THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S PUBLICITY
2.5
ON THE EVENING OF 26 SEPTEMBER 1984, THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, DELIVERED A STATEMENT ON THE DRAFT AGREEMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. HIS STATEMENT INCLUDED AN APPEAL TO THE COMMUNITY TO READ THE WHITE PAPER AND TO COME FORWARD WITH THEIR VIEWS. RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG (RTHK) CARRIED THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LIVE: AND LATER ON THAT EVENING, THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS' PRESS CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK WAS COVERED IN FULL VIA SATELLITE. THE GOVERNOR'S SPECIAL PRESS CONFERENCE ON 27 SEPTEMBER WAS ALSO
BROADCAST LIVE IN FULL.
2.6
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PUBLISHED A TOTAL OF
2.7 MILLION COPIES OF THE WHITE PAPER (1 MILLION IN ENGLISH AND 1.7 MILLION IN CHINESE). IMMEDIATELY AFTER PUBLICATION COPIES WERE SENT TO MEMBERS OF REPRESENTATIVE BODIES AND SELECTED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, COMMERCIAL FIRMS AND PROFESSIONAL BODIES WITH AN INVITATION TO COMMENT. THE BULK OF THE PRINTED COPIES WAS DISTRIBUTED FREE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH INFORMATION SERVICES OFFICES, POLICE STATIONS, POST OFFICES AND PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE MANAGEMENT OFFICES. IN ALL, 2.4 MILLION COPIES WERE DISTRIBUTED.
2.7
THE AVAILABILITY OF THE WHITE PAPER AT THE OUTLETS DESCRIBED ABOVE WAS ANNOUNCED REGULARLY THROUGH ALL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS. THE CONTENTS OF THE WHITE PAPER WERE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMMES ON RADIO AND
TELEVISION. THE GOVERNOR AND OTHER SENIOR GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS ALSO EMPHASIZED ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO STATE THE IR
VIEWS ON THE DRAFT AGREEMENT TO THE OFFICE.
PUBLIC RESPONSE
2.8
IT IS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE AND EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY THE SCALE OF RESPONSE TO BE EXPECTED FROM FIVE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE INVITED TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ABOUT A DRAFT AGREEMENT CRUCIAL TO THEIR OWN FUTURE. IN THE EVENT, THE REACTION OF THE MANY ORGANIZATIONS, THE CHARACTER OF THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES, AND THE ATTENTION DEVOTED BY THE MEDIA SHOWED THE RESPONSE FROM THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE TO HAVE BEEN VIGOROUS AND SUSTAINED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PERIOD OF CONSULTATION. MANY ORGANIZATIONS TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO
ARRANGE GROUP DISCUSSIONS AND TO CONDUCT OPINION POLLS SO AS
TO ENABLE THEM TO PRESENT THEIR COLLECTIVE VIEWS EITHER
DIRECTLY TO THE OFFICE, OR INDIRECTLY VIA OTHER RECOGNIZED CHANNELS OF CONSULTATION. THE MEDIA ALSO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN DISSEMINATING INFORMATION AND IN REPORTING ON THE VIEWS EXPRESSED. THE LETTERS RECEIVED WERE, IN THE MAIN, WELL PRESENTED, COMING AS THEY DID FROM PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS
OF LIFE.
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12.9.
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