UNCLASSIFIED
042545
MDLIAN 1832
THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS SHOULD JUDGE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT WAS RIGHT AND WHAT WAS WRONG. IF THEY WENT TOO FAR'' THEY MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTY TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK IN THE SARG.
29. REMARKS BY THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID FORD, IN RESPONSE TO MR ZHANG'S COMMENTS, WERE WIDELY REPORTED (7.5). SIR DAVID SAID IT HAD LONG BEEN A TRADITION FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TO CARRY OUT THEIR DUTIES ENTHUSIASTICALLY. IF THERE WERE TO BE VEILED THREATS AGAINST CIVIL SERVANTS FOR DOING THEIR JOBS TOO ENTHUSIASTICALLY, THAT WOULD UNDERMINE THE STABILITY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE WHICH COULD NOT BE GOOD FOR HK. SIR DAVID SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THAT WAS NOT THE POLICY OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WHICH WAS TO PROMOTE A STABLE CIVIL SERVICE. THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS MICHAEL SZE WAS QUOTED AS SAYING HE BELIEVED THE CHINESE SIDE WERE NOT PIN-POINTING HIM AND MR ZHANG'S REMARKS WOULD NOT AFFECT HIS WORK: HE WOULD CONTINUE TO DO HIS BEST IN HIS JOB. SING TAO DAILY QUOTED (10.5) CHINESE SOURCES AS STRESSING THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF REPRISALS AGAINST CIVIL SERVANTS AFTER 1997 AND THAT THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARDS CIVIL SERVANTS IN HK.
NEW KITCHEN
30. QUOTING SOURCES, SING TAO DAILY SAID (8.5) CHINA HAD COME UP WITH AN INITIAL PACKAGE FOR THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN OF THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. ONCE THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE AUTHORISED THE SETTING UP OF SUCH A WORK ORGAN, A SECRETARIAT WOULD BE FORMED IN SHENZHEN: THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF WHICH MIGHT BE TAKEN UP BY HK PEOPLE. CHINESE SOURCES SAID THE STRUCTURE AND CANDIDATES FOR THE WORK ORGAN HAD BEEN WORKED OUT, BUT THEY WOULD NOT ADOPT A HIGH PROFILE AS THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS WERE IN PROGRESS. THE VIEWS OF HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS WOULD BE SOUGHT BEFORE THE PACKAGE WAS FINALISED.
31. THE MEETING BETWEEN ADPL AND NPC VICE CHAIRMAN WANG HANBIN WAS REPORTED (7.5). MR WANG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING HALF OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN FOR THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WOULD CONSIST OF HK PEOPLE. MR WANG ALSO SAID HK PEOPLE WOULD BE WIDELY CONSULTED BEFORE THE SETTING UP OF SUCH A WORK ORGAN. HE SAID HK DELEGATES TO NPC WOULD BE RETURNED THROUGH ELECTIONS AFTER 1997. QUOTING SOURCES, TIN TIN DAILY NEWS SAID MR WANG WOULD BE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGAN. AMONG THE FOUR VICE CHAIRMEN, TWO WOULD BE TAKEN UP BY HK PEOPLE WHILE CHINA'S REPRESENTATIVES WOULD INCLUDE ANOTHER NPC VICE CHAIRMAN LEI
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