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and Hong Kong has much improved and hence there will be no more
necessity to retain these suppression provisions.
Why, then, is it necessary to keep this particular
We know that this section has
section in our statute book?
never been used. Why make a difference? It has been suggested
that without the former section 6 in the Control
Consolidation Ordinance, the press
of Publication
might not have behaved as
Bu t surely
responsibly as they had done so all these years.
the same argument applied with equal force to each and every
other section of the same Ordinance under repeal.
Now that SO much public attention has been drawn to
this Bill through it has been with us since 1951, we must be
careful not to kill the freedom of the
press during this very
critical period in the history of Hong Kong.
I like to think that this is not a deliberate act on
But let us hope that this
the part of this Administration.
Administration will show us that it cares and feels for the
people of Hong Kong and is willing to listen to them; it is
courageous enough to admit that it has made an unintentional
mistake in misjudging the public sentiment,
gracious enough to
withdraw support for this Bill, and confident enough that it
will continue to have the respect and confidence
it governs.
of the people