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MDHIAN 769
4. THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS GENERAL PATTERN WAS THE SUNDAY MORNING POST WHICH LED WITH THE HEADLINE QUOTE PATTEN PLEDGES TOTAL REVIEW OF GOVERNMENT UNQUOTE. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE ARTICLE TO SUPPORT SUCH A HEADLINE AND WE HAVE RESPONDED TO FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS BY EXPLAINING THAT MR. PATTEN HAS NO PLANS FOR A MAJOR SHAKE UP OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.
5. THE PRESS CONFERENCE GENERATED SIX EDITORIALS IN THE MAINSTREAM PRESS. FOR EXAMPLE, SING PAO NOTED WITH APPROVAL THAT MR. PATTEN HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE WOULD NOT CHANGE EXCO'S RULES OF CONFIDENTIALITY AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY. THE WRITER ARGUED THAT WITHOUT THESE TWO RULES, EXCO WOULD LOOSE ITS COHESION AND IN EFFECT BECOME A QUOTE SUPER LEGCO UNQUOTE. THE ARTICLE CONCLUDED THAT THE UDHK WAS GRADUALLY COMING TO TERMS WITH THE NEED FOR THESE RULES IN EXCO AND THAT MR. PATTEN WAS RIGHT TO RETAIN THEM. THE LEFT-LEANING COMMERCIAL DAILY SAID THAT ALTHOUGH MR. PATTEN'S REMARKS ON ABIDING BY THE JOINT DECLARATION WERE A MATTER OF ROUTINE, THEY WERE NONETHELESS WELCOME BECAUSE THEY WENT SOME WAY TO DISPEL RECENT CONFUSION OVER THE STATE OF SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. THE AUTHOR REGRETTED THAT MR. PATTEN HAD NOT MADE A POINT OF STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF CONVERGENCE.
6. THE SING TAO WELCOMED MR. PATTEN'S STATEMENT THAT HE WOULD PUT HONG KONG'S INTERESTS FIRST BUT DOUBTED WHETHER IN PRACTICE THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE. THE WAH KIU YAT PO NOTED THAT MR. PATTEN'S STYLE WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF HIS PREDECESSORS. HIS
POLITICAL BACKGROUND MIGHT MAKE HIM MORE PRONE TO QUOTE RASH MOVES UNQUOTE WHICH MIGHT LEAD THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATION INTO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE PRC. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDED THAT THE COMMUNITY VALUES A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 1997 BUT WOULD ALSO WELCOME QUOTE PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS UNQUOTE PROVIDED
THE TWO COULD BE MADE COMPATIBLE.
7. THE LEFT WING NEWSPAPERS (I.E. TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO) SEEM TO HAVE GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO SIGNAL APPROVAL OF MR. PATTEN'S REMARKS ON THE JOINT DECLARATION AND SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION. THERE WERE FIVE SIGNED ARTICLES MAKING ESSENTIALLY
THE SAME POINTS.
8. ENDS.
FORD
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