WEDNESDAY, OCTOBcn 26, 1983
13
PEOPLE TOLD NOT TO SPECULATE ON TALKS
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WE SHOULD NOT SPECULATE ON THE OUTCOME OF THE TALKS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AT THIS POINT IN TIME BUT SHOULD GET ON WITH OUR WORK, THE HON ALLEN LEE SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
+AS THE BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONTINUING IN SEARCH OF A SOLUTION WHICH IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE UNITED KINGDOM PARLIAMENT, TO CHINA AND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT BOTH SIDES WOULD LIKE TO ACHIEVE THE COMMON AIM OF CONTINUING STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, IT IS MY OPINION THAT WE SHOULD NOT SPECULATE ON THE OUTCOME AT THIS POINT IN TIME AND WE SHOULD SIMPLY GET ON WITH OUR WORK, HE SAID.
HE NOTED THAT THE MAIN INGREDIENTS CONTRIBUTING TO HONG KONG'S PAST SUCCESS WERE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, THE INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY AND THE GOVERNMENT'S READINESS TO LISTEN TO PUBLIC OPINION.
MR LEE OUTLINED WHAT THE GROUP OF PROFESSIONALS, COMPRISING HIMSELF, HON STEPHEN CHEONG, HON MRS SELINA CHOW AND PROFESSIONALS OF VARIOUS DISCIPLINES HAD DONE IN PREPARING THEIR PRESENTATION PAPER ON OUR FUTURE FOR THE BEIJING VISIT.
HE ALSO MENTIONED THE GROUP HAD MET MR RICHARD LUCE IN HONG KONG AND EXPRESSED THEIR OPINION TO HIM. WE FEEL WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES TO BE TRUE TO OURSELVES AND WE WANT TO BE AT EASE WITH OUR OWN CONSCIENCE THAT WE DID OUR BIT FOR HONG KONG WHEN THE OCCASION ARISES.
+MOST OF ALL, WE WANT TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, NO MATTER HOW INSIGNIFICANT, TOWARDS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY, HE SAID.
HE FELT GREAT PRIDE IN PARTICIPATING IN A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT BOARDS AND COMMITTEES AND TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS, HOWEVER SMALL, TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT OF THIS PLACE, HE SAID.
MR LEE SAID THAT LIKE THE 2 000 OR SO OTHER PEOPLE SERVING ON VARIOUS BOARDS AND COMMITTEES, THEY MUST ALL FEEL THAT THE IR SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN GOVERNMENT FORMULATES POLICIES.
HE SAID THAT HE WAS AS MUCH A CRITIC AS ANYONE ON QUITE A NUMBER OF ISSUES+.
+RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY, MY VIEWS WILL BE HEARD BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. THIS IS TRUE FOR ALL CITIZENS OF HONG KONG.
*THE OUTSPOKENNESS OF OUR PEOPLE IS ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF OUR SUCCESS, HE SAID.
JUDGING FROM THE NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES ON THE NEWS-STANDS, ONE COULD EASILY SAY THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE FREEST PLACES IN THE WORLD,+ MR LEE SAID.
/+OUR PEOPLE