1993-03-12 20:26 G.I.S
P.24
辈
ZCZC
6TH ADD GIS 14
P10
FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993
MR STEPHEN CHEONG: GOVERNOR, IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT THERE IS NO TALK BEING ANNOUNCED TODAY, AND SHOULD FURTHER ATTEMPTS FOR TALKS FAIL WILL THE GOVERNOR PLEASE INFORM THIS COUNCIL HOW YOU, SIR, AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, IS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION PROMISED TO US IN
OF SYOTENG
TUC
ADAMIT SAL 1.1 TY T
DR
GUARANTEED? AND WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DO YOUR OWN THING BETWEEN NOW AND 1997 AND THEN LET THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT DO THEIR OWN THING AFTER 1997?
GOVERNOR :
WOULD LIKE TO SEE, AS MUCH AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER, A SMOOTH TRANSITION. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF ARRANGEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR ELECTIONS WHICH ARE FAIR RATHER THAN A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WEREN'T FAIR. IT WOULDN'T SEEM ΤΟ ME TO MAKE VERY MUCH SENSE TO HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND WHICH THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE MIGHT REGARD AS DISHONOURABLE. SO WE WANT TO SEE A SMOOTH TRANSITION BUT WE ALSO WANT TO SEE A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF SENSIBLE ELECTORAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.
THERE IS ONE OTHER THING THAT I SHOULD SAY. IN ORDER TO SECURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT TO BE AS ACCOMMODATING CONCILIATORY AS ONE POSSIBLY CAN BE. WHILE MILLIONS OF WORDS OF ABUSE HAVE BEEN HEAPED ON THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNOR OVER THE LAST MONTHS, I'VE TRIED TO KEEP AS MILD AND QUIET AND CALM AS POSSIBLE. BUT NOBODY SHOULD THINK THAT BEING ACCOMMODATING, BEING CONCILIATORY IS THE SAME AS ABANDONING YOUR PRINCIPLES. I THINK THAT THIS COUNCIL WOULD BE SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT WHAT IS MEANT BY A SMOOTH TRANSITION IS THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER, IN DISCUSSIONS, HAVE A BOTTOM LINE. THAT'S NOT THE BASIS FOR A SENSIBLE SMOOTH TRANSITION.
CHEONG: GIR, YOU HAVEN'T ANSWERED MY SECOND PART UF THE
ก STEPHEN
484%
QUESTION.
GOVERNOR: WHICH WAS?
MR STEPHEN CHEONG: WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DO THEIR OWN THING NOW AND LET THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT DO THEIR OWN THING AFTER 1997?
DECLARATION.
GOVERNOR: WHAT WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DO IS TO PUT IN PLACE ARRANGEMENTS, NOT ONLY WHICH ARE WHOLLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION BUT WHICH SEEK TO BUTTRESS THE PRINCIPLES ENSHRINED IN THE JOINT WE WILL ALSO TRY TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER ARRANGEMENTS ARE PUT IN PLACE IN HONG KONG AND ENSURE IN OUR VIEW AND IN THE VIEW OF THIS COUNCIL, A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO THE BASIC LAW. AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE SORT OF ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THIS COUNCIL WOULD FIND ACCEPTABLE BEFORE 1997 WILL BE FOUND ACCEPTABLE BY A CREDIBLE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AFTER 1997, TOO.
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