HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
香港立法局————————一九八九年七月五日
5 July 1989
67
Declaration purports to assure Hong Kong people that Hong Kong will be a stable and prosperous place to live in before and after 1997. After the recent happenings in Beijing, Hong Kong people can no longer be so sure. All the more do we need assurance now from Britain that the Joint Declaration will work, assurance in the form of restoration of our full British citizenship rights. This must provide the best incentive to both the British Government and the Chinese Government to ensure that the Joint Declaration will work because they can ill afford the consequences, if it does not.
If this single most reasonable assurance cannot be given, how can the British Government profess to meet its special obligation to Hong Kong? How can the British Government continue to talk of confidence in the Joint Declaration? How can Britain persuade its European Community partners and other countries to join in providing the guarantee? Britain must assume the responsibility first by issuing the insurance policy and seek re-insurance from other countries. Indeed we were not unappreciative that the solution to our present problem would necessarily involve the international community. Whilst Britain's constitutional and moral obligation is to restore full British citizenship rights to Hong Kong British subjects, it remains Britain's overall obligation to ensure the safety and security of all the people. If Britain does not feel able to accommodate the needs of the entire population, assistance from other countries must be sought but Britain must take the lead and take it now.
The FAC report has expressed misgivings concerning the insurance policy which we are seeking. Apart from the fact that such misgivings clearly stem from self-protectionism and egoism, they also show how pathetically little the FAC members really know about Hong Kong and its people. Even if it were theoretically possible for the insurance policy to be cashed in, the unlikely exodus of Hong Kong people to Britain, bringing with them Hong Kong's talents, resourcefulness, industry and perhaps even wealth, will probably do Britain a lot of good. That is not to say that our people wish to go in the first place because I am sure that they would rather stay in Hong Kong if it is safe and secure to do so.
Sir, Hong Kong's current confidence crisis cannot wait. Either Britain finds a practical solution to it in the near future or else the people of Hong Kong will find ways of helping themselves. I trust that the British Government will be wise enough to realize the serious consequences if our people were forced into the latter situation.
Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion.
t