12
QUESTION: YES, I WILL REPEAT UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HONG KONG, SUITABLE FOR HONG KONG TO HAVE
TACCORDING TO YOUR
DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS DIRECT ELECTION?
SIR GEOFFREY: WELL, THAT IS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WHICH IS UNDER CONSIDERATION IN THE REVIEW. AND I'M NOT GOING AT THIS STAGE TO INJECT MY OPINION INTO THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHICH SUCH WIDELY DIFFERING VIEWS ARE HELD IN HONG KONG.
QUESTION: I LIKE TO ASK IN CHINESE. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID JUST NOW, AND THAT IS THERE ARE DIVERGENT VIEWS ON DIRECT ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG AND YOU HEAR ALL THESE VIEWS. WOULD YOU THEN TAKE THE MAJORITY VIEW OR WOULD YOU ONLY ADOPT THE IMPORTANT VIEWS?
SIR GEOFFREY: I DON'T THINK ANYONE CAN BEGIN TO OFFER OPINIONS AS TO WHICH VIEW IS IMPORTANT, WHOSE VIEW IS IMPORTANT. I THINK WHAT IS CLEAR AT THE ONE HAS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF ALL THE VIEWS. MOMENT IS THAT THERE IS A WIDE DIVERSITY OF OPINION. IT IS NOT CLEAR, I THINK
I THINK, HOW OPINION WILL MOVE AS THAT DEBATE CONTINUES IN THE MONTHS AHEAD. IT WOULD BE INFLUENCED BY MANY FACTORS, AND IT IS NOT FOR ME NOW TO SAY HOW THE OUTCOME WILL BE DETERMINED. THAT IS FOR THOSE CONDUCTING THE REVIEW.
DIS: I THINK WE HAVE TO COME TO THE LAST THREE QUESTIONS BECAUSE SIR GEOFFREY HAS A FLIGHT TO CATCH.
QUESTION: SIR GEOFFREY, I WOULD LIKE TO RAISE MY QUESTION IN CHINESE. SIR GEOFFREY, NOW THAT HONG KONG IS IN THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, AND THERE IS THE DAYA BAY INCIDENT, HOW CAN YOU ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THIS INCIDENT ON HONG KONG? DO YOU THINK THIS INCIDENT IS A BLOW TO PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG? AND THE SECOND QUESTION IS, DO YOU THINK THIS INCIDENT WOULD AFFECT THE BRITISH OR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S STAND ON THE PACE IN INTRODUCING DIRECT ELECTION BECAUSE MANY LEGCO COUNCILLORS THINK THAT LEGCO WAS UNABLE TO REFLECT PUBLIC OPINION AND THEY THEREFORE ASKED THAT THERE SHOULD BE DIRECT ELECTION IN HONG KONG. BUT OTHERS SAY THAT THE INDIRECTLY ELECTED LEGCO MEMBERS HAD SAID TOO MUCH AND THERE SHOULD BE A SLOWER PACE AS FAR AS DIRECT ELECTION IS CONCERNED. WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THIS ISSUE?
SIR GEOFFREY: ON THE LAST QUESTION, AGAIN IT'S NOT FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY VIEW. YOU VERY INTERESTINGLY SUMMARISED THE TWO VIEWS THAT ARE EXPRESSED IN HONG KONG - SOME PEOPLE SAYING THAT THE PARTICULAR LESSONS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE DRAWN FROM THE DAYA BAY PROJECT POINT IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVING MORE AND MORE QUICKLY IN THE DIRECTION OF DIRECT ELECTION AND OTHER PEOPLE SAYING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE. THAT MERELY UNDERLINES THE POINT THAT I'VE BEEN MAKING, THAT THERE IS A TODAY DIVERGENCE OF VIEWS ABOUT IT. I THINK THAT THE HANDLING OF THE DAYA BAY PROJECT ITSELF DOES DEMONSTRATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH NOT ONLY THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT BUT MEMBERS OF BOTH EXCO AND LEGCO HAVE TAKEN VERY SERIOUS NOTICE
/OF THE ......
++