classes of society.
TIN TIN said: "The additional seats should be filled by people chosen for their ability and not because of their financial standing."
SING TAO urged the authorities to choose Councillors from among workers and the general public to make the Council a more representative body.
HONG KONG DAILY NEWS said there were indications that the new Councillors would be chosen from Mutual Aid Committees. It said: "The new members must be really capable, especially in promoting co-operation between the Government and the people."
In addition, DAILY NEWS stressed, the new appointees must have strong moral characters, have foresight and be prepared to speak out.
WAH KIU MAN PO (July 27) supported the extension of term of office of the Governor, saying that Hong Kong needed a man of Sir Murray's capabilities and experience to carry out social projects.