1992-12-04 19:05 COMMS OFFICE (GOVT HOUSE)
852 526 0995 P.21
I WOULD ONLY ADD THIS.
THERE HAVE, I THINK, BEEN TWO
SUBSTANTIVE DEBATES ON THE PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD IN OCTOBER.
IN BOTH THOSE DEBATES THERE WERE FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITIES FOR THE
GENERAL APPROACH WHICH I HAD TAKEN. AND I'M SURE THAT IN CONSIDERING
PROPOSALS AND THAT IN CONSIDERING THE WAY FORWARD, HONOURABLE MEMBERS
WOULD WANT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THAT.
SELINA CHOW: SIR, GIVEN THE LATEST TURN OF EVENTS AND THE BREAKDOWN OF
DIALOGUE BETWEEN YOUR GOOD SELF AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, WHAT ARE
YOU GOING TO DO TO ENSURE THAT AS WELL AS THE "ONE COUNTRY, TWO
SYSTEMS" CONCEPT WHICH YOU'VE MENTIONED EARLIER, THAT THE SMOOTH
TRANSITION PROMISED TO THE HONG KONG PEOPLE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION
BY THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WILL BE ACHIEVED?
GOVERNOR: THE SMOOTH TRANSITION ISN'T, I WOULD ARGUE, BEING THREATENED
BY AN ATTEMPT TO HAVE A RATIONAL DIALOGUE. I CAN'T DO MORE THAN HOLD
MYSELF READY TO TALK TO ANYBODY OR TO CONSIDER ANY REASONABLE IDEAS.
IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT OTHER POSTURE THAT ONE SHOULD
GET INTO. IF IRRATIONAL THINGS ARE SAID BY OTHERS, SHOULD ONE RESPOND
BY BEING IRRATIONAL ONESELF? IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ME THAT THERE IS VERY
MUCH OF A CASE FOR THAT. BUT I'M AS CONCERNED AS THE HONOURABLE
MEMBER THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE SMOOTH TRANSITION. I'M NOT SURE THAT
WE WOULD HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, FOR EXAMPLE, IF I WAS TO PUT
FORWARD PROPOSALS TO THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS
WHICH WERE REGARDED AS BEING UNFAIR BY THE COUNCIL.
LET ME GIVE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AN EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF
THING I MEAN. THERE WERE NEGOTIATIONS ON THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL.
THE OUTCOME OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS CAME TO THIS COUNCIL. THIS COUNCIL
HAD A GOOD DEAL OF DIFFICULTY WITH THE OUTCOME OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS.
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