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rely on automatic machineries alone but heavily on fast adaptable and skilled labours. In the next decade or so, the world will not find a better work force than the one in Hong Kong to serve such purpose. (6) In the next decade or so, Hong Kong will still enjoy a relatively attractive share of export quotas in those products which require such quotas although such share will diminish in size in the course of time. The privilege of those quotas will also be a contributing factor which will attract foreign investors to remain in Hong Kong.
(7) China possesses too large a reserve of natural resources which alarms the world. The latter will try its best to help China develop and consume such resources. The South Sea Oil is a good example. In doing so, Hong Kong will become an important base for the foreign investors for multiple reasons.
(8) Most of the financial resources supporting foreign investments in Hong Kong and China are in fact money from Hong Kong people as well as those from the South-Eastern Asian countries which have treated Hong Kong as the Switzerland in the East. Banks and listed public companies have been the instruments to collect and raise such money. In other words, to maintain the bulk of such financial resources for investment purposes, they must keep Hong Kong as prosperous and stable as it has used to be.
(9) China too has good reasons to maintain prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
In the light of the above circumstances, it is reasonable to expect Hong Kong to remain prosperous and stable for at least a decade to come, assuming that the outcome of the Sino-British talks should fail to reach a satisfactory conclusion. If, of course, the result of the talks should turn out to be agreeable to the Hong Kong Chinese and the Western countries, especially our trading partners all over the world, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong will remain for a far longer period of time.
It is therefore premature and unwise for the Hong Kong people to jump the gun too fast only to find themselves struggling in some foreign countries with environment and systems completely strange to them and with little hope of enjoying the type of success levelling that in Hong Kong. A decade is a long time for those who have already established their foundation here and are enjoying the fruits of their past efforts.
I therefore appeal to my fellow people in Hong Kong to stay calm and to put our efforts together to reconstruct a brighter and better society which is now ailing for no valid reasons at all but under false alarm only.
Finally, I also wish to appeal to our Government and our banks to adopt more responsible and sympathetic attitude towards those who have been and are still contributing their best efforts towards the building up of Hong Kong.
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reach the world-renown status of today. Their temporary setback has nothing to do with their ability to run their businesses properly or successfully but rather the worst economic recession and confidence crisis in the history of Hong Kong, the severity and duration of which have betrayed practically all of us.
With these remarks, Mr. Chairman, I support the motion.
(Mr. Edmund W. H. CHOW left at this point—2.50 p.m.)
THE HONOURABLE SELINA CHOW (in English): Mr. Chairman, before I start my speech, I am glad to beg indulgence. I might exceed my quota of 15 minutes but I have asked Mr. L. H. KWAN who has very kindly said that he would let me have 7 minutes of his quota. So with your confirmation, perhaps I'll try to rush through as much as I could.
Both Mr. BERNACCHI and Mrs. ELLIOT have spoken on the appointed system, I would also like to contribute to that by presenting the other point of view.
Mr. BERNACCHI described Appointed Members of UMELCO as people who look behind their backs to the Governor who appointed them, not to the people who elected them. However, he endorses a retention of the appointed majority in the Legislative Council, and voices his approval for the existing appointed system of Executive Council to continue. He seems to be satisfied that a limited elected element within our present system is adequate to ensure that government does not lose contact with the people.
Mrs. ELLIOT with her usual eloquence calls for democracy. She declares that she is aware that democracy is not a panacea for all ills, and then proceeds to expound on how our social welfare system, our legal system, our problems in law and order, our housing problems and our transport system can all be erased by an elected Legislative Council.
I do not wish to start a whole new debate on the suitability of the appointed and elected system in the political context of Hong Kong. However, I do feel we would not be doing justice to those men and women who have contributed much time and effort to serve the community when they are called on to do so. Although we are appointed by the government, our duty is not to pay lip service to what the government chooses to do, but to present and reflect to the administration a balanced view of what the people of Hong Kong would consider acceptable. Most of us are aware that the majority of the people of Hong Kong, until recently, have chosen to be fairly apolitical, and have been reluctant to participate in elections as candidates as well as voters. Short of an appointed system, how else can government keep in close contact with the public?
We are now entering a new phase in our history, when political awareness is growing, and the growth and development of the district boards and this Urban Council indicate a growing acceptance of the election process. However, this