WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1984
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IT WOULD THEN BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SPECIAL AND INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OFFICE TO PUT TOGETHER ALL THESE MATERIALS AND PRESENT THEM IN THE FORM OF A REPORT, ACCURATELY AND IMPARTIALLY.
+TRIS SHOULD DEMONSTRATE TO THE WORLD, AND PARTICULARLY TO PARLIAMENT. THAT OUR FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE MULTI-CHANNELLED CONSULTATIVE SYSTEM CAN FULLY AND IMPARTIALLY FIND OUT AND REFLECT WHAT HONG KONG PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE,+ MR WONG SAID.
HE SAID AN ASSESSMENT OFFICE WAS PERHAPS A GOOD ALTERNATIVE TO A REFERENDUM, BEARING IN MIND THAT THE ISSUE WAS EXTREMELY COMPLEX.
HE SAID A SIMPLE +YES+ OR +NO+ ANSWER WOULD NOT REALLY BE HELPFUL.
IN HIS VIEW A REFERENDUM SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED WHEN ALL ELSE HAD FAILED TO PRODUCE SATISFACTORY RESULTS.
THE HON ANDREW SO, IN SUPPORTING THE MOTION, LIKENED THE SITUATION FACING HONG KONG TO A MAN HAVING TO CHANGE HIS APPAREL.
THE HON W.C.L. BROWN SAID ALL SIGNS AT THE MOMENT POINTED TO THE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG CONTAINING ALL THE ELEMENTS TO MAKE IT ACCEPTABLE.
HE SAID THE NEED FOR THE AGREEMENT TO BE ACCEPTABLE
TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WAS NOT IN DISPUTE, BOTH CHINA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM HAVING EXPRESSED THIS REQUIREMENT TO BE ONE OF THE IR COMMON OBJECTIVES.
HOW TO TEST ACCEPTABILITY, HOWEVER, WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT ISSUES ON WHICH TO REACH AGREEMENT - NOT PERHAPS AS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, BUT RATHER AS BETWEEN THOSE PARTIES AND HONG KONG.
MR BROWN ASKED WERE WE WASTING OUR TIME WORRYING ABOUT HOW THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THE IR AGREEMENT - PARTICULARLY BEARING IN MIND THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF THE AGREEMENT BEING CHANGED AS A RESULT OF ANY FURTHER VIEWS THE PEOPLE HERE MAY WISH TO PUT FORWARD?
HE DID NOT THINK WE WERE WASTING OUR TIME FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRSTLY, THE NEED TO HONOUR THIS COMMITMENT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE NEGOTIATIONS AND IT WAS A REASONABLE ASSUMPTION THAT THE NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WAS KEEPING BOTH NEGOTIATING TEAMS ON THE IR TOES, AND PREVENTING AN AGREEMENT WHICH MERELY REFLECTED THE INTERESTS OF THE UNITE KINGDOM AND CHINA.
SECONDLY, THE NEED FOR TANGIBLE EVIDENCE OF ACCEPTANCE BY THE HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD BE IMPORTANT WHEN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT WAS CALLED UPON TO RATIFY THE AGREEMENT.
/SO THERE