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4. EDITORIALS IN BOTH THE ENGLISH AND CHINESE PRESS TENDED TO
TAKE THE FORM OF AN ASSESSMENT OF MY PERFORMANCE AS GOVERNOR.
THESE TENDED TO FOCUS ON THE SERIES OF DIFFICULTIES. THAT HONG
KONG HAS HAD TO FACE SINCE 1987. AN NCNA OFFICIAL INITIALLY COMMENTED THAT THE CHANGE IN THE GOVERNORSHIP WAS A NORMAL RE- SHUFFLE ABOUT WHICH THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT HAVE MUCH TO SAY. HOWEVER, A SIGNED COMMENTARY IN TODAY'S (2 JANUARY) WEN WEI PO
ARGUED THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MY RETIREMENT WITHOUT NAMING A
SUCCESSOR WAS A POLITICAL MOVE AIMED AT REDUCING MY AUTHORITY AND
THEREFORE PASSING GREATER POWER TO LEGCO. THE ARTICLE ARGUED THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD MAKE IF IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO HAVE ANY
SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSIONS WITH LU PING WHEN WE MEET. WE ARE FAXING A TRANSLATION TO RICKETTS, HKD AND PEKING.
5. A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WERE QUOTED BY THE MEDIA. APART FROM INSTANT ASSESSMENTS OF MY PERFORMANCE, COMMENTS
INCLUDED ONE BY MARTIN LEE WHO SAID THAT MY SUCCESSOR SHOULD WEAR
ONLY ONE HAT AS HONG KONG'S GOVERNOR: IN VIEW OF THE SPECULATION ABOUT A CHANGE, IT WAS GOOD THAT HMG HAD MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT NOW. EMILY LAU, ON THE OTHER HAND, WORRIED THAT THE GAP BETWEEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE NAMING OF A SUCCESSOR WOULD MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO DEAL WITH CHINA OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. SHE ALSO
CALLED FOR CONSULTATION ON THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW GOVERNOR.
6. APART FROM GEORGE FOULKES, SIR PETER BLAKER SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN THE ONLY BRITISH POLITICIAN WIDELY QUOTED BY THE MEDIA. IN A TELEVISION INTERVIEW, WHICH WAS ALSO CARRIED BY THE DAILY PAPERS, HE SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THE DELAY IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A
SUCCESSOR WOULD UNDERMINE PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE. THE NEXT GOVERNOR
SHOULD BE SOMEONE WHO WOULD REPRESENT HONG KONG'S INTERESTS AND
BE ACCEPTABLE BY HONG KONG PEOPLE, BUT NOT CONFRONT CHINA.
WILSON
YYYY
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