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166.
I repeat, these are major moves. They were not made lightly and they are not mere negotiating ploys. They
evidence of Our sincerity, our flexibility, and our
success of these talks. But our
are
determination
to make
room for manoeuvre
is limited if we are to remain, as we
must, true to the principle that election arrangements in
Hong Kong should be
community. That is
about the pace of
fair, open and acceptable to the
what the debate is about. It is not democratic development; the pace is set
out in the Basic Law and will not change unless the Basic Law itself is changed. It is about ensuring that democratic
If
we allow a system to
development is fair and open.
develop in which elections may be compromised, we invite
Corruption; we endanger the rule of law, on which our
success depends; and we risk losing many of the freedoms
that protect our way of life and which both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law seek to guarantee.
167.
We shall stick to our principles. We shall also
continue Lo seek from the Chinese Government an agreement on objective criteria for the "through train", so that those
may want to run for election to this Council as well as
those who vote for them in 1995, know before they do so what the rules of the game will be.
who
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