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WERY, ISLA, JUNE 26, 1985
+ IF WE DID NOT CONCEDE TO THE DEMAND THAT THE THIRD READING BE DEFERRED, WE STAND TO BE ACCUSED BY VOCAL AND WELL ORGANISED CAMPAIGNS OF DISCREDIT.
+FOR SURE WE WILL BE ACCUSED OF ACTING IRRESPONSIBLY AGAINST THE PROCLAIMED WISHES OF THE PEOPLE.+
HE SAID IT WAS WITH A SOMBRE REALISATION OF THIS DIFFICULT DILEMMA THAT THEY DECIDED THEY HAD TO CAST AWAY ALL THEIR EMOTIONAL HANG UPS LIKE PRIDE, FEARS AND PREJUDICES AND THAT THEY HAD TO LOOK AT ALL NEW REPRESENTATIONS COOLLY AND RATIONALLY.
HE EXPLAINED THAT MEMBERS WERE MORE INFLUENCED BY THE CONTENTS OF THE REPRESENTATIONS AND THAT THEY DID NOT MEASURE THE STRENGTH OF ANY REPRESENTATION BY JUST BEING IMPRESSED WITH THE STRENGTH OF THEIR MEDIA COVERAGE AND THE BRILLIANCE OF THE IR TACTICS IN MOBILISING THE MEDIA.
+WE ALLOWED OURSELVES AMPLE TIME TO RECEIVE REPRESENTATIONS FROM ANY ONE IN HONG KONG.
+WE DEBATED COLLECTIVELY AMONGST OURSELVES, SOMETIMES HEATEDLY, AND WE KNEW THAT THE FINAL DECISION HAD TO BE MADE BY MONDAY, JUNE 24.
+THUS, AMID THE THREAT OF GALE FORCE WINDS, WE MET AND DELIBERATED FOR SOME HOURS BEFORE REACHING A FINAL DECISION, HE SAID.
MEMBERS BELIEVED FIRMLY THAT THEY HAD ACTED WITH A CLEAN CONSCIENCE AND THAT BY ANY STANDARDS THEY HAD DISCHARGED THE IR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS LEGISLATORS FAIRLY, AND HONORABLY, HE ADDED.
MR CHEONG CONCLUDED +LEST PEOPLE MAY RUN THE RISK OF CONFLICTING THE DUTIES OF LEGISLATORS, BE THEY APPOINTED OR ELECTED, WITH ACCEPTING EXPEDIENTLY, BLINDLY AND TIMIDLY ALL VOCAL REQUESTS, ALLOW ME TO REPEAT WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A SIMPLE MOTTO ADOPTED I AM SURE BY ALL OF US IN THIS CHAMBER AND THAT IS:
IF AND WHEN LEGISLATIVE MEMBERS ARE FIRST SATISFIED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CONSCIENTIOUS AND DELIGENT IN THEIR DEL IBERATIONS AND IN SO DOING, SECONDLY, HAVE FULLY TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION ALL REPRESENTATIONS WHILST TRYING, THIRDLY, TO TAKE STEPS TO AMEND WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN WRONG, THEN THEIR DUTIES AS LEGISLATORS WOULD HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED HONORABLY.+
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