WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1986
56
'BEST MAN FOR THE JOB' KEY CRITERION
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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT IT WAS TOO EARLY NOW TO SAY AT WHAT TIME HONG KONG WOULD HAVE A CHINESE CHIEF SECRETARY.
+BUT SOONER OR LATER THERE WILL BE ONE,+ SIR DAVID SAID. HE WAS SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OPENING THE AU TAU PUMPING STATION IN YUEN LONG.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE SELECTION OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY WAS NOT DECIDED ON GROUNDS OF RACE. IT IS DECIDED ON GROUNDS OF WHO IS THE BEST MAN TO DO THE JOB AT THE TIME,+ HE SAID.
+I'VE KNOWN MR DAVID FORD IN FACT SINCE HE JOINED THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE, WAY BACK IN THE 1970'S. I'M QUITE SURE THAT THE PROCESS OF SELECTION IS TO FIND THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB AT THE TIME. THAT'S THE IMPORTANT CRITERIA,+
ON WHETHER MR FORD MIGHT BE THE LAST NON-CHINESE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID SAID: +1 THINK IT IS TOO SOON TO SPECULATE ABOUT THAT. AS WE MOVE AHEAD WE WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB AT THE TIME THAT WE NEED TO CHOOSE HIM.+
ASKED WHETHER MR FORD'S MAIN JOB WOULD BE TO TRAIN A CHINESE TO TAKE OVER FROM HIM ONE DAY. SIR DAVID SAID: IT IS A BIT TOO SIMPLISTIC THAT HE WOULD BE ACTUALLY TRAINING THE PERSON CONCERNED. GRADUALLY A CHIEF SECRETARY, WHO WILL BE A CHINESE CHIEF SECRETARY, WILL EMERGE FROM ALL THE OFFICERS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE.+
IN REPLY TO ANOTHER QUESTION ON DIRECT ELECTIONS, HE SAID SIR GEOFFREY HOWE HAD ANSWERED THOSE QUESTIONS AT LENGTH DURING HIS RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG.
+THESE WILL ALL BE SWEPT UP IN THE 1987 REVIEW AND THE SITUATION WILL BE DESCRIBED IN THE REVIEW. HONG KONG PEOPLE'S VOICE WILL
BE LISTENED TO.+
HE ADDED THAT, AS SIR GEOFFREY HAD SAID, THE REVIEW WOULD BE THOROUGH,
ASKED ABOUT HIS PLANS AFTER RETIREMENT FROM THE CIVIL SERVICE, SIR DAVID SAID HE HAD NO PLANS FOR HIS NEXT JOB. +HONG KONG IS SUCH A FAST MOVING ECONOMY AND SUCH AN EXPANDING PLACE THAT I DO HOPE THERE WILL BE SOMETHING FOR AKERS-JONES TO DO, I FEEL QUITE FIT STILL.+
WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON A REPORT THAT HE WOULD JOIN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, SIR DAVID SAID LAND ADMINISTRATION WAS ONE AREA THAT HE HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
/+AND AT