HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
5 July 1989
香港立法局
一九八九年七月五日
60
I hope that China will be willing to make concessions on these issues as soon as possible, as doing so would be a major factor in the partial restoration of the shattered confidence of this community. China must quickly come to recognize the extent of this loss of confidence, and the need for remedial action.
If confidence cannot be re-established then Hong Kong's future will be very different from that intended by the Joint Declaration. The model of an economically, financially and socially successful international centre built up over many decades under British administration, and able to demonstrate all the advantages of a free market economy, would become just another southern Chinese city.
There will be little need for a separate economic or social system unless people remain in Hong Kong who are self-confident and imbued with the staunch entrepreneurial spirit which together with a sound administration has been a major reason for Hong Kong's extraordinary achievements.
On the issue of nationality, we are all disappointed by the rejection of our request for the right of abode for all Hong Kong British subjects. Although the argument of the FAC is contradictory, the insurance or "safety net" position we have taken has not yet been accepted in the United Kingdom and we must now consider how best to re-marshal our case.
I remain convinced that almost everyone wants to stay. Most people are held here by the strength of their family and material commitments and are most unwilling to break their links with a strong and vibrant culture. They know that in leaving they face the prospect of moving to lower-status jobs with lower pay in lands whose cultures and business climates are unfamiliar to all but a few.
The sections of the FAC report dealing with nationality make disappointing reading in that they show the members to have totally underestimated the strength of Hong Kong feeling following the events of 4 June. To observe that the people's concerns have merely been "intensified" is to grossly understate the position.
However, despite our strong feelings, we must continue to act in a responsible and dignified fashion. We must remember that ideally our priority should be not so much to seek the right of abode in the United Kingdom per se, but to create the conditions in which Hong Kong people positively want to stay here British passport or not.
I believe that closer reading of the minutes indicates that there is perhaps little more support for Hong Kong's position than may be inferred from the main