WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1984
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WIDER VIEWS NEEDED ON GREEN PAPER
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THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE'S ADVICE ON THE GREEN PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG, NOT JUST SUBMISSIONS FROM THE VOCIFEROUS FEW+, THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES, MR PETER TSAO, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING TO THE LIONS CLUB OF BAYVIEW HONGKONG, MR TSAO SAID: +WE THINK WE HAVE, IN THIS GREEN PAPER, THE BASIS FOR A WORKABLE AND EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION BEST SUITED TO THE FUTURE NEEDS OF HONG KONG,+
+BUT THEY ARE JUST A SET OF PROPOSALS,+ MR TSAO POINTED OUT. WE WANT TO BE SATISFIED THAT THEY WILL WORK, AND WE NEED TO KNOW, THEREFORE, HOW THEY ARE VIEWED BY THE PUBLICE +
COPIES OF THE GREEN PAPER HAD BEEN VERY MUCH IN DEMAND. UP TO YESTERDAY (TUESDAY), A TOTAL OF 160 000 COPIES HAD BEEN GIVEN OUT TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH VARIOUS DISTRICT OFFICES AND THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, THE GREAT MAJORITY OF THEM TO INDIVIDUALS.
THOSE GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS WITH VESTED INTERESTS IN THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY EXPRESSED THEIR VIEWS IN FAIRLY ROBUST TERMS, MR TSAO SAID.
BUT THERE WAS A DISPARITY BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAD READ THE GREEN PAPER, AND THOSE WHO HAD COMMENTED ON IT.
THIS AROSE PARTLY FROM A BASIC MISCONCEPTION REGARDING THE NATURE OF GREEN PAPERS, HE ADDED,
+WHEN EXPOSED SUFFICIENTLY LONG TO PUBLIC OPINION, GREEN PAPERS EVENTUALLY TURN INTO WHITE PAPERS, EMBODYING WHATEVER MODIFICATIONS MAY RESULT FROM PUBLIC REACTION TO THE IR CONTENT.
+ IT FOLLOWS, THEREFORE, THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CATCH THIS ONE WHILE IT IS STILL GREEN AND WHILE THE COLLECTIVE WEIGHT OF ALL OUR THOUGHTS CAN BE CONCENTRATED ON REFINING AND IMPROVING THE INGREDIENTS.+
+WE MUST CONSIDER NOT ONLY WHAT THOSE WITH VESTED INTERESTS MAY FEEL ABOUT THE PROPOSALS, BUT ALSO WHAT THE MAN-IN-THE-STREET FEELS ABOUT THEM, MR TSAO SAID.
VISITORS OFTEN CHARACTERISED HONG KONG AS A SEETHING ANTHEAP OF TREMENDOUS INDUSTRY AND COLLECTIVE ENERGEY. + BUT THIS IS AN ANTHE AP
+THAT THEY ARE ACTING IN OF THINKING ANTS,+ MR TSAO POINTED OUT. CONCERT DOES NOT NEGATE THE FACT THAT EACH IS ACTING FOR HIMSELF ALSO.
/+THAT IS,