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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1985
4)
HOW WILL THE GOVERNOR BE SELECTED?
5)
HOW WILL THE ULTIMATE FORM OF ELECTION BE DETERMINED?+
MRS CHOW SAID THAT IN FACT ALL THESE ISSUES HAD BEEN TOUCHED UPON IN THE WHITE PAPER. WHAT WAS WORRYING WAS THAT NO ANSWERS WERE ATTEMPTED, AND WORSE STILL, THE DELIBERATION OF SUCH IMPORTANT AND URGENT QUESTIONS HAD NOT BEEN ASSIGNED ANY SPECIFIC SCHEDULE OR FORM, THE REPETITION OF THE PHRASE AT A LATER STAGE+ WAS NEITHER SATISFACTORY NOR REASSURING.
+WE HAVE NO TIME FOR PROCRASTINATION, SHE SAID. +WE NEED AN OVERALL PLAN.+
+ IT HAS BEEN ARGUED THAT TO INCLUDE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE IN THE WHITE PAPER WOULD ALLOW US ROOM TO MANOEUVRE, AS WE ARE STILL EXPERIMENTING WITH VARIOUS IDEAS IN ORDER TO FIND THE UNIQUE SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG.
+ I CANNOT AGREE WITH THIS LINE OF ARGUMENT. IN FACT, I THINK THE VERY EXPERIMENTAL NATURE OF OUR DEVELOPMENT CALLS FOR VERY CLEAR AND DEFINITE THINKING SO THAT WE DO NOT STRAY TOO FAR FROM A CHARTED COURSE, THE DESTINATION OF WHICH IS ALREADY MARKED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION. WITHOUT THE PATH LAID OUT, HOW ARE WE TO BE SURE THAT WE WILL REACH OUR TARGET WITHIN THE TIME AVAILABLE?
+MANY LIKE MYSELF ARE GREATLY CONCERNED THAT THE WHITE PAPER ON THE ONE HAND TAKES A VERY BIG STEP FORWARD WITHOUT PROJECTING AND ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, WHILE ON THE OTHER FAILS TO PROVIDE AN OVERALL PLAN, OR EVEN AN INSTRUMENT TO FORMULATE AN OVERALL PLAN.
+THIS IS NO DOUBT A HIGHLY UNDESIRABLE AND UNSATISFACTORY STATE OF AFFAIRS, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE HAVE TO WORK WITHIN THE VERY LIMITED TIME FRAME OF 12 YEARS. IN VIEW OF THE GREAT URGENCY OF THIS MATTER, I ADVOCATE THAT A STANDING FORUM BE FORMED, WITH BOTH OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, TO ENABLE MORE STRUCTURED DISCUSSION AND DELIBERATION WITH THE AIM TO PROPOSE THE MOST ACCEPTABLE AND WORKABLE SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG WITHIN THE PROVISIONS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.+
MRS CHOW CONCLUDED: +WITH MY GRAVE RESERVATIONS, FIND MYSELF UNABLE TO VOTE FOR THE VERY EUPHORIC MOTION BEFORE COUNCIL, WHEN THE WHITE PAPER DOES NOT EVEN POINT TO A CLEAR WAY AHEAD. WILL NOT HOWEVER VOTE AGAINST IT LEST IT BE MISUNDERSTOOD AS MY OBJECTION TO THE PRINCIPLE OF MOVING TOWARDS A MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
+1 AM THEREFORE ABSTAINING, WHILE I URGE THAT IMMEDIATE ACTION BE TAKEN TO FORMULATE AN OVERALL PLAN. AFTER ALL, IN 12-1/2 YEARS, WE ARE TO ADMINISTER OURSELVES. WE HAD BETTER KNOW, WELL BEFORE THAT TIME, HOW WE CAN BEST DO IT. +
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