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COMFORTABLY SPANNED THAT DATE (PERHAPS 1995-2000). IF THE POST
OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR WAS CREATED AS EARLY AS 1992 THERE MIGHT BE AN
INITIAL INCUMBENT, APPOINTED BY HMG, WHO WOULD SEE THROUGH THE
FIRST STAGE OF DELEGATION OF POWERS. THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
(DESIGNATE) WOULD NOT BE FORMALLY SELECTED UNTIL LATER. HIS
CHOICE WOULD NEED CHINESE ACQUIESCENCE. NEARER 1997 THERE WOULD
THUS NEED TO BE PROVISION FOR THE APPOINTMENT OR RE-APPOINTMENT
OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR FOR A FURTHER TERM WHICH WOULD MERGE INTO
THE OFFICE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN 1997. THIS COULD PERMIT THE
CANDIDATE IDENTIFIED IN 1992 TO BE RE-CONFIRMED IN OFFICE, IF HE
HAD DEMONSTRATED HIS ABILITY TO TAKE ON THE JOB, OR ALTERNATIVELY
REPLACED BY A MORE SUITABLE CANDIDATE.
B.
3.
THE POSITION OF THE POST IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT
IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE POST OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR SHOULD BE
CREATED AS THE EVENTUAL POSITION FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
(DESIGNATE). HE WOULD FIT IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HIERARCHY
BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND THE CHIEF SECRETARY. HIS POST WOULD BE
A TEMPORARY ADDITIONAL ONE, CREATED FOR POLITICAL RATHER THAN
STRICTLY ORGANISATIONAL PURPOSES. THE NEXT ECHELON OF POSTS IN
THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THOSE OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY, FINANCIAL
SECRETARY, AND ATTORNEY GENERAL, WOULD CONTINUE ESSENTIALLY
UNCHANGED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER 1997.
C.
4.
THE POWERS OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DEFINE MOST CAREFULLY THE POWERS
OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE), AND TO ENSURE
THAT HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE POWERS EXERCISABLE BY THE
GOVERNOR.
(I)
5.
DELEGATION OR DEVOLUTION OF POWERS
POWER COULD BE VESTED IN THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/CHIEF
EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE) BY DELEGATION OR BY DEVOLUTION. (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) DELEGATION WOULD INVOLVE THE ALLOCATION OF POWERS
WITH THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW THEM AT ANY TIME. THE BASIC
INSTRUMENTS UNDER WHICH POWER WAS CONFERRED ON THE GOVERNOR WOULD
NOT BE AMENDED. (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) DEVOLUTION WOULD INVOLVE
A MORE SUBSTANTIVE TRANSFER OF POWERS, PROBABLY BY THE LETTERS
PATENT WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE FURTHER AMENDED FOR THE GOVERNOR TO
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