MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1984
+ THE BEST WAY TO MINIMISE THE RISKS OF CHANGE IS FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO PLAY THE IR PART IN MAINTAINING THE DYNAMISM OF HONG KONG.
+SOME CHANGES THERE WILL BE WITHIN THE LIMITS DEFINED IN THE AGREEMENT AND, OF COURSE, THE TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO CHINA IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ITSELF INASMUCH AS THE COURSE OF HONG KONG'S HISTORY IN THE FUTURE WILL TEND TO REFLECT CHINA'S, THE SAR STATUS OF HONG KONG NOTWITHSTANDING.
+WHAT WE MUST NOW DO, AS A MATTER OF URGENCY, IS TO ERECT A SUITABLE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT WELL BEFORE 1997 WHICH WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME AFTER 1997.
+ IT MUST BE AT LEAST AS EFFECTIVE AS THE PRESENT STRUCTURE, ALBE IT WITH DIFFERENT ROOTS.
+ IT MUST BE FOUNDED IN THE HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE, ENERGY, TALENTS, INDUSTRIOUSNESS AND NATURAL CONFIDENCE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
+THERE MUST BE NO OPTING OUT, FOR ANY REDUCTION IN HONG KONG'S USEFULNESS TO CHINA WILL PUT AUTONOMY AT RISK.
+LET IT NOT BE SAID THAT, BY THEIR HESITATION AND INEPTITUDE AND LACK OF VISION, HONG KONG PEOPLE BROUGHT ABOUT THE VERY SITUATION THEY FEARED AS A MERE POSSIBILITY, MISS DUNN SAID.
CONCERNS TO BE EXPECTED ****
PETER WONG
CONCERNS AND RESERVATIONS WHICH HAD BEEN EXPRESSED ABOUT THE DRAFT AGREEMENT WERE TO BE EXPECTED, THE HON PETER C. WONG SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DEBATE ON THE MOTION ENDORSING THE DRAFT AGREEMENT, MR WONG SAID, HOWEVER, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE AGREEMENT SHOULD BE JUDGED AS A WHOLE AND VIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF HISTORICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL AND POLITICAL REALITIES.
+ADMITTEDLY, THE AGREEMENT IS NOT PERFECT- NOR DOES IT ANSWER EVERY QUESTION OR SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM RELATING TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE, HE SAID.
+REGRETTABLY, THERE IS NO REALISTIC POSSIBILITY OF AMENDING
THE TEXT.
+ IT MUST BE TAKEN AS A WHOLE.
/+REJECTING IT
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