NOV 25 '87 0 00:09 GIS HK
9
P.4
IF
SAY "NO".
CAROL BOGERT, OF NEWSWEEK: GOVERNOR, I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU YOU THINK YOU ARE A LAME DUCK BUT I AM SURE THAT YOU WOULD AND YET THERE DOES SEEM TO BE AN IMPRESSION IN HONG KONG. AT LEAST. IF THIS TOWN HAVE YOU READ THE PAPERS, THAT THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES IN
MONTHS. NOW GIVEN INDEFINABLY LOST SOME KIND OF AUTHORITY IN RECENT THE AGREEMENT TO RETURN HONG KONG TO CHINA IN 1997, IS THERE ANYTHING OF LAME THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO REGAIN OR TO DISPEL THE IMAGE
FROM MAKING BOLD MOVES DUCKERY? OR ARE YOU EFFECTIVELY CONSTRAINED THAT SHOW, YOU ARE A STRONG AND AUTHORITATIVE GOVERNMENT?
OF
OF
AN AMERICAN
H.E.: PARTS OF THAT QUESTION ARE A SORT OF "WHEN DID YOU STOP FIRST OF BEATING YOUR WIFE?" TYPE QUESTION LET ME TRY TO ANSWER IT.
WILL
GREAT HAVE A
DEAL OF FUN RECENTLY ALL, A LOT OF YOU
RECENTLY WITH IT SEEMS WILDFIRING OR DUCKSHOOTING AND BIG GAME HUNTING. SOMETIMES
IS AMERICAN TERM, DUCK", TO ME THAT THIS TERM "LAME
WHICH IS AN
DESCRIBE THE SINGULARLY INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE IT IS NORMALLY USED TO
HIS TERM POSITION OF AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT RIGHT AT THE END OF
IS A REALITY. OFFICE. THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS 10 YEARS TO RUN, THAT
THAT ANY BRITISH THAT IS, IN FACT, OVER TWICE THE LENGTH OF TIME GOVERNMENT CAN EXPECT TO SURVIVE. IT IS MORE THAN TWICE THE LENGTH
TALKING RATHER LIKE
ABOUT A PRESIDENTIAL TERM. IT IS
HE IS PRESIDENT AS BEING A "LAME DUCK", WHAT IS IT, TWO YEARS BEFORE
TALK IN FIRST ELECTED. NOW WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE
I SEE IT, IS
HONG KONG FOR THE THESE TERMS. THE BEST THING, AS
ΤΟ REMAIN GOVERNMENT
AS
IN BUILDING UP THE ACTIVELY INVOLVED COMMUNITY, IN BUILDING UP THE ECONOMY, AS IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN. IF YOU GO AND LOOK_ROUND HONG KONG, YOU DON'T, I THINK, GET THE IMPRESSION ALL THAT IS GOING ON. THERE IS MASSIVE OF A LAME DUCK CREATING LONG-TERM PROGRAMMES,
TUNNELS, DEVELOPING BUILDING ROADS, BUILDING PROGRAMMES, BUILDING ROADS,
IS THE CONTAINER PORT, LOOKING AHEAD TO BUILDING A NEW AIRPORT. THERE
IS A VERY ACTIVE MASSIVE WORK GOING ON THROUGHOUT HONG KONG, THIS
PRESENT FORM OF GOVERNMENT INDEED. WE DO FACE THE PROBLEM THAT THE
WAY THAT WE CAN ADMINISTRATION ONLY HAS 10 YEARS TO RUN. THE ONLY
AND REALISTICALLY DEAL WITH IT AS A GOVERNMENT IS TO REMAIN AS ACTIVE
WE ALWAYS WILL AS COMMITTED AS WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND AS I AM SURE GO ON BEING..
DEALING WITH
LEADERSHIP
STUART PALLISTER, OF ATV: SIR DAVID, QUALITIES, HOW DO YOU ASSESS YOUR PERFORMANCE SO FAR? AND, SECONDLY, REGARDING YOUR APPOINTMENT, DO YOU PLAN TO STAY HERE ONLY FOR A TERM? HAVE YOU IN EFFECT FIXED THE TERM, FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER?
FIXED
H.E. TO ANSWER THE FIRST PART OF THE QUESTION, I DON'T ASSESS MY OWN PERFORMANCE, AT LEAST IN. PUBLIC! THAT I LEAVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO DO. ON HOW LONG I INTEND TO STAY; THE APPOINTMENT OF A GOVERNOR IS PERHAPS WHAT IS CALLED THE QUEEN'S PLEASURE. IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THERE IS NO FIXED TERM. I SHALL STAY HERE AS LONG AS I ASKED TO STAY HERE AND AS LONG AS I FEEL THAT GAN DO A GOOD JOB.
1
MAGGIE NELSON, OF RTHK: DO YOU ACCERT
AM
HONG KONG'S
INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE STOCK MARKET'S FOUR DAY CLOSURE? AND, WITH HINDSIGHT, DO YOU THINK THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE RETURNED FROM YOUR TRIP ABROAD EARLIER?
/H.E..