China is so big, in area bigger than Europe, in population size bigger than
Europe and the United States put together, that it is almost impossible to
govern centrally. So perhaps what China should do is to concentrate their
corruption clean up efforts in the larger cities, and then after five years or
so, when they might have got on top of the problem in the cities, they could
spread out to the country. Perhaps they should look at Hong Kong's example
and start with just two cities with small forays into the others, which might
scare enough people to keep them reasonably honest. At least it would show
that something is being attempted to control this poison which, if not
eliminated, will destroy China. And after 1997 we will be part of China, so
that, in my view, is the biggest problem Hong Kong will be facing after 1997,
and I suspect if nothing is done between now and 1997 in China to control the
problem, corruption and crime will increase quite considerably in Hong Kong in
the last five years before the take over. It is so frustrating and sad to see
the Chinese people, who are among the ablest in the world and endowed with
enormous potential, to thus fritter away their talent and potential.
I cannot believe that what I have said here is not known in Beijing, and I am
sure that the top leadership in Beijing is not corrupt. But I think that they
may not recognise the central significance the problem of corruption has in
all the problems which they are facing, and that is why they are not giving
the priority to tackling the problem which it requires.
We here obviously have almost no influence on the Government in China.
All we
can do is to make sure that the poison is kept at bay in Hong Kong and that no
matter how bad things might get between 1993 and 2003, we make sure that we do
not get a resurgence of crime or corruption.
strengthen the ICAC and make sure that the Government, whether it be the last
British Colonial or the first of the SAR, do not shrink from taking drastic
It is important that we
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