THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND ELSEWHERE IN HONG KONG MAY HAVE
WEAKENED PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE ASSESSMENT TASK AT A TIME WHEN
IT WAS ALREADY EXPOSED TO CRITICAL COMMENT.
18. WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANY EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT THE
CONFIDENTIALITY FACTOR HAD A DAMAGING EFFECT ON THE ASSESSMENT
TASK AS A WHOLE: BUT WE ALSO TAKE THE VIEW THAT THE PUBLIC CONCERN
ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, AND THAT THE
ASSURANCES AND SAFEGUARDS ANNOUNCED IN MID-OCTOBER SHOULD HAVE
BEEN PUBLICLY CONVEYED AT AN EARLIER STAGE THROUGH THE ASSESSMENT
OFFICE ADVERTISEMENT AND IN OTHER WAYS.
19. TO JUDGE HOW ACCURATELY THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE DISCHARGED ITS
DUTIES HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR TASK. AS THE LETTERS
AND SUBMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED, WE WRE ABLE TO SATISFY OURSELVES
THAT THEY WERE ACCURATELY ANALYSED AND ASSESSED BY THE ASSESSMENT
OFFICE. WE HAVE NOW CONSIDERED THE OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF THE
EXTENT OF ACCEPTANCE SET OUT IN CHAPTER 3 OF THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE
REPORT, AND WE UNRESERVEDLY ENDORSE THE CONCLUSION IN PARAGRAPH 3.1 THAT ''MOST OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG FIND THE DRAFT AGREEMENT
ACCEPTABLE.''
20. BUT A JUDGMENT ON THE ACCURACY OF A MATTER AS COMPLEX AS THE
VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CANNOT BE LEFT AT THAT. AS
CHAPTER 3 ILLUSTRATES, AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE EXTENT
OF ACCEPTANCE BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG'' INVOLVES A GREAT DEAL
MORE THAN A SIMPLE AGGREGATION OF THE RESPONSES RECEIVED FROM
THE MANY ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS THAT SUBMITTED THEIR
VIEWS: AND WE HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE QUALITY OF THE DETAILED
ANALYSIS OF VIEWS AND SURVEYS WHICH THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE HAS MADE
IN THE SHORT TIME AVAILABLE FOR PREPARING ITS REPORT. OUR ONL Y
CONCERN IS THAT THE SUCCINCT GENERAL CONCLUSION IN PARAGRAPH 3.1
AND THE SUBSEQUENT PARAGRAPHS OF DETAILED ANALYSIS MAY NOT READILY
CONVEY THE TOTAL PERSPECTIVE OF HONG KONG'S REACTIONS TO THE DRAFT
AGREEMENT AS THEY EMERGE FROM THE REPORT AS A WHOLE.
21. AS INDEPENDENT MONITORS, WHO HAVE SHARED ALL THE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE TO THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE, WE THEREFORE WISH TO
COMPLEMENT THE OVERALL ASSESSMENT IN THE REPORT WITH SOME FINAL
WORDS OF OUR OWN.
22. THE PRINCIPAL VEHICLE OF RESPONSE HAS BEEN THE REMARKABLE
RANGE OF SUBMISSIONS FROM THE MANY ORGANISATIONS OF HONG KONG:
THEY HAVE CONVEYED AN OVERWHELMING MESSAGE OF ACCEPTANCE
ACCOMPANIED BY AN 'AGENDA OF RESERVATIONS, QUALIFICATIONS AND
QUESTIONS, AS SUMMARISED IN CHAPTER 4, TO BE CLARIFIED OR RESOLVED
IN THE YEARS AHEAD. THE RESPONSE OF INDIVIDUALS HAS BEEN
SUPPLEMENTARY: MOST OF THOSE WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO WRITE HAVE DONE
SO BECAUSE THEY HAD SOMETHING TO SAY AS INDIVIDUALS. THEY HAVE,
SOMETIMES IN MOVING TERMS, CONVEYED A MORE PERSONAL MESSAGE,
WHICH HAS ADDED TEXTURE AND COLOUR TO THE MESSAGE OF THE
ORGANISATIONS.
SECRET
/23.
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