WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1981
28
IMPLICATIONS OF UK NATIONALITY BILL
*****
THE BRITISH NATIONALITY BILL WHICH HAS RECENTLY RUN ITS COURSE IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND IS COMPLETING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE COMMONS CAME IN FOR SPECIAL COMMENT TODAY FROM AN UNOFFICIAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, THE HON JOHN SWAINE.
SPEAKING AT THE POLICY DEBATE, MR SWAINE SAID: I THINK IT
IS TRUE TO SAY THAT HONG KONG'S INTEREST STEMS NOT FROM THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE BILL FOR TODAY'S HONG KONG CITIZENS, BUT ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS TERRITORY.
+ IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE BILL SHOULD HAVE HAD THIS EFFECT.+
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE UNDERLYING POLICY OF THE BILL IS THAT ONLY THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL CONNECTION WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM SHOULD BE CITIZENS OF THAT COUNTRY AND BE ENTITLED TO THE STATUS +BRITISH CITIZEN+.
HOWEVER, HE CONTINUED, THE UNITED KINGDOM CANNOT LEGISLATE FOR THE CITIZENSHIP OF ITS PEOPLE AND THOSE OF ITS DEPENDENT TERRITORIES OVERSEAS WITHOUT RAISING FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT ITS CONTINUED RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE OVERSEAS TERRITORIES.
+ IN HONG KONG,+ SAID MR SWAINE, BECAUSE OF OUR UNIQUE POLITICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING, THOSE QUESTIONS HAVE A PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE.
+WE IN HONG KONG HAVE RECEIVED REPEATED ASSURANCES FROM HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT THAT THE BILL IS NOT INTENDED TO DISTANCE HONG KONG FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THAT THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL CONTINUE TO BE SAFEGUARDED.
+ACCEPTING THESE ASSURANCES AS WE MUST, AND IT WOULD BE FOLLY TO DO OTHERWISE, WE MUST HOWEVER ASSERT THE HOMELY TRUTH THAT A PERSON, AS WELL AS A GOVERNMENT, IS JUDGED BY HIS ACTIONS.
+WE MUST THEREFORE URGE HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG IN THE YEARS AHEAD ITS DECLARED POLICY THAT THE LINKS WILL REMAIN AND THAT THE INTERESTS OF THIS TERRITORY WILL BE PRESERVED.+
THE RECENT DEFEAT IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BILL WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE TO DECLARE THE BRITISH NATIONAL STATUS OF HONG KONG CITIZENS DOES NOT MEAN, HOWEVER, THE DEPRIVATION OF SUCH STATUS, MR SWAINE CONTENDED.
HE SAID HONG KONG CITIZENS WHO ARE BORN OR NATURALISED HERE ENJOY THE IR NATIONAL STATUS THROUGH ALLEGIANCE TO THE BRITISH CROWN, AND THIS INVOLVES, AS A MATTER OF RECIPROCAL OBLIGATION, THE DUTY OF HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT TO AFFORD PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO HER MAJESTY'S SUBJECTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
+ASSURANCES HAVE BEEN GIVEN BY HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL THAT THESE OBLIGATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE HONOURED.
/+THE PEOPLE