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Valedictory Speech by HE the Governor:
LegCo on 28 May 1986
Honourable Members. This is the last occasion on
which the Financial Secretary, Sir John Bremridge, will
attend as a Member of this Council.
I scarcely need to remind you of Sir John's long
and distinguished services. He first joined this Council
as an Unofficial Member in July 1974 and served in that
capacity until December 1980. He subsequently rejoined the
Council as an ex-officio Member following his appointment
as Financial Secretary in June 1981. His combined service
as an Unofficial and as an Official spans 11-1/2 years.
Sir John took over as Financial Secretary just as
the world was experiencing a recession of considerable
severity. Given the exposure of our economy to external
forces, this alone would have called for skill and determination. Yet Sir John not only successfully brought Hong Kong's economy through an external crisis, he has successfully steered it through a series of internal problems
the collapse of the property market, the currency crisis
of September 1983, and a number of serious problems in the
banking sector.
Financial Secretaries and Finance Ministers would
probably agree that their objectives are to promote a sound
/currency, low inflation,
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