6
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1987
SIR DAVID I THINK I'VE NOTICED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS A
NUMBER OF + BUCKS+ STOPPING AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE AND I THINK I'VE NOTICED THAT THE GOVERNOR IS NOT ENTIRELY FREE FROM CRITICISM IN THE PRESS AND FROM SOME MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR WHAT HE DOES. 1 THINK THAT'S ENTIRELY NATURAL. POSSIBLY I MUST FACE THE PROSPECT OF MORE OF THE SORT OF DIRECT CRITICISM. I DON'T THINK GOVERNORS ARE ANY MORE UP ON A PEDESTAL WITH PEOPLE FEELING THAT THEY CANNOT BE CRITICAL OF THEM, SO I'M PREPARING TO THICKEN MY SKIN.
CHAIRMAN t YES. DOWN THERE, YES.
SHEILA DAWES (HONG KONG STANDARD) = ARE YOU EXPECTING OMEL CO TO
VISIT LONDON BEFORE APRIL?
SIR DAVID I DON'T THINK THAT OMELCO HAS ANY PLANS AT THE MOMENT TO VISIT HONG KONG.... SORRY, TO VISIT LONDON, CERTAINLY NOT COLLECTIVELY. WHETHER OR NOT THERE WILL BE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF OMELCO COMING HERE I DON'T KNOW. I HAPPEN TO KNOW ONE OR TWO WHO ARE COMING AND I CERTAINLY HOPE TO SEE THEM IF THEY'RE IN LONDON, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE IS A COLLECTIVE DELEGATION PLANNING TO COME.
PAUL FRANKCHUCK (VOICE OF AMERICA) 1 YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT HOW YOU PLAN TO ENJOY THESE, PERHAPS, YEARS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SPENDING IN HONG KONG. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU THINK WILL BE THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE IN THIS NEW JOB YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE?
SIR DAVID THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE WILL BE APPEARING IN A GOLDFISH BOWL. I AM NOT USED TO THE SORT OF EXPOSURE WHICH A GOVERNOR HAS AND WHICH I'M NOW FACING THIS AFTERNOON. I THINK THAT DOES TAKE QUITE A LOT OF GETTING USED TO AND MAY INITIALLY, AT LEAST, TAKE SOME OF THE GILT OFF THE GINGERBREAD. BEING TELEPHONED, AS I WAS THE OTHER DAY, BY SOMEBODY AT 3.30 IN THE MORNING, IS NOT THE SORT OF EXPOSURE THAT I PARTICULARLY WANT.
KEITH HONG (SING TAO); MR WILSON, PREVIOUSLY YOU WERE THE POLITICAL ADVISER OF HONG KONG BEFORE AND NOW TO BE GOVERNOR IN HONG KONG, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO JOBS?
SIR DAVID I THINK THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY IS THAT HAVING BEEN POLITICAL ADVISER GAVE ME VERY VALUABLE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITHIN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, AND AS A RESULT OF THAT 1 DEVELOPED GREAT RESPECT FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE. IT WAS A DELIGHT TO WORK IN SUCH AN ACTIVE AND DECISION ORIENTATED GOVERNMENT, AND THAT WAS GREAT EXPERIENCE. OBVIOUSLY THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
/BEING A .......